Top U.S. Grid Operator Warns Of More Blackouts & Shortages Due To Biden’s ESG Policies
by Jamie White March 1st 2023, 3:31 pm
One of America’s largest grid operators is warning of future energy “imbalances” due to Biden-led green policies and their inability to meet the growing energy demand.
PJM Interconnection, which services 65 million people across 13 states in the Midwest and Northeast, concluded in a report that projected energy demand for the U.S. is far exceeding the development of renewable energy sources touted by Democrats, suggesting more future blackouts and outages are likely through 2030.
“The PJM report forecasts power supply and demand through 2030 across the 13 eastern states in its territory covering 65 million people. Its top-line conclusion: Fossil-fuel power plants are retiring much faster than renewable sources are getting developed, which could lead to energy ‘imbalances.’ That’s a delicate way of saying that you can expect shortages and blackouts,” the Wall Street Journal reported last Friday.
According to the report, 21% of PJM’s current generation capacity — 40,000 megawatts (MW) of power, enough to light up 30 million households — are at risk of retiring by 2030.
The report goes on to point out that the accelerated retirements of power plants is being driven by Democrat climate policies.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Most projected power-plant retirements are “policy-driven,” the report says. For example, the steep costs of complying with Environmental Protection Agency regulations, including a proposed “good neighbor rule” that is expected to be finalized next month, will force about 10,500 MW of fossil-fuel generation to shut down.
At the same time, utility-company ESG (environmental, social and governance) commitments are driving coal plants to close, the report notes. Illinois and New Jersey climate policies could reduce generation by 8,900 MW. Do these states plan to rely on their good neighbors for power?
The report implicitly suggests the Democrat push for ESG policies and phasing out of fossil fuels is “incompatible” with growing energy demand.
The report doesn’t say this, no doubt owing to political reticence, but the conclusion is clear. The left’s green-energy transition is incompatible with a growing economy and improving living standards. Renewables don’t provide reliable power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and the progressive campaign to shut down coal and gas plants that do will invariably result in outages.
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