Archive for the 'General' Category
Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 23 May 2008 | Tagged as: General, Electric
Baltimore Sun:
Parts of Maryland are still at risk for isolated blackouts as early as 2011 unless new transmission lines are built to get energy to where it’s needed most, regional grid operator PJM Interconnection told state utility regulators yesterday.
The latest assessment comes despite significant progress by power generators and utilities toward addressing the region’s growing energy needs through a combination of power plant upgrades and conservation measures aimed at cutting demand. Though the risk has diminished some since a similar assessment last fall, whether the lights stay on after 2011 may hinge on a critical multistate power line proposed by Allegheny Energy.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 20 May 2008 | Tagged as: General, Electric
NewScienceTech:
POWER plants could be sabotaged by a simple internet attack that shuts down their control systems.
Core Security in Boston, Massachusetts, has discovered a serious vulnerability in a software package called Suitelink that is widely used to automate the operation of power stations, oil refineries and production lines. This could allow attackers to crash Suitelink by sending an outsize data packet to a certain port on the computer running the program. Suitelink’s maker, Wonderware, has since issued a software patch to plug the security gap.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 02 May 2008 | Tagged as: General, Electric, Energy
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Peco’s parent, Exelon Corp., said today that it hoped to build a new power plant in the Philadelphia area to serve more than half a million households.
Exelon said its 600-megawatt plant, to be completed no sooner than 2012, would cost about $700 million. It will burn natural gas.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 01 May 2008 | Tagged as: General
MarketWatch:
Several of the nation’s biggest electric utilities laid out first-quarter results Wednesday. The results were predictably mixed, but all felt the pinch of a slower economy and the hard-pressed housing market.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 01 May 2008 | Tagged as: General, Electric, Energy, Nuclear
Harrisburg Patriot News:
A security officer at Three Mile Island was placed on suspension Tuesday for being inattentive, plant officials reported today.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 01 May 2008 | Tagged as: General, Electric, Energy
Central Penn Business Journal:
So-called “smart meters” promise electricity customers the ability to track their hourly energy usage and respond in ways that could save them money.
But for businesses, the promise may be hard to keep. They generally have less flexibility in curbing their energy use…
One goal of the technology is to allow customers to pay for electricity based on the time of day the energy is being used, potentially saving money. Electricity is often more expensive during the day, when demand is high.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 25 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: General, Natural Gas, Electric, Energy
The New York Times:
After struggling with soaring heating costs through the winter, millions of Americans are behind on electric and gas bills, and a record number of families could face energy shut-offs over the next two months, according to state energy officials and utilities around the country.
The escalating costs of heating oil, propane and kerosene, most commonly used in the Northeast, have posed the greatest burdens, officials say, but natural gas and electricity prices have also climbed at a time when low-end incomes are stagnant and prices have also jumped for food and gasoline.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 24 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: General
AP via Forbes:
Shares of utility companies opened lower Tuesday as investors appeared unimpressed by a rush of quarterly results from bellwethers like AT&T Inc., DuPont and McDonald’s Corp.
Here is how some utilities are trading:
American Electric Power Co. Inc. fell 27 cents to $44.10
Pepco Holdings Inc. fell 22 cents to $25.11
Consolidated Edison Inc. fell 21 cents to $41.32
Southern Co. fell 10 cents to $36.64.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 09 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: General, Electric, Energy
Baltimore Sun:
Constellation Energy Group and lawmakers may have resolved their legal dispute over utility rebates, but the high-stakes debate over how Maryland’s energy industry will buy and sell power in the future is just getting started.
Even as they voted in favor of a $2 billion settlement with the company Monday night that provides a one-time $170 rebate to consumers, key lawmakers were discussing the possibility of returning to Annapolis in a year to undo electric deregulation. The outcome of their deliberations could alter the financial landscape at a time when Baltimore-based Constellation and others are considering whether to invest billions of dollars in new power plants to help solve Maryland’s projected energy shortfall.
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Posted by Edward G. Lanza on 08 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: General, Telecommunications
Washington Post:
Since a 1994 law required telecoms to build electronic interception capabilities into their systems, the FBI has created a network of links between the nation’s largest telephone and Internet firms and about 40 FBI offices and Quantico, according to interviews and documents describing the agency’s Digital Collection System. The documents were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group in San Francisco that specializes in digital-rights issues.
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