Ohio coal power plant to close

(Blog post derived from The Columbus Dispatch)
There was big energy news today that American Electric Power (AEP) plans to close a coal-fired power plant near Beverly, Ohio, that had been slated for conversion to run on natural gas. The Columbus-based utility said yesterday that Muskingum River Unit 5, with a capacity of 585 MWs, will stop operating in 2015. The company is taking that action at a time when wholesale electricity prices remain low, and Ohio’s power demand has been close to flat.”

Teresa Ringenbach, Senior Manager, Government & Regulatory Affairs, Direct Energy, comments: As coal-fired power plants age and new environmental rules are put into place, it is likely some plants will be shut down. However, just like any other industry where new technology replaces the old, new plants will be built if and when they are needed. In fact, many new plants are already approved and several new plants went online in PJM over the last few years. There are federal, state, and regional reliability protections for customers to ensure the lights stay on. Lastly, competitors such as Direct Energy have the capability to offer innovative products designed to allow customers the flexibility to save money even if market prices increase. Read the July 12 article from The Columbus Dispatch.

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Pennsylvania coal power plants to shut down

(Post derived from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

There was big energy news this week that FirstEnergy will be deactivating two coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania – 1,710 MW Hatfield’s Ferry power station in Masontown, Greene County, and the 370 MW Mitchell plant in Courtney, Washington County. One reason is the cost to comply with EPA’s mercury and air toxics standards. Another is the cheap price of natural gas nudging coal generation to the side. And a big part of it is the lack of demand for electricity. Direct Energy comments.

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Our Energy Market Intelligence Team: Get to know Randy Burns

Direct Energy Business wants to take a quick moment to introduce the newest Market Intelligence Team member, Randy Burns.

Randy graduated from Pennsylvania State University with degrees in Finance and Economics. After graduation, he launched his career at Griffon Energy Capital, LLC, a hedge fund located in Austin, Texas, where he worked as a trading assistant on the Natural Gas and Power Desks. Randy moved back to his hometown of Pittsburgh in January 2009 to work as a consultant for Co-eXprise, a firm focused on procurement solutions. He utilized his wholesale market experience to specialize in the procurement of electricity for large commercial and industrial users.

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