Monthly Archives: May 2025

China, Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy, Energy, Electricity, Economic Prosperity and Environmental Protection

Internal and External Threats to The U.S. Electric Grid

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Several of my friends and myself have given presentations and written reports on how America has created energy and electricity generation policies that will Self-Sabotage electricity reliability. Last year I wrote on my blog, “Threats to the Electric Grid” with an emphasis on harmful U.S. EPA policies. At the time of writing, I was aware of Chinese mischief with large Utility scale transformers, but had not thought about the seriousness of this threat. Last week, I was contacted by my friend Dave Walsh and asked to join him and several others on a panel with Frank Gaffney for a webinar entitled, “Inside Our Wires: The CCP Has Penetrated Our Electric Grid, Will Xi Destroy It?” The question threaded through the discussion: “is this part of the CCP’s Unrestricted Warfare?”. The webinar is summarized below.

It is beyond dispute that the so-called “Green New Deal “– and the misleadingly named Inflation Reduction Act that has massively subsidized its adoption – has greatly weakened the reliability of America’s most critical of critical infrastructures: the electric “grid.” That has been the practical effect of the putative “sustainable energy movement” with its obsessive focus on reducing, if not eliminating altogether, coal-fired power-generation, nuclear energy and even natural gas-powered dual-cycle turbines. 
 
Such problems are being exacerbated by governmental and commercial interest in artificial intelligence and the necessary, vast expansion in the number of data centers around the country, with their endless appetite for additional power for operating and cooling their server farms. Such demand is, in turn, translating into greater and greater reliance on the principal source of “green” solar panels, windmills and electric batteries, namely the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
 
Recent revelations that inverters associated with such Chinese products have been equipped with “kill switches” that would disable or even destroy them remotely make the prospect of serious, sustained and/or catastrophic interruptions of power at the hands of the CCP a distinct prospect. Ditto the 400+ Chinese-manufactured high-voltage transformer that comprise the backbone of our grid, at least two of which have been shown to have similar “backdoors.”
 
The Committee on the Present Danger: China webinar May 22, 2025 explores how on earth these potentially nation-ending vulnerabilities were ever allowed to exist in the first place, let alone to metastasize to the clear benefit of our mortal enemy, the CCP, as they have. The panel will also consider what must be done immediately to mitigate them.
 
Video of webinar and more is available at www.PresentDangerChina.org
 
Moderator: Frank Gaffney, President, Institute for the American Future; Vice Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China
 
Panelists:
 
Col. Grant Newsham, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) – Topic: “The CCP Inside Our Wires: The Strategic Implications”
 
Charles “Sam” Faddis – Topic: “The CCP’s Imbedded Trojan Horses: Donald Trump’s Effort to Shut Them Down; Joe Biden’s Reversal of His Directive”  
 
Dave Walsh – Topic: “The Magnitude of the CCP Threat to Our Most Critical of Critical Infrastructures – The U.S. Electric Grid – and What Can We Do About It? ” 
 
Dick Storm – DickStormProBizBlog.org – Topic: “How Did the CCP Get Inside the Grid: The CCP’s ‘Old Friends,’ the Red-Green New Deal and the Challenge of Our Time” 

As is often the case when one becomes involved in a meeting/discussion such as this, new and different perspectives are learned….as in my case. I came away enlightened from the experience of being with these gentlemen. The purpose of this article is to share the information that I learned last Thursday. I think it is important to do so.

My Take Aways From The Webinar

I will summarize my take aways. However, the full transcript is available for anyone interested in reading it and of course, the video link is included above. I will list those points that I think are very important and unfortunately, not very well known by the American people due to malpractice of the MSM.

