U.S. energy head seeks help for coal, nuclear power plants
(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry has asked federal regulators to attempt to keep the nation’s struggling coal and nuclear power plants open by rewarding them for contributing to the resilience of the electric grid, the Department of Energy said on Friday.
The move drew praise from the coal and nuclear power industries. But it raised alarm bells among renewable energy groups and environmentalists concerned that such incentives were unfair and could lead to an increase in emissions from coal plants linked to global warming and more toxic waste from nuclear plants before a permanent repository is built for the country.
“The continued closure of traditional baseload power plants calls for a comprehensive strategy for long-term reliability and resilience,” Perry said in a Sept. 28 letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“States and regions are accepting increased risks that could affect the future reliability and resilience of electricity delivery,” he wrote.
Perry asked FERC to issue a rule within 60 days to allow certain baseload plants that maintain at least 90 days of fuel supply on site to recover their full costs through regulated pricing.
More: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-powergrid-perry/u-s-energy-head-seeks-help-for-coal-nuclear-power-plants-idUSKCN1C42G0?il=0
