Jazz Shaw
HotAir.com
10/8/2011
Last month we told you about energy plants in both Kentucky and Indiana which are facing the prospect of shutting down far ahead of schedule because of pending EPA regulations. These closures come at a tremendous cost which, as always, will be passed on to the consumer. We also noted that these were not isolated examples, and more of the same should be expected. Now a new report from the Institute for Energy Research has identified an alarming number of additional plants which face a similar fate. The total cost to the power grid is a staggering 28 gigawatts of production…
…Each closure represents less available energy which translates into higher utility bills for consumers, not to mention the possibility of new rolling blackouts during periods of high demand. This is above and beyond the costs incurred by producers to replace these plants where possible – costs which will also be passed on to you. Lest you think this is a problem mostly being faced by Texas, think again. Is your home state on this list?
- Ohio: 2,894 MW retired, 8.6% of state total generating capacity.
- West Virginia: 2,448 MW retired, 14% of state total generating capacity.
- Indiana: 2,168 MW retired, 7.5% of state total generating capacity.
- Tennessee: 1,376 MW retired, 6.2% of state total generating capacity.
- Missouri: 1,325 MW retired, 6.3% of state total generating capacity.
- Wisconsin: 902 MW retired, 5% of state total generating capacity.
The map included in the report contains targets all the way from Vermont to Washington State and from Wyoming to Louisiana. This is not a localized problem, but rather one which will affect nearly everyone in the country. And it’s beginning as soon as January of this coming year…
Read the entire post at HotAir.com
