EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

Microsoft and Avangrid Sign PPA for Bluebird Solar Project in Washington State

LCG, May 27, 2026--Avangrid, Inc., a member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Microsoft for the 140 MWdc (100 MWac) Bluebird Solar project in Klickitat County, Washington. Bluebird is located near four other energy projects owned and operated by Avangrid in Klickitat County and represents another $300 million investment in the community. The Bluebird Solar project is expected to achieve commercial operation in 2028.

Read more

ERCOT Summer 2026: What’s Driving the Next Wave of Market Risk?

LCG, May 27, 2026--ERCOT enters Summer 2026 with healthy near-term reserve margins, but rapidly growing data center demand, persistent West Texas congestion, and the rollout of RTC+B are reshaping market dynamics faster than ever.

Read more

Industry News

Lake Michigan Silt Closes AEP's Cook Nuke

LCG, Aug. 30, 2001--American Electric power Co. said this morning that the 1,100 megawatt Unit 2 of its Cook nuclear power plant at Benton Harbor, Mich., was being taken off line because of the intrusion of Lake Michigan silt into its cooling water systems.

"The silt was drawn in by plant water intake pipes and degraded cooling water systems required for plant safety equipment and back-up power sources," AEP said in a statement.

Silty water is a fine abrasive and can literally grind down the moving parts of a system in which it circulates. AEP said Unit 1 at Cook, a twin of Unit 2, was taken off line on Monday to replace a circulating water pump discharge valve. The company did not say silt was what made the replacement necessary but did say that silt intrusion affects the cooling water systems for both units.

Three huge pipes, each 16 feet across, bring water from one-half mile out in Lake Michigan into the plant. It is not surprising that silt -- and an occasional boat -- would find its way into the plant's systems.

AEP was unable to say how long the units would be shut down, but said return-to-service schedules for both units will be established following an investigation to determine the cause of the silt intrusion.

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