Richard Magnuson stayed home, watching contractors for Progress Energy chop down trees in his neighborhood and warily waiting for the chain saws to reach his yard.
Magnuson's trees are among the 50,000 that the power company plans to cut down in the path of transmission lines across North and South Carolina in the next three years.
Progress officials say the $30 million plan is the only way they can satisfy a federal mandate that sets high fines for power outages caused when trees and other vegetation damage transmission lines.
In Raleigh, the City of Oaks, where the acorn is the municipal symbol, the results are frustration and anger as the clear-cutting opens holes in once-private backyards and leafy streets. "I'm just sitting here myself with the fingers crossed that they are going to go away and not come back," Magnuson said.
Raleigh officials are checking into whether they can curb the cutting. They have asked Progress Energy to give them maps of the transmission lines' path and the utility's tree maintenance plans. "I'm waiting to see what they show me," associate city attorney Dan McLawhorn said.
City officials are particularly concerned about trees that city codes require - in shopping center parking lots, for instance. Property owners could face city fines if Progress Energy chops trees that are required by city code. At least one city has successfully negotiated with a power company to save some trees.
This fall, Durham officials persuaded Duke Energy, which serves the city, to stop its plans to cut more than 250 trees in several downtown neighborhoods, and to prune them instead.
Less than 30 will be lost, said Kevin Lilley, Durham facilities operation manager.
However, the trees stand near lines that carry less than 200,000 volts and are not covered under new stricter federal mandates. Power companies across the country face federal regulations that require them to take a more active role in managing the area underneath the high-power lines that move electricity from power plants to neighborhoods.
Distribution lines, the lines that normally run along streets connecting individual houses to electricity, are not included in the new rules. For years, Progress Energy had been pruning trees along easements, the land where it can control trees and structures.
But the federal government took a closer look after trees sagging onto transmission lines started a chain reaction that left millions without power in 2003. Congress passed a bill in 2005 that set new rules for power companies and new authority to impose fines of up to $1 million a day per violation of the new regulations. The rules went into effect in June.
Progress Energy's work started a couple of months ago with crews chopping down trees in Raleigh and elsewhere, including Wilmington, Sanford, New Bern and Florence, S.C. The work is 5 percent complete.
The rules do not say the company must cut down trees to comply, only that it must have a plan for maintaining the trees and vegetation along the corridor.
Progress Energy does allow trees that will grow no higher than 12 feet in the easements. Duke Energy, which serves much of Durham, allows 15 feet. McLawhorn said he wants to know why Progress Energy chose a more stringent standard and questions whether utility officials are being overzealous.
Scott Sutton, a Progress Energy spokesman, said those numbers aren't arbitrary but are based on the design of the power company's transmission lines. Sutton said the company's policy is to contact each property owner a few weeks before the trees are slated for chopping. "This is an unpleasant part of our job," Sutton said.
"But at the same time, the law is the law, and we've got to balance having minimal impact with the need of meeting federal requirements."
Property owners say they are getting little or no official warning about when their trees are to be chopped. Andrew Techet, owner of the Ridgewood shopping center off Wade Avenue, said he got about a week's notice before crews began cutting down trees at the center in November.
"We talked to the forester and we talked with the powers that be," Techet said. "We said, 'Is there any other way to address this. Can we phase it in?' There was no other alternative but to cut them down, they said." In North Raleigh's Winchester neighborhood, Scott Stewart said a crew came through about six weeks ago.
That's when he found out about the plans. He could lose as many as 10 cypress trees.
"It's frustrating," Stewart said. "It angers me that there is no regard for me, for my family. I've got no notice as to when they are going to come. They are saying, 'We don't have the resources to trim trees,' yet they have the resources to cut them down. They are a gigantic corporation, and I don't believe them for a second."
Magnuson said crews appeared in his Springdale Estates neighborhood during the week of December 3. A worker told him they were clearing a 100-foot swath, but Magnuson noted that there is only a 70-foot easement, at least by his house.
The foreman said he would contact officials to verify the easement width. Magnuson hasn't heard back. But he has watched as his neighbors' trees have been cut.