  • The CCP has been working on penetrating our Grid for many years
  • The politicians that pushed the “Green New Deal” which morphed into the “IRA” may have been influenced by foreign Dark Money to deliberately create self sabotaging energy policies, referred to as “Climate Policies” See the Capital Research Center reports listed in the references at the end for more information
  • America’s Supply-Chain has been weakened by De-Industrialization of the U.S. and much manufacturing being transferred to China
  • China is the beneficiary of U.S. De-Industrialization
  • America’s Reliable and Dispatchable Generation Capacity has been steadily reduced since 2010
  • Over 90% of New Generation Capacity installed to replace coal plants, has been solar and/or wind
  • Electricity generation Reserves have declined from about 25% a decade ago to about 15% and are still declining
  • The Supply-Chain of Engineering and Craft Labor Talent, raw materials and manufacturing is NOT as capable today as it was in 2010
  • America’s Grid is vulnerable to nefarious actors, whether Russian, Chinese or other

A Reminder of the CCP Plan, Unrestricted Warfare

About February 2020 a friend sent me a link to a New Delhi news program, WION, – Gravitas, with Palki Sharma Upadhyay the reporter. The courageous lady presented a 15 minute or so program on how the CCP had spread the Wuhan lab created virus as part of unrestricted biological warfare. The book “Unrestricted Warfare” and its theme of increasing China’s strength in the world and overcoming U.S. strength was highlighted. I saved an MP3 version of that program. Interestingly, I could not find a live link of that particular program today. It appears to have disappeared? Here is another one from 2021 where Ms. Sharma discusses the CCP and unrestricted warfare plans about a year later.

The book “Unrestricted Warfare” is available on Amazon. 

One of the better-known alternatives in this book is the idea of attacking networks. Networks are increasingly important in not only data exchange but also transportation, financial institutions, and communication. Attacks that disable networks can easily hamstring large areas of life that are dependent on them for coordination. One example of network warfare would be shutting down a network that supplies power.

If there is a significant failure in the power grid caused by the attack, massive power outages could result, crippling industry, defense, medicine, and all other areas of life.

Conclusions and Summary

For many years since Obama was President, I wondered what was he and the Democrats thinking? Why were they working to implement policies that would weaken America? The fact is, the climate policies of Obama, Biden and the key Democrats in Congress, whether intentional or from green indoctrination has in fact, weakened America’s infrastructure and made us vulnerable to outside nefarious actions. The reading list below will augment the video discussion of PresentDangerChina.org

Thankfully, now Donald Trump is President and we can pray that God will continue to Bless America. There is a lot of work to do to correct years of poor energy policies.

Dick Storm, May 27, 2025

References and for further research

  1. “Inside Our Wires: The CCP Has Penetrated Our Electric Grid, Will Xi Destroy It?” https://presentdangerchina.org/webinar-inside-our-wires-the-ccp-has-penetrated-our-electric-grid-will-xi-destroy-it/
  2. Transcript: https://presentdangerchina.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/TRANSCRIPT_Webinar_Grid_China.pdf
  3. On the “Revolving Door” of Extremists and top government Bureaucrats, especially in EPA, 114th Congress, Majority Staff Report, Obama’s Carbon Mandate, August 2015: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  4. China’s Unrestricted Warfare book, written in 1999 by two CCP officers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare
  5. General Robert Spaulding on YouTube, discussing China’s “Unrestricted Warfare”: Robert Spaulding on China’s “Unrestricted Warfare” 2020 on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PT8LRZAonQA
  6. WION, New Delhi- Gravitas, with Palki Sharma Upadhyay, About May 2021:     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO86N0W0qco
  7. War on Carbon Accomplishes Two Things, Strengthens China and Weakens U.S. Jan. 30, 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/01/30/us-war-on-carbon-accomplishes-two-things/
  8. National Review, Russians Fund Environmentalists: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/12/how-russia-backed-environmentalism-is-leading-to-blackouts-in-new-england/
  9. WSJ article on COP-28, December 17, 2023: https://www.wsj.com/articles/cop28-deal-fossil-fuels-transition-john-kerry-renewable-energy-e079a395?mc_cid=c40fb180f8&mc_eid=9726d780ee
  10. The Real Reason The Globalists Hate Donald Trump, LI Dec. 2023: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7142356797813653504-1fax?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
  11. CCP Ties to Environmental Policies in US, Fox News, Dec. 2023: https://news.yahoo.com/ccp-tied-group-quietly-fueling-090047868.html
  12. Original article for CCP Involvement: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ccp-tied-group-quietly-fueling-us-based-climate-initiatives-tax-filings
  13. Covering Climate News Now: https://coveringclimatenow.org
  14. Green Energy, China’s Trojan horse, Western Journal: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/fournier-is-green-energy-the-chinese-communist-partys-trojan-horse/article_6bbc2b04-50a5-11ed-bdc4-9b18b8d01f80.html?fbclid=IwAR2FlJqrXPh6wiA5xb2AWD66Rvbm8jjeq-UsCypE3JanxLQsQ_HmjsS1BHc
  15. German Extremists, Funded by Russia: https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/01/putins-green-fifth-column/
  16. China to build 106 GW of new coal plants March 2023: https://chinadialogue.net/en/energy/two-sessions-chinese-provinces-push-coal-and-clean-energy/
  17. China Permits Two Coal Plants each Week during 2022: https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/china-permits-two-new-coal-power-plants-per-week-in-2022/  
  18. Self Sabotage the Electric Grid: WSJ January 2023:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-self-sabotages-its-electrical-grid-renewable-fossil-fuel-power-11672685320
  19. Breakthrough Institute Report on Renewables Not being Practical, July 2023: https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/what-the-100-renewables-literature-gets-wrong
  20. Tablet, Hoax of the Century, 13 Ways of Looking at Disinformation by Jacob Siegel: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/guide-understanding-hoax-century-thirteen-ways-looking-disinformation?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  21. Gatestone Institute on CCP Influence of U.S. Policy, Aug. 2023: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19921/china-influence-activity-us
  22. Happer & Lindzen vs. EPA Full Text, July 2023: https://co2coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Happer-Lindzen-EPA-Power-Plants-2023-07-19.pdf
  23. Count on Coal Blog: https://www.countoncoal.org/2023/08/the-energy-policy-torpedo/
  24.  We should learn from the wind turbine mistakes of Europe, Stop These Things Blog, July 2023: https://stopthesethings.com/2023/07/23/dont-follow-the-leader-learning-from-europes-renewable-energy-disaster/

