Georgia electric rates to soar

[Demo24]

Sounds like Georgia was sitting pretty letting their power infrastructure rot and now is getting trout slapped by stricter regulations. Why isn't every state losing tons of power plants because of these regulations (I haven't actually double checked this)?

Its not Georgia specifically, but Georgia power, subsidiary of the much larger southern company that spent a lot of time and money trying to fight these regulations .

Its not as big of a deal as it seems, and rates aren't going to increase suddenly right away anyway. Pull a bit more power from plant vogtle, which is the nuclear plant being upgraded ( naturally southern company screwed that up), and buy more natural gas power from their other sister company southern power.

 

[dmcowen674]

Southerners? I don't know about all of the south but our electricity comes primarily from nat gas and nuclear. I am in the deep south and I enjoy some of the lowest energy rates in the nation. While you pay $5 a gallon of gas mine is hovering around $3 and I pay significantly less per KW/H than you do.

Does that make you sad?

No, makes me happy because that is about to change.

What you fail to realize is they are going to pull a fast one on you.

Good bye old cheap coal plants and say hello to more expensive Nat gas plants and Nat gas is going to skyrocket because everybody switched to it.

You will be just as screwed as me. 😀

 

[Doppel]

No, makes me happy because that is about to change.

What you fail to realize is they are going to pull a fast one on you.

Good bye old cheap coal plants and say hello to more expensive Nat gas plants and Nat gas is going to skyrocket because everybody switched to it.

You will be just as screwed as me. 😀

Why do you want everybody to experience life in the negative way you do?

 

[PricklyPete]

I didn't realize the OP could stoop to a new level of assholedom...but he proved me wrong.

 

[FerrelGeek]

Haven't you heard? Hollywood has proven that NG will destroy the environment due to fracking, so we need to halt all NG production. Nuclear and coal are evil. We have to convert to solar and wind. Oh, wait. We can't put the windmills too close to all the the rich peoples coastal homes as it messes up their view. We also can't use wind ccuz the birdies get killed and there are concerns that the may disrupt the wind patterns. We need to divert all corn production from food to ethanol. Oh wait, that'll starve people and livestock. What's a liberal to do???? So much angst.

As for the OP, troll is as troll does.

There isn't any real difference between what GA is retiring from use and other states. It's estimated that up to or over 300 coal fired plants are expected to be retired from service nationwide due to the cost of upgrading the coal plants vs. converting/rebuilding the plants using natural gas. Nat. gas is so cheap for the foreseeable future that coal just isn't a viable alternative.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/08/us-utilities-brattle-coal-idUSBRE8970LV20121008

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environmen...s-of-US-coal-fired-plants-ripe-for-retirement

Also remember, most of these plants were going to be retired anyway as they're older plants, most well past their 30-year design lifespan. It ain't just in GA, despite what whiner Dave wants you to think. (ps....I think he's still bitter about being fired and damned near prosecuted by his former employer in GA.)

 

[rcpratt]

Sounds like Georgia was sitting pretty letting their power infrastructure rot and now is getting trout slapped by stricter regulations. Why isn't every state losing tons of power plants because of these regulations (I haven't actually double checked this)?

It's happening everywhere. The new EPA regulations are going to kill tens of thousands of megawatts of generating capacity over the next decade.

The utility I work for up here in Michigan has installed flue gas desulfurization (FGD) scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to reduce emissions from our largest coal plant, but they are incredibly expensive. Dry sorbent injection (DSI) is being used at smaller, older plants where the larger investment is not worthwhile. All but our largest coal plant will likely either be retired or converted to a combined cycle natural gas plant within the next 15 years.

 

[soulcougher73]

Guess GA will be glad they have a nuke plant under way then that most likely puts out more MW than those all combined. Although im sure its at least 10 years from being "fully operational".

Units 3 & 4 of Vogtle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Plant

 

[rcpratt]

Guess GA will be glad they have a nuke plant under way then that most likely puts out more MZ than those all combined. Although im sure its at least 10 years from being "fully operational".

