Latest news with #OperationGigawatt
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii is beautiful, but it costs a lot to keep the lights on — especially compared to Utah
Hawaii may be an island paradise, but it is a money pit when it comes to the cost of electricity. Residents there pay an average of $213 a month to keep the lights on, while Utah costs are as low as $85 per month. With U.S. electricity consumption hitting record levels and forecast to continue climbing through 2026, a new study has revealed just how much your location impacts your energy costs. For millions of Americans, states' energy pricing structure means they're paying double, or even triple, what residents in other regions pay, the study found. 'With the recent EIA report showing nationwide electricity consumption at an all-time high, consumers need to understand the differences in regional prices,' said Corey Gilgan, owner of Oregon Generators, which specializes in generator installation, EV charging setups and electrical upgrades. 'Our study shows dramatic variations in what Americans pay for energy depending on where they live, information that's particularly valuable as demand continues to grow.' 'Hawaii's isolated location means almost everything energy-related must be imported at premium prices,' Gilgan said. 'They're largely dependent on imported petroleum for electricity generation, while the mainland has diversified its energy sources. The additional cost of maintaining infrastructure across multiple islands creates significantly higher energy costs for residents.' Utah's energy portfolio includes a mix of coal, natural gas, geothermal, wind and solar. According to the Energy Information Administration, coal fueled 46% of Utah's total electricity net generation in 2023, down from 75% in 2015, and natural gas accounted for 34%. Almost all of the rest of Utah's generation came from renewable energy sources, primarily solar power. Solar energy powers about 93% of Utah's electric generating capacity added since 2015. While Utah does not generate any electricity from nuclear energy, plans for several nuclear power plants have been proposed since 2007. PacifiCorp has announced that it is looking to replace two coal-fired power plants in Emery County with nuclear power. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has an ambitious goal of doubling Utah's generation of electricity within a decade. Last fall, he announced the launch of Operation Gigawatt, emphasizing there is a looming energy crisis. 'It puts Utah in a position to lead the country in energy development, secure our energy future and remain a net energy exporter while diversifying and expanding our energy resources,' he said at the time. The analysis in this study shows Utah is moving in the right direction. 'Utah benefits from a combination of favorable energy factors,' Gilgan said. 'Their geographic position provides access to abundant coal and natural gas reserves, significant hydroelectric resources, and relatively modern infrastructure. Additionally, their regulatory framework prioritizes cost-effective energy delivery to consumers.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion: Upgrading Utah's power grid will help us achieve energy abundance
They say the best time to plant a tree is yesterday. The best time for transmission buildout was 20 years ago. Transmission buildout is not optional. It is a necessary next step in achieving affordable, clean energy access for all Utahns and updating our power grid. To move energy across the state from city centers in Salt Lake City to more rural areas like Cache Valley or Tooele County, updating our aging infrastructure is a necessity. This necessity is growing daily, as is the need for modernization and build-out in order to meet the Beehive State's rapidly growing energy demand. Once we're done playing catch-up, Utah is uniquely positioned to get ahead of the curve and become a national leader in this new frontier of energy abundance. Many Utahns are well aware of this fact, and Governor Cox is no exception. He has championed Operation Gigawatt, Utah's new plan for powering its energy future, over the past year. Even if Utah produces all the energy in the world, however, it won't matter without the means to transport it across the state. Fortunately, the plan has stated 'increasing transmission capacity' as one of the four key areas of the initiative. At a time when energy demand is skyrocketing, Operation Gigawatt could not have come along sooner. With 70% of U.S. transmission lines over 25 years old and nearing the end of their useful life, our nation faces an undeniable need for infrastructure improvement. The time for transmission buildout is now. As one of the fastest-growing states in both economy and population, Utah must keep up with the ever-growing need for power. Our population is spreading out across the state due to city centers filling up fast, and the energy needs follow. While the need to produce more clean, sustainable energy will come, the production is not the only problem. The U.S. has nearly 2,600 gigawatts of energy generation trapped in the queue waiting to be connected to the grid and reach Utahns who need it most. This is enough energy to power 2,277,600 homes on average a year, and it is simply not being used. If we focus more effort on transmission buildout, we can utilize the energy that is just sitting there and be prepared to transport newly produced energy more effectively in the future. This means transmission buildout should be at the top of our priority list. Yet another benefit to building out our transmission is that Utahns' existing monthly bills will go down, and the ability for local economies to grow will skyrocket. Transmission buildout projects such as the Cross-Tie transmission line — a 214-mile line connecting Utah and Nevada, expected to be in service by 2028 — not only aid us in our effort toward energy dominance, but also provide a wide range of jobs to local communities with otherwise very little economic stimulation. These projects could help small businesses in these rural communities simply by bringing the power and more people into town. The bottom line is that right now is the time for transmission buildout in Utah, and it should be at the forefront of the conversation surrounding energy grid development. Expanding the grid will benefit all Utahns across the board by lowering monthly bills and reducing reliance on high-cost power sources. Along with cheaper energy, providing more renewable energy access means less price volatility for Utah, and modernizing the grid also creates jobs and economic growth in local communities. We should have planted our tree 20 years ago, but there is no better time than the present to put transmission buildout at the top of our priority list and begin achieving energy abundance for Utah.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion: A homegrown vision for Utah's energy future takes root
