U.S. Electric Power Industry & Climate Change

October 2009
Volume 2, Number 10

U.S. power utilities know that a federal policy to limit greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) is coming, either in the form of legislation or through executive action by the EPA (empowered by the Supreme Court to regulate CO2 as a pollutant). CCBJ examines how players in the $350 billion U.S. electric power industry will likely respond to a cap-and-trade policy akin to Waxman-Markey, which passed the House in June. How will utilities reduce emissions quickly enough to meet the cap that would come into force in 2012? How can coal-dependent utilities and independent power producers invest in carbon capture and storage when the price of carbon under Waxman-Markey will be too low to support that emerging technology? How and where will the industry procure the 328 million tons of carbon credits that analysts estimate it will need by 2015? What roles will renewables, energy efficiency and nuclear energy play in utilities’ compliance strategies? These and other key questions are discussed and analyzed by leading consultants and analysts from firms such as IHS CERA, Point Carbon, New Energy Finance, KEMA, Black & Veatch and TRC Companies.

Inside this Edition

  • Renewable Energy. Renewable energy standards (aka renewable portfolio standards) have driven investment in wind, solar and other resources in 29 states. CCBJ explores how a federal RES may affect renewable power investment; we examine the challenges facing some utilities to meet their existing RES requirements; and we analyze how utilities weigh their options to purchase renewably generated power vs. owning their own renewable assets, and what these trends mean for IPPs, project developers, contractors and consultants.
  • Nuclear Energy. Poised for a renaissance, the nuclear industry is receiving more attention and investment by utilities than at any time in over two decades. CCBJ provides a complete overview of proposed nuclear projects and the structure of the U.S. nuclear industry, including competing technology alliances and the booming business in nuclear power plant maintenance and upgrading; we also cover regulatory and economic hurdles.
  • Carbon Capture & Storage. CCBJ updates our comprehensive March 2008 overview of the CCS industry: What’s the status of demonstration projects in all three technologies: IGCC, post-combustion capture and oxyfuel combustion. Who’s in and who’s out of the major U.S. IGCC demo project, FutureGen. What are the highlights of CCS RD&D in Europe, Australia and China.

Additional companies and institutions: Alstom, American Public Power Assn, Burns & McDonnell, CPS Energy, Duke Energy, Edison Electric Institute, Electric Power Research Institute, Evolution Markets, Florida Power & Light, Gainesville Regional Utilities, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Huron Consulting, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, NextEra Energy, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Progress Energy, PSEG, Shaw Group, Southern California Edison, Southern Co., Westinghouse and more.

Look inside the U.S. Electric Power Industry & Climate Change Edition

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