Units 3 & 4 of Vogtle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogtle_Electric_Generating_Plant

Not exactly the greatest counter, as it's billions overbudget and will be a franken-plant by the time it's all done with.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

I suspect McOwned will be affected by the closings as well. 3 large plants in the vicinity of Chicago will be shut down.

According to the Chicago Tribune, these price increases will cause Chicago area
electricity bills to go up $107 to $178 per year and raise annual costs for Chicago
Public Schools by $2.7 million, $3.3 million for the Metropolitan Water District, and $5.4
million for Chicago’s city government.

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/epa-powerplant-closures/

 

[soulcougher73]

Not exactly the greatest counter, as it's billions overbudget and will be a franken-plant by the time it's all done with.

Money is the root of all current evil in the world 😛

 

[dmcowen674]

According to the Chicago Tribune, these price increases will cause Chicago area electricity bills to go up $107 to $178 per year and raise annual costs for Chicago Public Schools by $2.7 million, $3.3 million for the Metropolitan Water District, and $5.4 million for Chicago’s city government.
========================================
Yes indeed.

Just got my water bill with notice of increase of 15%.

Keep it coming boys.

Americans will revolt against your asses soon enough, keep it coming.

12-31-2012

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...meter-rates-water-and-sewer-rates-power-rates

Chicago, Cook and state fees to rise in 2013



In Chicago, water bills will rise significantly, property taxes will go up, parking meter rates will jump yet again and speed cameras will start fining lead-footed drivers



Throughout the state, car owners and strip club patrons will pay higher fees. And many Chicago-area commuters will be hit with increased fares and tolls.


City property owners and suburbs that buy city water face a 15 percent rate increase in water rates. Sewer charges, added to city property owners' bimonthly bills, will be 92 percent of the water tab, an increase of 3 percentage points.


Speeders in Chicago might want to set aside some money to pay tickets. Two companies are now staging trials of speed cameras near parks and schools under a program Emanuel has touted as a safety initiative. Once the cameras are up and running and fines are being doled out, the city expects to raise between $20 million and $30 million this year.


After a trial period, the owners of vehicles photographed going 6 to 10 mph above the limit will be fined $35.



Those caught topping the speed limit by more than 10 mph will get hit with $100 fines.

Blue Line riders departing from O'Hare International Airport will hand over $5 — including a $2.75 surcharge

Chicago Skyway, where the toll for cars will increase by 50 cents to $4.

 

[Jaskalas]

According to the Chicago Tribune, these price increases will cause Chicago area electricity bills to go up $107 to $178 per year and raise annual costs for Chicago Public Schools by $2.7 million, $3.3 million for the Metropolitan Water District, and $5.4 million for Chicago’s city government.
========================================
Yes indeed.

Just got my water bill with notice of increase of 15%.

Keep it coming boys.

Americans will revolt against your asses soon enough, keep it coming.

12-31-2012

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...meter-rates-water-and-sewer-rates-power-rates

The interesting thing about that is its our own government causing all this instability and price hike. Go figure, and here we've been told it's evil corps that'd screw us over in this fashion.

 

[RearAdmiral]

According to the Chicago Tribune, these price increases will cause Chicago area electricity bills to go up $107 to $178 per year and raise annual costs for Chicago Public Schools by $2.7 million, $3.3 million for the Metropolitan Water District, and $5.4 million for Chicago’s city government.
========================================
Yes indeed.

Just got my water bill with notice of increase of 15%.

Keep it coming boys.

Americans will revolt against your asses soon enough, keep it coming.

No they won't.

 

[waggy]

Does that comment make you proud of yourself?

Dave just want's everyone to live in the shithole of a life he made for himself. so everyone that is better off then him needs to be brought down.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

According to the Chicago Tribune, these price increases will cause Chicago area electricity bills to go up $107 to $178 per year and raise annual costs for Chicago Public Schools by $2.7 million, $3.3 million for the Metropolitan Water District, and $5.4 million for Chicago’s city government.
========================================
Yes indeed.

Just got my water bill with notice of increase of 15%.

Keep it coming boys.

Americans will revolt against your asses soon enough, keep it coming.

