EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

EPA Announces Proposed Rule Action to Revise ELG's and Support Reliable, Affordable Coal-fired Power Plants

LCG, May 14, 2026--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is proposing a rule to revise wastewater limits, known as effluent limitations guidelines (ELG), for steam electric power plants that will help improve grid reliability and lower electricity prices while continuing to support clean and safe water resources. If finalized, the EPA's proposal is estimated to reduce electricity generation costs by as much as $1.1 billion annually, which could provide cost-savings to American consumers.

Read more

DOE Awards $94 Million to Eight American Companies to Accelerate SMR Deployments and Develop Supply Chain

LCG, May 14, 2026--The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the selection of eight companies to support the near-term deployment of advanced light-water small modular reactors (SMRs) in the United States. The DOE states that awardees will collectively receive more than $94 million in Federal cost-shared funding to spur additional Gen III+ SMR deployments by addressing key gaps that have hindered the domestic nuclear industry in licensing, supply chain, and site preparation.

Read more

Industry News

Alamitos Pays a Price to Go Back On-line. Despite California's Desperate Power Needs

LCG, Dec. 14, 2000--All summer long and into the fall, AES Corp. operated the Alamitos power plant it had purchased from California Edison Co. at as close to full capacity as possible. The money was good and California needed the power to avoid blackouts.

But, just when the state needed the plant's 2,000 megawatts the most, AES was forced to shut down the Long Beach facility because it had used up its emissions allocations for the year. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, a state agency seemingly unaware of the power shortage, even threatened to sue AES.

Last Friday, a deal was worked out with the district that permitted Alamitos to rejoin the grid, where it helped avert rolling blackouts after the California Independent System Operator had called its first-ever Stage 3 power emergency. There was a price to be paid.

AES Alamitos agreed, among other things, to:

  • Begin installing selective catalytic reduction devices on four uncontrolled units at AES Alamitos as soon as the pending permits are issued.

  • Until the devices are installed, dispatch all generating units in accordance with "environmental dispatch", which means that the units with superior emission control equipment are operated first.

  • Comply with all provisions of the District's emission trading program.

  • Pay a $17 million fine.

In a statement, Mark Woodruff, President of AES Southland, said perfunctorily, "This settlement allows us to remove the uncertainty relating to the alleged exceedances. More importantly, it also clears the way for AES to use its plants to serve the electricity needs of the State in the months and years ahead. We are moving forward as quickly as we can to install the SCRs and we appreciate the cooperation we have received from the leaders of the District."

Copyright © 2026 LCG Consulting. All rights reserved. Terms and Copyright
UPLAN-NPM
The Locational Marginal Price Model (LMP) Network Power Model
Uniform Storage Model
A Battery Simulation Model
UPLAN-ACE
Day Ahead and Real Time Market Simulation
UPLAN-G
The Gas Procurement and Competitive Analysis System
PLATO
Database of Plants, Loads, Assets, Transmission...
CAISO CRR Auctions
Monthly Price and Congestion Forecasting Service