"They could be more sensitive when they are going through residential neighborhoods," said Magnuson, a retired landscape architect. "They don't need to do the brutalizing, the extent of clearing that they are doing."
Boeing 787 More-Electric Architecture replaces pneumatics with bleedless pressurization, VFSG starter-generators, electric brakes, and heated wing anti-ice, leveraging APU, RAT, batteries, and airport ground power for efficient, redundant electrical power distribution.
Key Points
An integrated, bleedless electrical system powering start, pressurization, brakes, and anti-ice via VFSGs, APU and RAT.
✅ VFSGs start engines, then generate 235Vac variable-frequency power
✅ Bleedless pressurization, electric anti-ice improve fuel efficiency
✅ Electric brakes cut hydraulic weight and simplify maintenance
The 787 Dreamliner is different to most commercial aircraft flying the skies today. On the surface it may seem pretty similar to the likes of the 777 and A350, but get under the skin and it’s a whole different aircraft.
When Boeing designed the 787, in order to make it as fuel efficient as possible, it had to completely shake up the way some of the normal aircraft systems operated. Traditionally, systems such as the pressurization, engine start and wing anti-ice were powered by pneumatics. The wheel brakes were powered by the hydraulics. These essential systems required a lot of physical architecture and with that comes weight and maintenance. This got engineers thinking.
What if the brakes didn’t need the hydraulics? What if the engines could be started without the pneumatic system? What if the pressurisation system didn’t need bleed air from the engines? Imagine if all these systems could be powered electrically… so that’s what they did.
Power sources
The 787 uses a lot of electricity. Therefore, to keep up with the demand, it has a number of sources of power, much as grid operators track supply on the GB energy dashboard to balance loads. Depending on whether the aircraft is on the ground with its engines off or in the air with both engines running, different combinations of the power sources are used.
Engine starter/generators
The main source of power comes from four 235Vac variable frequency engine starter/generators (VFSGs). There are two of these in each engine. These function as electrically powered starter motors for the engine start, and once the engine is running, then act as engine driven generators.
The generators in the left engine are designated as L1 and L2, the two in the right engine are R1 and R2. They are connected to their respective engine gearbox to generate electrical power directly proportional to the engine speed. With the engines running, the generators provide electrical power to all the aircraft systems.
APU starter/generators
In the tail of most commercial aircraft sits a small engine, the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). While this does not provide any power for aircraft propulsion, it does provide electrics for when the engines are not running.
The APU of the 787 has the same generators as each of the engines — two 235Vac VFSGs, designated L and R. They act as starter motors to get the APU going and once running, then act as generators. The power generated is once again directly proportional to the APU speed.
The APU not only provides power to the aircraft on the ground when the engines are switched off, but it can also provide power in flight should there be a problem with one of the engine generators.
Battery power
The aircraft has one main battery and one APU battery. The latter is quite basic, providing power to start the APU and for some of the external aircraft lighting.
The main battery is there to power the aircraft up when everything has been switched off and also in cases of extreme electrical failure in flight, and in the grid context, alternatives such as gravity power storage are being explored for long-duration resilience. It provides power to start the APU, acts as a back-up for the brakes and also feeds the captain’s flight instruments until the Ram Air Turbine deploys.
Ram air turbine (RAT) generator
When you need this, you’re really not having a great day. The RAT is a small propeller which automatically drops out of the underside of the aircraft in the event of a double engine failure (or when all three hydraulics system pressures are low). It can also be deployed manually by pressing a switch in the flight deck.
Once deployed into the airflow, the RAT spins up and turns the RAT generator. This provides enough electrical power to operate the captain’s flight instruments and other essentials items for communication, navigation and flight controls.
External power
Using the APU on the ground for electrics is fine, but they do tend to be quite noisy. Not great for airports wishing to keep their noise footprint down. To enable aircraft to be powered without the APU, most big airports will have a ground power system drawing from national grids, including output from facilities such as Barakah Unit 1 as part of the mix. Large cables from the airport power supply connect 115Vac to the aircraft and allow pilots to shut down the APU. This not only keeps the noise down but also saves on the fuel which the APU would use.
The 787 has three external power inputs — two at the front and one at the rear. The forward system is used to power systems required for ground operations such as lighting, cargo door operation and some cabin systems. If only one forward power source is connected, only very limited functions will be available.
