Dominion/SCANA Merger Producing Zero Talk Of Renewables, Efficiency, Lots Of Big Fossil Projects

[hatrack]

A proposed merger between two major energy companies could have offered the promise of accelerated renewable energy growth in the Southeast. Instead, the deal between Dominion Energy and South Carolina-based SCANA Corp. is expected to prioritize expensive fossil fuel projects, a move that could have long-term implications for millions of utility customers. South Carolina electricity customers and lawmakers are still reeling from the demise of a major nuclear power expansion project in the state. The project’s failure means SCANA subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) — and Dominion, if the merger succeeds — will need to find alternatives to the 2,200 megawatts of electric generating capacity that will not be coming online.

Nowhere in their Wednesday merger announcement did Dominion officials mention a commitment to building new renewable energy projects to replace the electricity from the failed V.C. Summer nuclear project. Energy efficiency also wasn’t proposed as a way to help avoid the construction of new fossil-fueled power plants.

Dominion, a Richmond, Virginia-based company, announced it would issue refunds totaling $1.3 billion — a portion of the $9 billion spent on the canceled project — to customers in South Carolina. If the merger deal is completed, Dominion also promised cash refunds of about $1,000 per household to SCE&G’s 662,000 customers. The acquisition of SCANA would make Dominion a utility with a total of 6.5 million customers in eight states.

Environmental groups cautioned that Dominion’s acquisition of SCANA would still force South Carolina customers to pay an enormous portion of the costs for a nuclear plant that will never produce power. The deal also will likely serve as a springboard for extending Dominion’s controversial Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) into South Carolina. Opposition to the proposed pipeline has intensified in Virginia and North Carolina over the past couple of years due to its projected impact on the environment and its role in increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

EDIT

https://thinkprogress.org/dominion-to-purchase-scana-d2d7c4a90fbd/

[NNadir]

1. You don't build a nuclear plant, you get fossil fuels. The dangerous natural gas industry...

...since it has no responsibility whatsoever for containing its wastes or mining legacy for millions of years is "cheaper" since no regulations cover its external costs, only its internal costs.

By contrast, the nuclear energy is required to "prove," even to people far too stupid and uneducated to understand a proof, that it's "safe." "Safe compared to what?" is a question about which no one gives a shit.

The so called "renewable energy" industry is not actually renewable, and in any case requires a redundant natural gas plant to cover its grotesque lack of reliability.

The so called "renewable energy" industry on this planet is, after half a century of cheering, trivial, ineffective and environmentally unsustainable.

The failure of energy efficiency, even beyond Jevon's paradox, is directly tied to 2 or 3 billion people on the earth - this would be Chinese and Indians - who failed to agree to be desperately impoverished so smug Westerners could drive around in Tesla electric cars made by the subsidized billionaire Elon Musk, who for some reason is an object of worship among desperately uninformed and unenlightened self declared "environmentalists."

The United States built more than 100 commercial nuclear plants in a period of about 25 years while providing some of the cheapest electricity on the planet.

Nuclear plants now suffer from being subject to FOAKE costs - first of a kind engineering - in part because they are scrutinized to death even though nobody in this whole fucking country pays a whit of attention to the construction of a smokestack.

The problem is that the difference between a smokestack and a nuclear plant is that the smokestack will kill people whenever it operates normally, but a lot of people get their underwear in wedgies worrying themselves - in deep ignorance of engineering - of what they imagine might happen if a nuclear plant fails.

That's why we are losing 7 million lives per year on this planet every year from combustion products.

It's a great world we live in; a great world.

Have a pleasant Sunday tomorrow.