  25. European Scientist, on Agriculture and Energy, by Dr. Samuele Furfari, July 2023: https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/And https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/features/agriculture-who-wants-to-replace-22-billion-human-equivalents/

  26. CO2 Coalition, “Why CO2 is NOT a Climate Emergency”, : https://co2coalition.org/media/why-climate-change-is-not-an-emergency/

  27. NASA video and report on massive water vapor produced by Tonga Volcano in Jan. 2022 (Report August 2022): https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3204/tonga-eruption-blasted-unprecedented-amount-of-water-into-stratosphere/

  28. Imprimis Essay by Bjorn Lomborg on Thinking Smartly About Climate Change, April 2023: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/thinking-smartly-about-climate-change/
  29. Master Resource Blog on Energy, Electricity Regulation and Environment: https://www.masterresource.org/giberson-michael/classical-liberalism-electricity-not-complicated/#comment-401014
  30. CO2 Coalition Fact Page: https://co2coalition.org/facts/
  31. PA Pundits War on Fossil Fuels Empowers China: https://www.cfact.org/2023/08/03/the-war-on-fossil-fuels-empowers-china/
  32. Stossel & Curry You Tube Interview, August 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVi01vJ4nxM
  33. InfluenceWatch on NRDC: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/natural-resources-defense-council-nrdc/ (see the section on connections to the Chinese)
  34. InfluenceWatch on Sierra Club: : https://capitalresearch.org/article/influencewatch-friday-5-24-2024/
  35. InfluenceWatch on Energy Foundation: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation/
  36. InfluenceWatch on Energy Foundation China: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/energy-foundation-china/
  37. NGOs and Nuke Power: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nuclear-energy-rich-climate-ngos-have-nuked-clean-power/
  38. Bident grants for anti-nuclear NGOs: https://capitalresearch.org/article/biden-administration-approved-485-million-for-anti-nuclear-nonprofits/