The aft external power is only used when the ground power is required for engine start.
Circuit breakers
Most flight decks you visit will have the back wall covered in circuit breakers — CBs. If there is a problem with a system, the circuit breaker may “pop” to preserve the aircraft electrical system. If a particular system is not working, part of the engineers procedure may require them to pull and “collar” a CB — placing a small ring around the CB to stop it from being pushed back in. However, on the 787 there are no physical circuit breakers. You’ve guessed it, they’re electric.
Within the Multi Function Display screen is the Circuit Breaker Indication and Control (CBIC). From here, engineers and pilots are able to access all the “CBs” which would normally be on the back wall of the flight deck. If an operational procedure requires it, engineers are able to electrically pull and collar a CB giving the same result as a conventional CB.
Not only does this mean that the there are no physical CBs which may need replacing, it also creates space behind the flight deck which can be utilised for the galley area and cabin.
A normal flight
While it’s useful to have all these systems, they are never all used at the same time, and, as the power sector’s COVID-19 mitigation strategies showed, resilience planning matters across operations. Depending on the stage of the flight, different power sources will be used, sometimes in conjunction with others, to supply the required power.
On the ground
When we arrive at the aircraft, more often than not the aircraft is plugged into the external power with the APU off. Electricity is the blood of the 787 and it doesn’t like to be without a good supply constantly pumping through its system, and, as seen in NYC electric rhythms during COVID-19, demand patterns can shift quickly. Ground staff will connect two forward external power sources, as this enables us to operate the maximum number of systems as we prepare the aircraft for departure.
Whilst connected to the external source, there is not enough power to run the air conditioning system. As a result, whilst the APU is off, air conditioning is provided by Preconditioned Air (PCA) units on the ground. These connect to the aircraft by a pipe and pump cool air into the cabin to keep the temperature at a comfortable level.
APU start
As we near departure time, we need to start making some changes to the configuration of the electrical system. Before we can push back , the external power needs to be disconnected — the airports don’t take too kindly to us taking their cables with us — and since that supply ultimately comes from the grid, projects like the Bruce Power upgrade increase available capacity during peaks, but we need to generate our own power before we start the engines so to do this, we use the APU.
The APU, like any engine, takes a little time to start up, around 90 seconds or so. If you remember from before, the external power only supplies 115Vac whereas the two VFSGs in the APU each provide 235Vac. As a result, as soon as the APU is running, it automatically takes over the running of the electrical systems. The ground staff are then clear to disconnect the ground power.
If you read my article on how the 787 is pressurised, you’ll know that it’s powered by the electrical system. As soon as the APU is supplying the electricity, there is enough power to run the aircraft air conditioning. The PCA can then be removed.
Engine start
Once all doors and hatches are closed, external cables and pipes have been removed and the APU is running, we’re ready to push back from the gate and start our engines. Both engines are normally started at the same time, unless the outside air temperature is below 5°C.
On other aircraft types, the engines require high pressure air from the APU to turn the starter in the engine. This requires a lot of power from the APU and is also quite noisy. On the 787, the engine start is entirely electrical.
Power is drawn from the APU and feeds the VFSGs in the engines. If you remember from earlier, these fist act as starter motors. The starter motor starts the turn the turbines in the middle of the engine. These in turn start to turn the forward stages of the engine. Once there is enough airflow through the engine, and the fuel is igniting, there is enough energy to continue running itself.
After start
Once the engine is running, the VFSGs stop acting as starter motors and revert to acting as generators. As these generators are the preferred power source, they automatically take over the running of the electrical systems from the APU, which can then be switched off. The aircraft is now in the desired configuration for flight, with the 4 VFSGs in both engines providing all the power the aircraft needs.
As the aircraft moves away towards the runway, another electrically powered system is used — the brakes. On other aircraft types, the brakes are powered by the hydraulics system. This requires extra pipe work and the associated weight that goes with that. Hydraulically powered brake units can also be time consuming to replace.
By having electric brakes, the 787 is able to reduce the weight of the hydraulics system and it also makes it easier to change brake units. “Plug in and play” brakes are far quicker to change, keeping maintenance costs down and reducing flight delays.
