Search Results for: Exelon

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Is Rowe right? Will natural gas remain cheap for 10-20 years?

ByRod Adams

…re. He has repeatedly told his investors that high gas prices are good for Exelon because the company leaders have skillfully maneuvered to be in a position where the selling price for their output is driven by the “last-in” generator. They profit most when that generator is burning natural gas. The higher the price of gas, the higher the selling price for the output of Exelon plants and the higher their profit margins. Their generating costs do n…

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How Can We Halt The Reverse Great Bandwagon In Nuclear?

ByRod Adams

…ts. It wasn’t that long ago that well run nuclear plants like those in the Exelon fleet were considered cash cows. Their operating costs were averaging about 2 cents per kilowatt hour ($20/MW-hr); they ran reliably and the market price of electricity in wholesale markets was established by the highest cost generator needed to supply the demand. In 2008, that high cost generator was burning natural gas costing $12/MMBTU. Just purchasing fuel for th…

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Byron nuclear power plant loses power and shuts down

ByRod Adams

…y. Rockford Rochester Register Star (January 31, 2012) – Unusual Event’ at Exelon’s Byron nuclear plant is over Exelon Nuclear officials say an equipment failure in a switchyard near the plant triggered the automatic shutdown of Unit 2. The company, which continues to investigate the shutdown, said the plant is “in a safe and stable condition with no impact to public safety.” The plant is about 20 miles southwest of Rockford. Christian Science Mon…

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How long before Wisconsin electricity customers regret loss of Kewaunee?

ByRod Adams

…ar utilities, particularly Entergy owning/running Vermont Yankee and maybe Exelon owning a couple “smaller” plants. Considering the number of overall plants that Exelon and Entergy own/operate, I don’t see either of those two companies closing down a well-run nuclear plant before its license expires (with the exception of Exelon agreeing to shut down Oyster Creek w/ 10 years left on its 20-yr extension). In several of the articles that quoted the…

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Clean Nuclear Energy Handed Decisive Win In U.S. District Court

ByRod Adams

…djustment” clause made the value of the ZEC dependent on the market price. Exelon lawyers argued that a fixed ZEC that was independent of the market price wouldn’t help the plaintiffs. It would only harm customers who would be paying higher market prices and still pay extra for clean energy. Judge Shah ruled that the plaintiffs had no standing to challenge the ZEC simply because its value was linked to the market prices determined in auctions gove…

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Maria Korsnick brings fresh thinking to nuclear energy leadership

ByRod Adams

…re purchased by Constellation Energy. In 2015, CE was in turn purchased by Exelon. She has filled positions of increasing responsibility and authority, with time as an engineer, senior reactor operator, projects and outage manager, site vice president and acting CNO for Constellation. She served in important roles with Constellation as it expanded its fleet from the original two units at Calvert Cliffs to include an additional three units in the U…

For Sale – Nuclear Power Plant for Less Than $1500 per Kilowatt That Can Be Running In 5 years

ByRod Adams

…marginal cost of operation was low. So I cannot even remotely imagine why Exelon would retire it. This plant also was built right in the heart of the Chicago-Milwaukee customer base and load demand. It already has transmission feeds. The site had a safe, proven operating history with no major contamination issues or accidents. It had minimal environmental impact. The fishermen loved us. The local people loved the plant. It provided about 1000 dir…

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Energy Supply Worries Are Over! Natural Gas Resource Estimate Increased by 3%!

ByRod Adams

…successful in its recently announced bid to purchase Constellation Energy. Exelon is a master at slowly manipulating markets by gradually reducing electricity supply sources using politically correct language as cover. They have been practicing this technique for at least a dozen years – since they first shut down the 2200 MWe Zion Nuclear Power Station. Exelon’s most recent technique for limiting supply is to talk down the importance of planning…

Smaller plants could speed the Nuclear Renaissance

ByRod Adams

…ed investment without some kind of government loan guarantee. (Mr. Rowe of Exelon made just that argument above.) It is also well known that the US has not constructed a new nuclear power plant from the ground up in more than 30 years. There is probably a learning curve effect that will make the first plants take longer and cost more than later plants. It seems logical to wonder, then, why no one – including the vendor – has mentioned that there i…

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Columnists declare nuclear to be uncompetitive

ByRod Adams

…a mantra that he repeats all over the web. (BTW, Bob, you have Entergy and Exelon mixed up. Exelon is the largest nuclear plant operator in the US. With its recent acquisition of Constellation Energy, it now owns and operates 22 nuclear units at 15 different sites. Entergy owns 10 units and has announced plans to close 2 of them already.) There is no doubt that sub $2/MMBTU natural gas has hurt the economics of operating nuclear plants. So has the…

Public Versus Private Power – It Is Time To Reopen The Discussion

ByRod Adams

…ibune titled Zion plant powers up for teardown. According to that article, Exelon has until November to transfer the license of the Zion Nuclear Power Station to EnergySolutions, which will then begin a seven year process of dismantling the two unit, 2080 MWe nuclear power station that operated for approximately 25 years before having temporary outages extended into an indefinite (the company calls it “permanent”) shutdown. I have written on this…

Chicago Buys Meaningless Carbon Credits – Refurbishing Zion Would Be a Better Investment With Real Climate Payoffs

ByRod Adams

…welcome additions to the local economy in times like these. Unfortunately, Exelon does not like the notion of restoring a proven source of low cost electricity, even if they are the plant owner. I know that is hard to understand, but in a market like that in the Midwest, new supply would reduce the average price of electricity by reducing the number of hours each year when natural gas is the price setter. Since Exelon owns 17 low cost nuclear plan…

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