Energy In-depth: Wind power jobs hit record, up 20% in 2016

Editor’s note: Each Friday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Energy In-depth,” a round-up of energy and regulatory news.

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WIND POWER JOBS HIT RECORD, UP 20% IN 2016
American wind power supported a record 88,000 jobs at the start of 2016 — an increase of 20% in a year — according to the U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market report recently released by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Strong job growth coincided with wind ranking number one as America’s leading source of new generating capacity last year, outpacing solar and natural gas.

Renewable energy advocates credit Congress with passing a long-term extension of the wind energy Production Tax Credit and alternative Investment Tax Credit with bipartisan support late last year. With the extension in place and the recent industry growth, wind energy is on track to meet the Department of Energy’s Wind Vision scenario of supplying 20% of U.S. electricity by 2030.

ENTERGY TO REFUEL PILGRIM NUCLEAR PLANT, WILL NOW CEASE OPERATIONS IN THREE YEARS
Entergy Corp. said Thursday (April 14) that it intends to refuel the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Mass., next year to continue supplying power to New England, then cease operations on May 31, 2019. The decision narrows the previously announced shutdown timeframe of 2017-2019, and means that the Pilgrim plant will operate for another three years, company officials said.

That decision will allow Pilgrim to conduct a refueling outage in the spring of 2017, which will result in significant positive economic impacts for the region. The last refueling outage in 2015 resulted in a $70 million investment in the plant, including $25 million in new equipment.

NATIONAL ENERGY EXPERT TO SPEAK AT ARKANSAS LUNCHEON NEXT WEEK
One of the nation’s leading experts on Combined Heat & Power (CHP) will be the next guest speaker hosted by the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) at a luncheon scheduled on April 18 in Little Rock. Jennifer Kefer, Vice President at David Gardiner and Associates (DGA) in Washington, D.C., is also Executive Director for the Alliance for Industrial Efficiency, a growing coalition of business, labor, and non-profit organizations that advocate for policies that increase U.S. manufacturing competitiveness through industrial energy efficiency.

Last July, she drafted a report for the American Gas Association and others that identifies key issues for states to consider when evaluating CHP as a resource for compliance to the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.

AAEF has hosted the guest speaker series since 2014 to expand awareness and utilization of advanced energy technologies in Arkansas. The Kefer event is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. at the Copper Grill Meeting Room. There is no cost to attend but seating is limited and advanced registration is required by emailing your name and affiliation to [email protected].