In-flight
Another system which is powered electrically on the 787 is the anti-ice system. As aircraft fly though clouds in cold temperatures, ice can build up along the leading edge of the wing. As this reduces the efficiency of the the wing, we need to get rid of this.
Other aircraft types use hot air from the engines to melt it. On the 787, we have electrically powered pads along the leading edge which heat up to melt the ice.
Not only does this keep more power in the engines, but it also reduces the drag created as the hot air leaves the structure of the wing. A double win for fuel savings.
Once on the ground at the destination, it’s time to start thinking about the electrical configuration again. As we make our way to the gate, we start the APU in preparation for the engine shut down. However, because the engine generators have a high priority than the APU generators, the APU does not automatically take over. Instead, an indication on the EICAS shows APU RUNNING, to inform us that the APU is ready to take the electrical load.
Shutdown
With the park brake set, it’s time to shut the engines down. A final check that the APU is indeed running is made before moving the engine control switches to shut off. Plunging the cabin into darkness isn’t a smooth move. As the engines are shut down, the APU automatically takes over the power supply for the aircraft. Once the ground staff have connected the external power, we then have the option to also shut down the APU.
However, before doing this, we consider the cabin environment. If there is no PCA available and it’s hot outside, without the APU the cabin temperature will rise pretty quickly. In situations like this we’ll wait until all the passengers are off the aircraft until we shut down the APU.
Once on external power, the full flight cycle is complete. The aircraft can now be cleaned and catered, ready for the next crew to take over.
Bottom line
Electricity is a fundamental part of operating the 787. Even when there are no passengers on board, some power is required to keep the systems running, ready for the arrival of the next crew. As we prepare the aircraft for departure and start the engines, various methods of powering the aircraft are used.
The aircraft has six electrical generators, of which only four are used in normal flights. Should one fail, there are back-ups available. Should these back-ups fail, there are back-ups for the back-ups in the form of the battery. Should this back-up fail, there is yet another layer of contingency in the form of the RAT. A highly unlikely event.
The 787 was built around improving efficiency and lowering carbon emissions whilst ensuring unrivalled levels safety, and, in the wider energy landscape, perspectives like nuclear beyond electricity highlight complementary paths to decarbonization — a mission it’s able to achieve on hundreds of flights every single day.
Iran Bushehr Earthquake rattles southern province near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, USGS reports M5.1 at 38 km depth; seismic activity along major fault lines raises safety, damage, and monitoring concerns.
Key Points
A magnitude 5.1 quake near Bushehr nuclear plant at 38 km depth, with no damage reported, per USGS.
✅ USGS lists magnitude 5.1 at 38 km depth
✅ Near Bushehr nuclear power plant; built for stronger quakes
✅ Iran lies on major fault lines; quake risk is frequent
A magnitude 5 earthquake struck southern Iran early Friday near the Islamic Republic's only nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries as Iran continues combined-cycle conversions across its power sector.
The quake hit Iran's Bushehr province at 5:23 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It put the magnitude at 5.1 and the depth of the earthquake at 38 kilometres (24 miles), in a province tied to efforts to transmit electricity to Europe in coming years.
Iranian state media did not immediately report on the quake. However, the Bushehr nuclear power plant was designed to withstand much stronger earthquakes, a notable consideration as Iraq plans nuclear power plants to address shortages.
A magnitude 5 earthquake can cause considerable damage, including power disruptions that have seen blackouts spark protests in some Iranian cities.
Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes, yet it remains a key player in regional power, with Iran-Iraq energy cooperation ongoing. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people, and today Iran supplies 40% of Iraq's electricity through cross-border power deals. Bam is near the Bushehr nuclear plant, which wasn’t damaged at that time, while more recently Iran finalized deals to rehabilitate Iraq's power grid to improve resilience.
Alberta Utility Rate Rider will add a modest fee to electricity bills and natural gas charges as the AUC recovers outstanding debt from the COVID-19 deferral program via AESO and the Balancing Pool.
Key Points
A temporary surcharge on Alberta power and gas bills to recover unpaid COVID-19 deferral debt, administered by the AUC.