Utah took a bold step toward leading the nation in energy innovation last week at Gov. Spencer Cox's 'Built Here' nuclear summit, where Utah signed a historic agreement with global nuclear firms Hi Tech Solutions and Holtec International. The landmark memorandum of understanding lays the groundwork for the Beehive State to become the Western hub for advanced nuclear technology development, manufacturing and deployment. Hi Tech, based in Washington state, is bringing its next-generation energy vision to the Mountain West. With deep roots in Utah — where its co-founder has lived for more than a decade — the company is establishing its regional headquarters here, not just to build power plants, but to create a full nuclear ecosystem. This includes research partnerships, training centers, and advanced manufacturing and deployment of nimble small modular nuclear reactors, which allow for faster, more secure and scalable energy to be deployed across the region. Unlike other nuclear initiatives that focus primarily on electricity generation, this partnership takes a comprehensive approach. Through the agreement, Hi Tech and Holtec will launch the regional nuclear operations training center, beginning with an interim facility by 2026 and followed by a $35 million advanced energy training campus starting construction in 2028. These centers will prepare Utahns for careers in a rapidly reemerging industry with high-paying, long-term jobs in clean energy. In addition to this investment in training a new generation of nuclear workers, Holtec, a proven world leader in nuclear innovation, has selected Utah as the preferred Western location to manufacture its small reactor technology, currently scheduled for deployment at the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan. This means Utah will become a key player in the national and global nuclear supply chain, providing the critical small reactors that deliver clean, affordable, reliable energy well-suited for the state's growing communities, industry and demand for data centers. This initiative reflects Gov. Cox's strategy found in Operation Gigawatt, the call to double Utah's power capacity in ten years. But the vision isn't just about infrastructure. It's about people. Establishing a nuclear industry biome in the Beehive State requires input from Utahns. The engagement strategy will include public forums; educational initiatives in local schools; and transparent communication around safety, environmental benefits and economic opportunities. For Utahns, the economic upside is immense. This partnership is expected to create thousands of high-quality jobs while attracting a network of suppliers and partners that will further expand our state's advanced manufacturing base. The agreement sends a clear signal: Utah is leading now. While other regions debate the path forward, we are forging ahead with partnerships between government, industry and local communities that accelerate real solutions. Of course, building a nuclear ecosystem comes with obstacles — regulatory coordination, infrastructure investment and long-term planning. But strong state leadership and vision around energy, such as the recently passed bipartisan House Bill 249, are already working and contributed to attracting this historic partnership. The state's willingness to explore permitting support, workforce training programs and research partnerships further demonstrates the holistic thinking necessary to succeed. Economic development professionals and city and state leaders in Utah recognize that nuclear energy innovation and economic development go hand-in-hand. By investing in clean energy technologies built right here in Utah, we are shaping a future of energy abundance, sustained industrial growth, technological leadership and lasting prosperity. The momentum is real. Shovels will soon break ground. Training programs will launch. Manufacturing will scale. Together, we're building a new era of energy — powered by innovation, rooted in community and proudly 'Built in Utah.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is this the ‘energy decade'? Why energy is so hot right now
In today's world — in Utah, across the West, overseas and everywhere else — dependable energy is central. The Kem Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah hosted a discussion Thursday to explain the dynamics of energy production and consumption, as well as the realities of what the Beehive State and the rest of the country is facing. A report by the institute says according to 2024 numbers, Utah enjoys the cheapest residential electricity prices in the nation. 'From 1980 to 2019, Utah enjoyed the status of a net energy exporter, meaning Utah generated more energy than needed to other states and sometimes other countries,' the report said. Utah energy production began decreasing in 2015 and continued to drop until it crossed the consumption line in 2020, flipping Utah into net energy importer status for the first time in 40 years. