Majority of voters favor gasoline-car phaseout. But all-electric goal faces tough opposition, so gas vs. charging cars at night, for example, may be tough to pull off.
This article is more than 4 years old
This article is more than 4 years old
The nation’s electricity sector said today it is open to making changes to the way it has long operated – without the gas-fired power plants that have powered it for decades.
If approved by state regulators, the proposal, which would seek to give consumers and businesses greater choice by putting some of the utilities’ power plants in service beyond 2025, would be the last major move before the sector’s largest public utility, Duke Energy Corp., would lose its exclusive right to operate the nation’s coal-fired power plants.
The proposal is expected to be met with staunch opposition from business groups that contend the utilities will be forced to close power plants that are already losing money. Utilities that are operating under the so-called net-metering agreement with their customers would also be required to curtail power production. And the proposal would force the major players to share the cost of new nuclear, wind and solar plants.
But Duke Energy’s proposal to phase out conventional plants by the end of this year is also under consideration as part of an effort to make utilities more profitable.
If adopted, the proposal would come at a pivotal moment in the nation’s long-running debate over how to deal with climate change. The energy sector is struggling to deal with the costs of electricity generation that has soared in recent years due to rising prices for natural gas and the expansion of renewable energy sources.
The utility industry has been in a tailspin in recent years because of the need to replace aging facilities with new capacity. But the sector has struggled to attract new customers in a fiercely competitive environment. And with customers increasingly turning to rooftop solar panels and other renewable energy sources, the industry is seeking new ways to make money.