✅ Applies per kWh and per GJ based on consumption
✅ Recovers unpaid balances from 2020-21 bill deferrals
✅ Collected via AESO and the Balancing Pool under AUC oversight
The province says Alberta ratepayers should expect to see an extra fee on their utility bills in the coming months.
That fee is meant to recover the outstanding debt owed to gas and electricity providers resulting from last year's three-month utility deferral program offered to struggling Albertans during the pandemic.
The provincial government announced the utility deferral program in March 2020 then formalized it with legislation, alongside a consumer price cap on power bills that shaped later policy decisions.
The program allowed residential, farm and small commercial customers who used less than 250,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year — or consumed less than 2,500 gigajoules per year — to postpone their bills amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the province, 350,000 customers, or approximately 13 per cent of the natural gas and electricity consumer base, took advantage of the program.
Customers had a year to repay providers what they owed. That deadline ended June 18, 2021.
The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), which regulates the utilities sector and natural gas and electricity markets and oversees a rate of last resort framework, said the vast majority of consumers have squared up.
But for those who didn't, provincial legislation dictates that Alberta ratepayers must cover any unpaid debt. The legislation exempts Medicine Hat utility customers for electricity and gas co-operative customers for gas.
"When the program was announced, it was very clear that it was a deferral program and that the monies would need to be paid back," said Geoff Scotton, a spokesperson with the Alberta Utilities Commission.
"Now we're in the situation where the providers, in good faith, who enabled those payment deferrals, need to be made whole. That's really the goal here."
Amount to be determined Margeaux Maron, a spokesperson for Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity Dale Nally, said based on early estimates, $13 to $16 million of $92 million in deferred payments remain outstanding.
As a result, the province expects the average Albertan will end up paying, unlike jurisdictions offering a lump-sum credit, a fraction of a dollar extra per monthly gas and electricity bill over a handful of months.
Scotton said at this point, there are too many unknown factors to know the exact size of the rate rider. However, he said he expects it to be modest.
Scotton said affected parties first have until the end of this week to notify the AUC exactly how much they are still owed.
Those parties include the Alberta Electric System Operator and the Balancing Pool, who essentially acted as bankers with respect to the distribution and transmission of the utilities to customers who deferred their payments.
Regulated service providers may also seek reimbursement on administrative and carrying costs, even as issues like a BC Hydro fund surplus spark debate elsewhere.
Then, Scotton said, once the outstanding amounts are known, the AUC will hold a public proceeding, similar to a Nova Scotia rate case, to determine the amount and the duration of the rate rider to be applied to each natural gas and electricity bill.
The amount will be based on consumption: per kilowatt hour for electricity and per gigajoule for natural gas.
That means larger businesses will end up paying more than the average Albertan.
Scotton said the AUC will expedite the hearing process and it expects to have a decision by the end of the summer.
Rate rider a 'surprise' Joel MacDonald with Energyrates.ca — an organization which compares energy rates across the country — said it's not the amount of the rate rider that bothers him, but the fact that the repayment process wasn't made clear at the onset of the program.
"It came to us as a bit of a surprise," MacDonald said.
He said what was sold as a deferral program seems more like an electricity rebate program, or an "ability to pay" program.
"As opposed to the retailers looking into collection methods, anything that wasn't paid is basically just being forced upon all Alberta consumers," MacDonald said.
The expectation set out in the deferral legislation and regulations state utility providers such as Enmax and Epcor are expected to use reasonable efforts to try to collect the unpaid balances. It must then detail those reasonable efforts to the AUC.
A spokesperson for Enmax said it first works with its customers to find manageable payment arrangements and connects them with support services if they are unable to pay.
Then, if payment can't be arranged, it said it will work with a collection agency, which may even result in disconnection of service.
The spokesperson said only after all efforts have failed would Enmax seek reimbursement through this program.
Use tax revenues? MacDonald also questioned why a government program isn't being paid for through general tax revenues.
He compared the utility deferral program to a mortgage subsidy program.
"Imagine that [Canada Mortgage And Housing Corporation] said, 'Hey, we had to give mortgage deferrals and some of these people never paid back their deferrals, so we're going to add an extra $300 to everyone's mortgage,'" he said.