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says that is why Utah has to be a pioneer and have vision — like the people who came before us. It's why Cox launched 'Operation Gigawatt,' the drive to take energy production to a new level. Utah and this country is at a crossroad. In this state, five active coal mines were in operation in 2024, the fewest since Utah mining operations began nearly 150 years ago. The good news for the state is that Utah returned to being an exporter because of crude oil production and natural gas opportunities. But the state continues to work through its own changes as coal production and electricity generated from coal-fired power plants hit low levels, but crude oil production remains higher than at any time in history. Utah crude oil production increased 13% to 65.1 million barrels in 2024. Those high production levels allowed for exports of over 33 million barrels from the Uinta Basin traveling via train to the Gulf Coast. According to the Utah Petroleum Association, the Salt Lake City area is home to five refineries that all operate at capacity and take a mix of Utah's waxy crude and other crudes. Other regional crudes and even Canadian crude are also processed in SLC via two incoming crude pipelines, one from Wyoming and one from Colorado. Finished products (jet fuel, diesel and gasoline) from the Salt Lake refineries are transported via truck to local and regional markets, via one of two pipelines to Las Vegas or to Idaho and Washington, or via a pipeline network to the Salt Lake International Airport for jet fuel. Solar has also been hot in Utah. Utility scale production amounted to 14% of Utah's total electricity production last year. In the residential sector, total installed photovoltaic capacity increased from seven megawatts in 2013 to 429 megawatts in 2023. 'Many people are calling the next 10 years the 'energy decade,'' said Natalie Gochnour, director of the Gardner Institute. 'The Utah economy benefits from abundant energy sources and supplies that fuel economic opportunity. In a very real way, energy development is economic development, and the data affirm Utah's privileged position as an energy state.' The lead author of the report summarized the report's findings in this way: 'Crude oil and natural gas still feature prominently in Utah's energy mix, but coal's role diminishes each year,' said Michael Vanden Berg, energy and minerals program manager for the Utah Geological Survey. 'The electricity market continues to adjust to decarbonization pressures, balanced with grid reliability and affordability. This energy evolution will continue with ongoing emphasis on renewable and carbon-neutral energy sources (in particular, baseload geothermal and nuclear electric generation), innovations in the hydrogen economy, and electrification of the transportation system.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Utahns must think carefully about becoming the nation's nuclear hub
Utah's Legislature has put hope in nuclear energy as a key component of our state's future energy mix. At the start of the 2025 legislative session, Senate President Stuart Adams proclaimed that he wants Utah to be the 'nation's nuclear hub.' Governor Spencer Cox, likewise, included nuclear energy in Operation Gigawatt, an initiative aimed at doubling the state's energy production over the next 10 years. With the passage of HB249, the state created the Nuclear Energy Consortium to advise nuclear energy development in Utah. Now we must consider whether nuclear energy is right for our state. To ensure decisions about how we will power Utah's future are as democratic as possible, all Utahns should be part of the deliberation. We call on Utahns, including our Legislature, governor and the Nuclear Energy Consortium, to evaluate nuclear energy's cost, timeline and environmental impacts. We have already seen how costly nuclear development can be here in Utah. In 2015, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) partnered with NuScale on a small modular reactor (SMR) project, planned to be at Idaho National Labs and provide power to several towns in Utah by 2030. The project was canceled in November 2023 after cost estimates increased from $3 billion to $9 billion. This failed project reveals the risk of investing millions of taxpayer dollars in technology that's yet to be implemented on a large scale. The investment required to develop nuclear power plants is massive. The state has lauded microreactors and SMRs as the stuff of the future. They claim new technology will make nuclear energy safer, easier to produce and cheaper. However, the electricity produced by UAMPS/NuScale project would have been more expensive than that produced by the most recent traditional nuclear power plant to come online in the U.S. That project was not an exception. A 2013 Union of Concerned Scientists report shows that SMRs will be more expensive than traditional nuclear plants. Developing nuclear power is costly and time-intensive. A 2014 study by Dr. Benjamin Sovacool and colleagues demonstrated that a sample of 175 nuclear reactors took on average 64% longer than projected. Dr. Arjun Makhijani argues that nuclear power is too slow and too costly to meaningfully reduce emissions, especially when renewables like solar and wind are ready now and cheaper than ever. The state's call to become a nuclear powerhouse is another iteration of the nuclear renaissance we saw in the early 2000s. However, calls for nuclear development in response to climate change then did not result in an increase in nuclear power. Nuclear consistently provides about 20% of electricity for the U.S. Skeptical public opinion, accidents at TMI and Chernobyl, cost, and long construction times have meant that only three new reactors have come online since the 1990s. Now we're seeing a new version of a call for a nuclear renaissance. In Utah, Adams said we need nuclear energy to meet the energy demand of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI requires massive amounts of power and water; experts expect power demand to skyrocket with the computing power needed for AI. Because tech companies have committed to reducing greenhouse gases, they are looking to nuclear power to supply the increased demand because, proponents argue, it can supply stable electricity that intermittent solar and wind energy cannot. However, there are other ways to provide baseload or surgable electricity, including battery storage and geothermal. Whether or not nuclear energy ends up powering AI, we should be asking ourselves if it is worth the cost and if Utah, already threatened by drought, should be seeking out such a water and energy-intensive industry. Our communities and our environment will continue to pay the price with our tax dollars, our water and our power. There is no one energy source that is inherently good. Each requires resources and has an impact on its surrounding communities and environments. If Utah is going to consider nuclear power, we call for state leaders and Utahns to engage in a nuanced and research-based analysis of its benefits and risks. Our own analysis makes us skeptical that it's the right energy source for Utah. And we're not alone — a former nuclear engineer also recently made the case against nuclear power for Utah.
