UTILITIES: Duke Energy expects minimal impact on an adjacent river after it discovers a 50-foot break in an earthen wall around a large cooling pond at its Lee power plant in North Carolina. (Duke Energy, Charlotte Observer)
ALSO:
• Two environmental groups say they are closely monitoring the break in Duke Energy’s cooling pond in North Carolina. (Waterkeeper Alliance)
• Florida regulators allow a public review of utilities’ 10-year resource plans during a two-hour workshop. (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)
***SPONSORED LINK: The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy will host a webinar/Q&A October 19 at 10 a.m. EDT featuring info and new tools designed to help communities and advocates fight coal ash threats in the Southeast. Register here.***
PIPELINES:
• The venting of a Dominion natural gas pipeline compressor station in Northern Virginia reveals a lack of guidance for alerting the public. (Southeast Energy News)
• Dominion plans to expand its compressor station operations to move more natural gas through its pipelines in Northern Virginia. (Loudoun Times)
COAL:
• Mississippi Power says its long-delayed and over-budget Kemper “clean coal” plant generates electricity for the first time. (Associated Press)
• Regulators issue a permit for the Kemper “clean coal” plant to discharge water into a creek during high rainfall. (Associated Press)
• Why it’s so difficult to generate electricity from “clean coal.” (Inside Energy / Wyoming Public Radio)
WIND: Florida regulators approve a utility’s proposal to buy power generated by wind systems in Oklahoma. (Pensacola News Journal)
SOLAR:
• Al Gore says Florida’s Amendment 1 is utilities’ bid to kill rooftop solar — not protect consumers — and joins Hillary Clinton in urging voters to reject it. (Tampa Bay Times, PV Magazine)
• A job fair in Florida’s Panhandle seeks 400 construction workers for large solar systems to be built by Gulf Power. (WEAR)
• Citing a possible need for installation standards, Florida utilities secure the endorsement for Amendment 1 from first responders. (Florida Politics)
• The Venice, Florida city council orders Florida Power & Light to relocate a solar canopy. (Herald-Tribune)
EMISSIONS: Four Southeast states have slashed the staffs of their environmental agencies by at least 20 percent, complicating their compliance with federal emission rules. (Center for Public Integrity)
NATURAL GAS: Duke Energy tells North Carolina regulators it will spend $56 million to upgrade coal units to burn natural gas. (Charlotte Business Journal)
COMMENTARY: Florida’s solar Amendment 1 is really about money, not solar. (Orlando Sentinel)