NextEra Energy, owner of the Duane Arnold Energy Center, says it will retire Iowa’s lone nuclear plant in late 2020, five years earlier than anticipated. The Florida-based utility said Alliant Energy, the plant’s largest power user, has agreed to pay NextEra $110 million to shorten its agreement to purchase power from Duane Arnold. Alliant said it will partially replace the nuclear energy with wind energy from NextEra and expects new energy deals will save Iowa customers nearly $300 million over 21 years, even after the utility pays NextEra to end its contract early.
Des Moines 27th July 2018 read more »
Attorneys for state lawmakers say a troubled South Carolina power company knew of the potential for financial problems following a multibillion-dollar nuclear construction failure well ahead of state lawmakers’ passage of a temporary cut to help ratepayers. The assertions came out Monday during testimony from SCANA chief financial officer Iris Griffin in a hearing that’s part of the utility’s lawsuit seeking to stop the rate cut. Pointing to a report from late 2017, attorney Bobby Stepp noted SCE&G had “uncertainty” about its ability to recover $5 billion in costs well before the rate cut. SCE&G and parent company SCANA Corp. are suing to stop regulators from implementing a 15 percent temporary rate cut passed in June. Unless a federal judge intervenes, the cut will be out on bills starting next week.
Daily Mail 30th July 2018 read more »
