Carnival of Nuclear Energy 240 - Bad Energy Plans driving up New England energy bills and EPA CO2 plan ignores 60% of existing clean energy

The Carnival of Nuclear Energy 240 is up at Yes Vermont Yankee

Forbes James Conca - New England Utility Bills could be double the US average. Gas needs pipelines. Reliability requires nuclear

Consumers in New England got a shock in their utility bills this month. A 40% increase over the previous month. National Grid , the largest utility in Massachusetts, decided that electricity prices for this winter would rise to 24¢/kWh, a record high.

But peak electricity prices could exceed 100¢/kWh like they did last year during the polar vortex (Forbes).

Not sure why New Englanders are so surprised. It was their choice to throw all-in for natural gas and renewables in a land of harsh winters. But they’ve refused to build new gas pipelines. And they’re shutting a nuclear plant that has 20 years of cheap reliable cold-resistant energy left on it.

New England already has the highest electricity prices in North America – about 18¢/kWh averaged over the whole year. The national average is 12¢/kWh.

You have to be smart. Gas needs pipelines. Reliability requires nuclear. You better get that infrastructure built. And it’s not too late to keep Vermont Yankee running.


There aren’t enough gas pipelines serving New England and much of New York, as seen from the lack of blue lines in this region of the map. Along with shutting Vermont’s only nuclear plant and various coal plants, this will continue to cause electricity shortages, and higher prices, during every winter for years to come. Source: US DOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

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