EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

Energy Secretary Issues Emergency Orders to Ensure Indiana Coal-fired Facilities Remain Open to Prevent Midwest Blackouts

LCG, December 24, 2025--The U.S. Secretary of Energy today issued emergency orders to keep two Indiana coal plants operational, with the stated goal to ensure Americans in the Midwest region of the United States have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity heading into the winter months. The orders direct CenterPoint Energy, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO) to take all measures necessary to ensure specified generation units at both the F.B. Culley and R.M. Schahfer generating stations in Indiana are available to operate.

Read more

RWE and Indiana Michigan Power Company Sign Long-term PPA for 200 MW Wind Project

LCG, December 18, 2025--RWE and Indiana Michigan Power Company (I&M), an American Electric Power (AEP) company, today announced their partnering to provide new wind power generation capacity online to meet Indiana’s growing electricity demand. The companies signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the total output from RWE’s 200 MW Prairie Creek wind project in Blackford County, Indiana. I&M will purchase electricity from the wind project, which will further diversify its portfolio and be consistent with its all-of-the-above strategy to secure generation for its rapidly growing electricity demand.

Read more

Industry News

California Capsule: Davis Eases Pollution Rules to Get Power

LCG, June 12, 2001California Gov. Gray Davis issued an executive order yesterday that will allow operators of the state's heaviest-polluting natural gas-fired power plants to run them at capacity this summer and build their emissions fines into the price they charge the state for electricity.

Even some baseload plants would be prevented from operating full time without the governor's order. At a news conference yesterday, state officials pointed out that the order will actually reduce pollution by reducing the need for businesses and institutions to use their backup diesel generators.

"If we don't get every last megawatt we can, we will see people turning to diesel more frequently," said Catherine Witherspoon of the California Air Resources Board.

Her observation was echoed by Kellan Fluckiger, one of Davis' army of energy advisors. "If you don't run these (power plants), you're either going to have outages or you're going to run something dirtier," he said.

Most of the plants affected by the order are "peaking facilities," plants that are permitted to run only a few hundred hours per year because they pollute so heavily.

State officials did not say how the added cost of electricity would be paid for, but it's safe to say that electric customers will get the bill in the end, probably through even higher rates.

FERC Expands El Paso Corp. Gas Price Probe
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission yesterday granted a request by the California Public Utilities Commission for more hearings into possible natural gas market manipulation by three subsidiaries of El Paso Corp.

The CPUC alleged that El Paso Pipeline, El Paso Merchant Energy-Gas and Mojave Pipeline Co. rigged contracts to boost gas prices during much of last year. The commission claimed the manipulation cost the state an extra $3.7 billion.

FERC had investigated similar allegation earlier this year and said in March that it found no evidence of so-called "affiliate abuse," and industry term for collusion between or among related firms.

In yesterday's order, FERC said "The commission now sets for hearing the issue of whether El Paso Pipeline and/or El Paso Merchant engaged in affiliate abuse or violated the affiliate standards in bidding for or awarding the El Paso contracts, including the transmission discount granted by Mojave."

Norma Dunn, an El Paso spokeswoman, said "The bottom line is that FERC had all the evidence before them (in March) when they made their initial decision that there was no affiliate abuse. And that evidence has not changed."

Copyright © 2025 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