Hello all,
Hydraulic fracturing “fracking” of natural gas is leading to a boom in the construction of power plants.
That was the word from a recent story in the Wall Street Journal (paywall) that outlined the surge in gas-fired plants in the territory of our regional grid operator PJM.
This comes as coal-fired plants continue to shut down, with signs that similar challenges are faced by nuclear plants.
Nearby examples of the trend are the Wildcat Point power plant, a 30-minute drive west of Newark near Rising Sun, MD, and the generation site in Dover.
Wildcat Point is part of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, a wholesale generation partner for Greenwood-based Delaware Electric Cooperative.
The Dover plant is part of independent energy giant Calpine, which also owns gas-fired generators at the Hay Road complex near Wilmington.
About 89 percent of the electricity generated within Delaware now comes from natural gas-fired plants. Out-of-state nuclear plants also provide a large chunk of the supply.
The fracking boom has sent natural gas prices plummeting and regardless of sentiments to the contrary, coal-fired plants will become fewer in this region. – Doug Rainey, publisher.