  39. Patrick Moore Tweet on temperature rise and CO2, July 28, 2023: https://twitter.com/EcoSenseNow/status/1684569534085349379?s=20
  40. The Christmas Grid Emergency: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-christmas-electric-grid-emergency-11672091317?mod=article_inline
  41. Reuters list of Coal Plants scheduled for or already Shut Down: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-coal-fired-power-plants-scheduled-shut-2021-10-28/
  42. Wikipedia list of coal plants shut down: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_decommissioned_coal-fired_power_stations_in_the_United_States
  43. Republican Senators Capito (WVA) and Barrasso (WY) submit Bill to keep coal plants running, overturn EPA Rule, Fox News, June 2023: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-overturn-bidens-power-plant-crackdown
  44. Sen. Capito Website: https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/top-republicans-raise-alarm-on-bidens-power-plant-regs-growing-risks-to-electric-reliability
  45. Governing.com on threats of electricity reliability, June 2023: https://www.governing.com/infrastructure/experts-warn-lack-of-reliable-renewables-puts-grid-at-risk#:~:text=The%20retirement%20of%20fossil%20fuel%20electricity%20production%20and%20the%20lack,from%20a%20loss%20of%20power. 
  46. American Energy Alliance, 100 Ways the Democrats and Biden have Made the U.S. Less Energy Secure, May 2022: https://www.americanenergyalliance.org/2022/05/100-ways-biden-and-the-democrats-have-made-it-harder-to-produce-oil-gas/
  47. Environmental Progress Report on Carbon Intensity of Solar Panels including Chinese Manufacturing use of coal power to manufacture them, July 2023: https://environmentalprogress.org/big-news/2023/7/3/solar-panels-are-more-carbon-intensive-than-experts-will-admit
  48. The Hill-Codified New Green Deal links, July 20, 2023: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4108506-trump-says-he-would-end-green-new-deal-atrocities-on-first-day-back-in-white-house/?email=84d4bddd0c71e4df29ecbc7fd21bc23942fd3d7b&emaila=165216f6fa37b0526d6bbc3b773b5c0c&emailb=462db23387b0b81da7e473e3205ce8df130a90dc5cc967a607e92936346e33c3&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MR%207/21
  49. Capital Research Testimony by Scott Walter May 2022: https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/2022-May-4-Testimony-Finance-Subcom-IRS.pdf
    Capital Research Center, Green watch: https://capitalresearch.org/category/green-watch/
    NRDC Activist Facts, Influence Watch: https://www.activistfacts.com/organizations/19-natural-resources-defense-council/
  50. C. Paul Smith “Closing Argument on the Climate Change Hoax”: https://www.cpaulsmith.com/palmyra-bookstore/the-climate-change-hoax-argument/
  51. Dr. Timothy Ball Paper on the Deliberate Corruption of Science, 2014: https://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/epd/EPAC/BOOK%20REVIEW%20-%20‘THE%20DELIBERATE%20CORRUPTION%20OF%20CLIMATE%20SCIENCE%20by%20TIM%20BALL.pdf
  52. Tim Ball, CO2 is not a pollutant 2018: https://www.technocracy.news/tim-ball-the-evidence-proves-that-co2-is-not-a-greenhouse-gas/
  53.  Grid Down Power Up:  https://griddownpowerup.com
  54. Global Electricity Prices: https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/electricity_prices/
  55.  EMP Commission Reports: http://www.empcommission.org
  56.  Energy Dept. Report on Transformers for Grid: https://www.energy.gov/oe/addressing-security-and-reliability-concerns-large-power-transformers
  57. Detailed report on Transformer Manufacturers of world, see pgs 19-23 on suppliers: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/04/f15/LPTStudyUpdate-040914.pdf  
  58. Newsweek article on Transformer Attacks, Dec. 2022: https://www.newsweek.com/physical-attacks-power-substations-multiple-states-1765225
  59. Wind and Inadequate Batteries for Backup: https://stopthesethings.com/2023/03/24/permanent-no-hopers-batteries-no-solution-for-wind-solars-inherent-intermittency/
  60. Reuters, Old Nukes Threatened by Parts Obsolescence, April 2023: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/nuclear-life-extension-plans-tested-by-obsolete-components-2023-04-05/
  61. A good introduction on EMP and Grid vulnerability from June 18, 2020 by Chris Said, Ph.D. is at https://chris-said.io/2020/06/18/everything-ive-learned-about-solar-storm-risk-and-emp-attacks/  
