NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) thinks that EPA is playing with fire.
In brief, EPA is thinking about implementing rules which will shut down about 20% (TWENTY PERCENT) of coal-generator power plants and replacing them with retro-fitted (cleaner) OR new plants. These changes must be made by 2018.
NERC's concern is that there will not be enough time to plan the re-fit/replace/shutdown cycles, thereby impacting reserve capacity.
The study is not about "Greenhouse Gas" regs; it's concerned only with Cooling Water Intake standards, Clean Air Transport rules, MACT (Title One, Clean Air Act), and Coal (Residual) Disposition standards.
You might have guessed that all of this will cost money.
In the alternative, you won't have electricity.
HT: AmSpecBlog
They either don't know or don't care what it takes to build a power plant...of any kind. It's not like you take it off the shelf and put 600 MW on the ground the next week...or month...or year. Include the inevitable protests and legal action and you have a decade at minimum.
ReplyDeleteI hope that, come 2012, a new administration and Congress can rein in the EPA. Unfortunately, I can also imagine them going rogue, like the IRS.
ReplyDeleteDude. We are already damned close to lead time for 2018 now.
ReplyDeleteLet this be a reminder to all...
Elections have consequences. Lets start reigning in this Admin starting Tuesday.
Close? We're past.
ReplyDelete