"You'd expect that to come off of some sort of general taxation — not being assigned to other people's mortgages, right?"
In response, Maron said due to the current fiscal challenges facing the government — and the expected minimal costs to consumers, and even as a consumer price cap on electricity remains in place — it was determined that a rate rider would be an appropriate mechanism to repay bad debt associated with the program.
Scotton said rate riders aren't unusual — they're used to fine-tune rates for a set period of time.
He said under normal circumstances, regulated service providers can apply to the AUC to impose a rate rider to recover unexpected costs. And in some instances, they can provide a credit.
But in this situation, he said the debt is aggregated and, in turn, being collected more broadly.
Electric Ireland Electricity Price Increase stems from rising wholesale costs as energy suppliers adjust tariffs. Customers face higher electricity bills, while gas remains unchanged; switching provider could deliver savings during winter.
Key Points
A 4% increase in Electric Ireland electricity prices from 1 Feb 2018, driven by wholesale costs; gas unchanged.
✅ 4% electricity rise effective 1 Feb 2018
✅ Increase attributed to rising wholesale energy costs
✅ Switching supplier may reduce bills and boost savings
ELECTRIC IRELAND has announced that it will increase its household electricity prices by 4% from 1 February 2018.
This comes just a week after both Bord Gáis Energy and SSE Airtricity announced increases in their gas and electricity prices, while national efforts to secure electricity supplies continue in parallel.
Electric Ireland has said that the electricity price increase is unavoidable due to the rising wholesale cost of electricity, with EU electricity prices trending higher as well.
The electricity provider said it has no plans to increase residential gas prices at the moment.
Commenting on the latest announcement, Eoin Clarke, managing director of Switcher.ie, said: “This is the third largest energy supplier to announce a price increase in the last week, so the other suppliers are probably not far behind.
“The fact that the rise is not coming into effect until 1 February will be welcomed by Electric Ireland customers who are worried about the rising cost of energy as winter sets in,” he said.
However, any increase is still bad news, especially as a quarter of consumers (27%) say their energy bill already puts them under financial pressure, and EU energy inflation has disproportionately affected lower-income households.
According to Electric Ireland, this will amount to a €2.91 per month increase for an average electricity customer, amounting to €35 per year.
Meanwhile, SSE Airtricity’s change amounts to an increase of 90 cent per week or €46.80 per year for someone with average consumption on their 24hr SmartSaver standard tariff, far below the dramatic Spain electricity price surge seen recently.
Bord Gáis Energy said its announcement will increase a typical gas bill by €2.12 a month and a typical electricity bill by €4.77 a month, reflecting wider trends such as the Germany power price spike reported recently.
In a statement, Bord Gáis Energy said: “The changes, which will take effect from 1st November 2017, are due to significant increases in the wholesale cost of energy as well as higher costs associated with distributing energy on the gas and electricity networks.
“In percentage terms, the increase represents 3.4% in a typical customer’s gas bill and an increase of 5.9% in a typical customer’s electricity bill.”
Clark said that if customers haven’t switched electricity provider in over a year that they should review the deals available at the moment.
“The market is highly competitive so there are huge savings to be made by switching,” he said.
“All suppliers use the same cables to supply electricity to your home, so you don’t need to worry about any loss in service, and you could save up to 324 by switching from typical standard tariffs to the cheapest deals on the market.”
Spain Wind Turbine Factory Shutdowns disrupt manufacturing as Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, and Nordex halt Spanish plants amid COVID-19 lockdowns, straining supply chains and renewables projects across Europe, with partial operations and maintenance continuing.
Key Points
COVID-19 lockdowns pause Spanish wind factories by Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, and Nordex, disrupting supply chains.
✅ Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, Nordex halt Spanish manufacturing
✅ Service and maintenance continue under safety protocols
✅ Supply chain and project timelines face delays in Europe
Europe’s largest wind turbine makers on Wednesday said they had shut down more factories in Spain, a major hub for the continent’s renewables sector, in response to an almost total lockdown in the country to contain the coronavirus outbreak as the Covid-19 crisis disrupts the sector.