12-31-2012

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...meter-rates-water-and-sewer-rates-power-rates

Chicago, Cook and state fees to rise in 2013



In Chicago, water bills will rise significantly, property taxes will go up, parking meter rates will jump yet again and speed cameras will start fining lead-footed drivers



Throughout the state, car owners and strip club patrons will pay higher fees. And many Chicago-area commuters will be hit with increased fares and tolls.


City property owners and suburbs that buy city water face a 15 percent rate increase in water rates. Sewer charges, added to city property owners' bimonthly bills, will be 92 percent of the water tab, an increase of 3 percentage points.


Speeders in Chicago might want to set aside some money to pay tickets. Two companies are now staging trials of speed cameras near parks and schools under a program Emanuel has touted as a safety initiative. Once the cameras are up and running and fines are being doled out, the city expects to raise between $20 million and $30 million this year.


After a trial period, the owners of vehicles photographed going 6 to 10 mph above the limit will be fined $35.



Those caught topping the speed limit by more than 10 mph will get hit with $100 fines.

Blue Line riders departing from O'Hare International Airport will hand over $5 — including a $2.75 surcharge

Chicago Skyway, where the toll for cars will increase by 50 cents to $4.

Are the politicians that raised all the fares and fees the same people you voted into office by chance?

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Dems have essentially won the war on coal. Now the masses get to see the ramfications of their victory.

 

[Texashiker]

Ha, Southerners are going to be so screwed :thumbsup:

Maybe we will be able to eat the fish in a few hundred years?

 

[ShintaiDK]

Just learn to conserve power. You can do it without any change in lifestyle.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by MomentsofSanity
Does that comment make you proud of yourself?

Dave just want's everyone to live in the shithole of a life he made for himself. so everyone that is better off then him needs to be brought down.

and they are doing just that.

Come on down 😀

 

[K1052]

Dems have essentially won the war on coal. Now the masses get to see the ramfications of their victory.

uh...no. Economics "won" the war on coal. The Clean Air act may have started it but super low NG prices have delivered the coup de grâce to the fleet of ancient coal burners.

 

[K1052]

Just got my water bill with notice of increase of 15%.

Like everything else the water supply and sanitary sewers have been underfunded for decades. The previous rate of water main replacement was about every 140 years. The water main they just dug up a couple months ago around the corner from my house on a major street dated to 1890.

 

[rcpratt]

uh...no. Economics "won" the war on coal. The Clean Air act may have started it but super low NG prices have delivered the coup de grâce to the fleet of ancient coal burners.

Disagree. While NG still might be cheaper at the present, it's not going to at this price point for the life of a plant. There is wisdom in diversification, except when one of the competing products is priced out because of regulations that it's useless.

 

[K1052]

Disagree. While NG still might be cheaper at the present, it's not going to at this price point for the life of a plant. There is wisdom in diversification, except when one of the competing products is priced out because of regulations that it's useless.

My post was only meant to address the mechanisms that have resulted in these closings, not the overall wisdom of going all in on NG.

My preference would be to see much more support for renewables and nuclear alongside the NG generation build out boom.

 

[piasabird]

The EPA rules say if you dont meet the standards your probably have to either shut down or pay hefty fines with money you dont have. A large portion of Missouri's electricity comes from coal also. There is no cheap alternative and it probably takes months to convert over to nat gas.

I can see it now. Nuclear explosions coming to a power plant near you.

Brought to you by President O'Bamma and his cronies.

 

[K1052]

The EPA rules say if you dont meet the standards your probably have to either shut down or pay hefty fines with money you dont have. A large portion of Missouri's electricity comes from coal also. There is no cheap alternative and it probably takes months to convert over to nat gas.

I can see it now. Nuclear explosions coming to a power plant near you.

Brought to you by President O'Bamma and his cronies.

The Clean Air Act was effective in 1963, it's been amended several times since with the last being in 1990 and there were some adjustments to allowable levels of certain pollutants in 1997 IIRC.

This isn't exactly out of the blue.

Oh...who was president in 1990 when the last amendment to the CAA was added?