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FERC Proposes NEPA Revisions to Streamline Air Quality Analyses and Accelerate Natural Gas Projects

LCG, October 16, 2026--The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced on Thursday its new proposal to revise and accelerate its review of air quality effects for proposed natural gas projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The draft policy statement highlights revisions designed to (i) avoid unnecessary delays and duplicative analysis and (ii) deliver greater regulatory certainty and a streamlined path forward for project applicants.

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AEP Announces 702-MW Bloom Fuel Cell Project to Serve Google in Wyoming

LCG, October 14, 2026--American Electric Power (AEP) today announced plans for a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Google, under which AEP will invest approximately $4 billion to advance a new 702-MW fuel cell generation project located near Cheyenne, Wyoming. Google will acquire power from Cheyenne Fuel Cell, LLC, which is approximately 92 percent owned and controlled by AEP and 8 percent owned by funds advised by Basalt Infrastructure Partners, LLP. AEP and its partners plan to start construction this year and to be fully operational by the end of 2028.

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Industry News

NRG Plans Fuel Switching from Coal to Gas to Avoid Plant Closures

LCG, June 26, 2013--NRG Energy (NRG) announced plans Monday to retrofit the 330-MW, New Castle power plant to switch from burning coal to natural gas. The 60-year old plant, located in Pennsylvania, had been scheduled to close by April 2015 due to environmental regulations associated with burning coal. With the fuel switching, the plant will be reactivated, and the anticipated commercial operating date (COD) for gas-fired operations is the summer of 2016.

NRG merged with GenOn Energy Inc. in December 2012, and GenOn had previously announced the April 2015 closing date last year.

NRG's East Region spokesperson stated, "The New Castle plant shutdown was announced because it would have required a substantial investment in environmental controls to continue to operate as a coal-burning facility. But we looked at it and decided it could be operated economically on natural gas. We won't have to install the extremely expensive controls that would have been required to continue operating on coal."

Following the reactivation, the New Castle plant is anticipated to change from a serving a base-load role to a peaking role, when electric demand peaks.

Other plants targeted by NRG to convert from coal to gas and reactivate are the 732-MW Avon Lake power plant in Ohio by the summer of 2016, as well as the 75-MW Dunkirk Unit 2 in New York.
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