Denmark’s Vestas, the world No.1, has suspended production at its two Spanish plants, a spokesman told Reuters, adding that its service and maintenance business was still working. Vestas has also paused manufacturing and construction in India, which is under a nationwide lockdown too, he said, and similar disruptions could stall U.S. utility solar projects this year.
Top rival Siemens Gamesa, known for its offshore wind turbine lineup, suspended production at six Spanish factories on Monday, bringing total closures there to eight, a spokeswoman said.
Four components factories are still partially up and running, at Reinosa on the north coast, Cuenca near Madrid, Mungia and Siguiero, she added.
Germany’s Nordex, the No.8 globally which is 36% owned by Spain’s Acciona, has now shuttered all of its production in Spain, even as new projects like Enel’s 90MW build move ahead, including two nacelle casing factories in Barasoain and Vall d’Uixo, as well as a rotor blade site in Lumbier.
“Production is no longer active,” a spokeswoman said in response to a Reuters query.
The new closures take the number of idled wind power factories on the continent to 19, all in Spain and Italy, the European countries worst hit by the pandemic, with investments at risk across the sector.
Spain is second only to Italy in terms of numbers of coronavirus-related fatalities and restrictions have become even stricter in the country’s third week of lockdown at a time when renewables surpassed fossil fuels for the first time in Europe.
“Some factories have temporarily paused activity as a precautionary step to strengthen sanitary measures within the sites and guarantee full compliance with government recommendations,” industry association WindEurope said, noting that wind power grows in some markets despite the pandemic.
Alberta Electricity Market Reforms aim to boost grid reliability and efficiency through a day-ahead market, transmission policy changes, clearer pricing signals, AESO oversight, and smarter siting near existing infrastructure to lower consumer costs.
Key Points
Policies add a day-ahead market and transmission fees to modernize the grid and improve reliability.
✅ Day-ahead market for clearer pricing and scheduling
✅ Up-front, non-refundable transmission payments by generators
✅ AESO to draft new rules by end of 2025
The Alberta government is implementing significant electricity policy changes to its electricity market to enhance system reliability and efficiency. These reforms aim to modernize the grid, accommodate growing energy demands, and align with best practices observed in other jurisdictions.
Proposed Market Reforms
The government has outlined several key initiatives:
Day-Ahead Market Implementation: Introducing a day-ahead market is intended to provide clearer pricing signals and improve the scheduling of electricity generation. This approach allows market participants to plan and commit to energy production in advance, enhancing grid stability.
Transmission Policy Revisions: The government proposes reforms to transmission policies, including the introduction of up-front and non-refundable transmission payments from new power generators. These payments would vary based on the proximity of new generators to existing transmission lines with available capacity. As part of a broader market overhaul, this strategy encourages the development of power plants in areas where existing infrastructure can be utilized, potentially reducing costs for consumers and businesses.
Government's Objectives
Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Neudorf, emphasized that these changes are necessary to meet growing energy demands and modernize Alberta’s electricity system. The government's goal is to create a more reliable and efficient electrical system that benefits both consumers and the broader economy.
Industry Reactions
The proposed reforms have elicited mixed reactions from industry stakeholders amid profound sector change across Alberta:
Renewable Energy Sector Concerns: The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) has expressed concerns about the potential for punitive market and transmission changes, and some retailers have similarly urged caution. They advocate for policies that support the integration of renewable energy sources and ensure fair treatment within the market.
Regulatory Oversight: The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is tasked with preparing restructured energy market rules by the end of 2025. This timeline reflects the government's commitment to a thorough and consultative approach to market reform.
Implications for Consumers
The Alberta government's proposed market changes aim to enhance the reliability and efficiency of the electricity system by considering measures such as a Rate of Last Resort to provide additional stability. By encouraging the development of power plants in areas with existing infrastructure, the reforms seek to reduce costs for consumers and businesses. However, the success of these initiatives will depend on careful implementation and ongoing engagement with all stakeholders to balance the diverse interests involved.
Alberta's proposed electricity market reforms represent a significant step toward modernizing the province's energy infrastructure. By introducing a day-ahead market and revising transmission policies, the government aims to create a more reliable and efficient electrical system and promote market competition more effectively. While these changes have generated diverse reactions, they underscore the government's commitment to addressing the evolving energy needs of Alberta's residents and businesses.
