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Released April 08, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--American humorist Will Rogers once quipped that real estate was so expensive because it wasn't being made anymore. With that in mind, electric power developers are busily trying to build non-emitting, renewable energy generation projects atop shuttered power plants and coal mines.
Industrial Info is tracking nearly $76 billion of proposed nuclear or renewable power generation or battery energy storage projects that are slated to be built on abandoned coal mines, closed power plant sites and other abandoned brownfield industrial sites. That list is about to get longer.
A significant portion of this scheduled spending for non-emitting generation is expected to take place at a few large projects, including:
In a statement accompanying the award announcement, Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said, "President Biden believes that the communities that have powered our nation for the past 100 years should power our nation for the next 100 years. Thanks to the President's Investing in America agenda, DOE is helping deploy clean energy solutions on current and former mine land across the country--supporting jobs and economic development in the areas hit hardest by our evolving energy landscape."
The DOE said it selected these projects for funding because the sites have no other industrial uses and they have access to existing energy infrastructure that can transmit electricity to the grid.
Here are three of the clean energy projects selected to receive DOE funding:
Last week, Granite Shore Power (Bow, New Hampshire), the owner of New England's last two coal-fired power plants, announced that both would close in the near future, and that both sites will be used for renewable energy and battery energy storage projects. The company said its Schiller Station will close next year while the Merrimack Station will close in 2028, the company said.
TVA plans to build a 100-MW solar PV generating facility atop a closed coal-ash facility in West Paducah, Tennessee. The project, called Shawnee Phoenix, is unusual in one respect: the PV cells will be mounted onto a flexible substrate which will lie directly on top of the lined coal-ash facility, rather than mounting the cells in rigid metal frames that are driven into the ground. TVA is doing this because closed coal-ash facilities have few re-use opportunities. Once the facility is lined and closed, nothing of any weight can be placed on top of it, lest it puncture the lining.
Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in late 2025. The total investment value (TIV) of the project is about $110 million. Click here to read the project report.
The Shawnee Phoenix project could be a way to productively re-use the scores of coal-ash ponds that are scattered across the U.S.
"This project really comes down to land use," Joe Hoagland, TVA's vice president of innovation and research, said in an interview. "Can we find a way to use otherwise unusable land to generate clean electricity while maintaining the integrity of our coal ash ponds?"
This project is one part of TVA's aggressive plan to meet the needs of a growing region by investing in new generation, which includes building 10,000 MW of solar energy by 2035. It would also allow utilities that once burned coal to use otherwise unusable coal ash ponds.
"TVA has pursued an 'all of the above' energy strategy for a long time," Hoagland said. "We can't just rely on one option to get to a clean energy future."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Industrial Info is tracking nearly $76 billion of proposed nuclear or renewable power generation or battery energy storage projects that are slated to be built on abandoned coal mines, closed power plant sites and other abandoned brownfield industrial sites. That list is about to get longer.
A significant portion of this scheduled spending for non-emitting generation is expected to take place at a few large projects, including:
- The 4,500-megawatt (MW) Thatcher Ultra-long Duration Pumped Storage Project, scheduled to be constructed in Michigan. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here to read more information on the project.
- The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Knoxville, Tennessee) is exploring small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) at its Clinch River, Tennessee, site (See project report.)
- TerraPower's (Bellevue, Washington) attempt to site its next-generation Natrium nuclear project on the site of the soon-to-be-closed Kemmerer Power Plant in Wyoming. Click here to read the project report.
In a statement accompanying the award announcement, Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said, "President Biden believes that the communities that have powered our nation for the past 100 years should power our nation for the next 100 years. Thanks to the President's Investing in America agenda, DOE is helping deploy clean energy solutions on current and former mine land across the country--supporting jobs and economic development in the areas hit hardest by our evolving energy landscape."
The DOE said it selected these projects for funding because the sites have no other industrial uses and they have access to existing energy infrastructure that can transmit electricity to the grid.
Here are three of the clean energy projects selected to receive DOE funding:
- Solar: The DOE awarded $90 million to the Mineral Basin coal-to-solar project in northwestern Pennsylvania, which seeks to build a 402-MW PV solar generation project on 2,700 acres of land that once hosted a coal mine. The proposed solar project, which would be the largest in the Keystone State, is scheduled to produce enough clean energy to power over 70,000 homes (see project report).
- Pumped Storage Hydropower: The Lewis Ridge Project aims to convert a closed coal mine in Kentucky into a closed-loop, 287-megawatt pumped storage hydropower facility. When constructed, this facility would be able to power about 67,000 homes each year along with the potential to produce up to eight hours of dispatchable power when needed, such as during times of peak demand or extreme weather events. The DOE awarded this project $81 million in cost-sharing funds. Click here to read more information.
- Solar: in a second solar project to secure funding, DOE said it would send $129 million to develop a model for transitioning from coal to solar power. In West Virginia, the $250 million, 250-MW Nicholas County Solar PV project is scheduled to be built on two closed coal mines. That project could generate enough electricity to power up to 39,000 homes. As well, the project includes the establishment of the National Coal Transition Workforce Center, which is expected to provide a model for how workers hurt by the energy transition can learn new skills that could allow them to find meaningful employment in clean energy jobs (see project report).
Last week, Granite Shore Power (Bow, New Hampshire), the owner of New England's last two coal-fired power plants, announced that both would close in the near future, and that both sites will be used for renewable energy and battery energy storage projects. The company said its Schiller Station will close next year while the Merrimack Station will close in 2028, the company said.
TVA plans to build a 100-MW solar PV generating facility atop a closed coal-ash facility in West Paducah, Tennessee. The project, called Shawnee Phoenix, is unusual in one respect: the PV cells will be mounted onto a flexible substrate which will lie directly on top of the lined coal-ash facility, rather than mounting the cells in rigid metal frames that are driven into the ground. TVA is doing this because closed coal-ash facilities have few re-use opportunities. Once the facility is lined and closed, nothing of any weight can be placed on top of it, lest it puncture the lining.
Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in late 2025. The total investment value (TIV) of the project is about $110 million. Click here to read the project report.
The Shawnee Phoenix project could be a way to productively re-use the scores of coal-ash ponds that are scattered across the U.S.
"This project really comes down to land use," Joe Hoagland, TVA's vice president of innovation and research, said in an interview. "Can we find a way to use otherwise unusable land to generate clean electricity while maintaining the integrity of our coal ash ponds?"
This project is one part of TVA's aggressive plan to meet the needs of a growing region by investing in new generation, which includes building 10,000 MW of solar energy by 2035. It would also allow utilities that once burned coal to use otherwise unusable coal ash ponds.
"TVA has pursued an 'all of the above' energy strategy for a long time," Hoagland said. "We can't just rely on one option to get to a clean energy future."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