  62. An assessment of threats to the American power grid” by Weiss and Weiss (2019) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13705-019-0199-y
  63. The web link for the 2008 DTIC report cited above regarding transformer vulnerability has changed. See page 41 of 208 of the report at https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA484672.pdf or http://www.empcommission.org/docs/A2473-EMP_Commission.pdf
  64.  “Ensuring Electricity Infrastructure Resilience Against Deliberate Electromagnetic Threats” https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47339
  65.  Transformers, WUWT Nov. 2022: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/14/power-transformer-shortage-is-wreaking-havoc-in-the-u-s/
  66. American Suppression of Fossil Fuels Courts a National Security Disaster, By Ronald Stein P.E.  https://heartland.org/opinion/american-suppression-of-fossil-fuels-courts-a-national-security-disaster/
  67. Canadian Pipeline Sabotage by Anarchists, Feb. 2023: https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/trend-of-escalating-violence-coastal-gaslink-decries-pipeline-sabotage-claims-on-anarchist-site/
  68. Yale Report on Deaths from “Blackouts” : https://environment-review.yale.edu/true-cost-power-outages-0
  69. Duke Energy, Wilmington, NC, 420 MW Coal Plant Demolition, Sutton Plant Implosion video, 2016: https://youtu.be/miSapiaJTpM
  70. Portland General Electric, 500 MW Utility Coal Boiler Demolition, Boardman Plant Implosion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0azahkPUVA
  71. 60 Minutes program on Vulnerability of Electric Grid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65siHaUPsRM
  72. Congressional Research Service State of Electric Utilities, 1973-1984: https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/99th-congress-1985-1986/reports/doc10b-entire_1.pdf
  73. WSJ The Real Price of Wind and Solar, Renewables Cost More: https://www.wsj.com/articles/renewable-energy-balancing-costs-united-kingdom-energy-bills-9795e48d?mod=opinion_lead_pos4
  74. World’s Climate Scientists Told to Cover Up the Fact the world has not warmed in 15 years, Daily Mail, UK: https://www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2425775/amp/Climate-scientists-told-cover-fact-Earths-temperature-risen-15-years.html  
  75. Daily Skeptic on John Clauser Slamming the Corrupt Science used to create a “Climate Emergency” : https://dailysceptic.org/2023/07/14/nobel-physics-laureate-2022-slams-climate-emergency-narrative-as-dangerous-corruption-of-science/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  76. Utility Dive, 2021 on Hackers and the Grid: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/sophisticated-hackers-could-crash-the-us-power-grid-but-money-not-sabotag/603764/
  77. Steve Milloy, Junk Science, July 20, 2023: https://twitter.com/JunkScience/status/1681843663276593159/photo/2
  78. Biased reporting of Texas weather reports, blaming “Climate Change” by WA PO called out by WUWT post, June 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/06/25/no-wapo-a-texas-heat-wave-has-nothing-to-do-with-global-climate-change/
  79. Mises Institute, Wind and Solar are Not Cheaper than Gas & Coal, July 18, 2023: https://mises.org/wire/wind-and-solar-are-not-cheaper-coal-and-oil
  80. WUWT from Roy Spencer’s Blog, “yes, Virginia, There is a Climate Crisis” July 19, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/07/19/yes-virginia-there-is-a-climate-crisis/
  81. ELECTREK article on Chinese EV’s to dominate market: https://electrek.co/2023/05/11/chinas-ev-surge-threatens-legacy-automakers-market-dominance/
  82. Dr. Judith Curry Review of CLINTEL report analyzing IPCC-AR6: https://judithcurry.com/2023/05/13/clintels-critical-evaluation-of-the-ipcc-ar6/ 
  83. CLINTEL website: https://clintel.org
  84. Capital Research Center, Green Watch: https://capitalresearch.org/category/green-watch/
  85. Ron Clutz Blog, including You Tube of Jimmy Dore explanation of Google Biasing Propaganda on “Climate Change”: https://rclutz.com/2023/05/22/google-screens-your-climate-info/#like-31222
  86. WUWT on Smearing Journalists that do not agree with “Woke & UN-IPCC Manmade Global Warming narrative: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/23/regime-climate-censorship-enforcer-newsguard-the-tragic-case-of-zack-fishman/
  87. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, 60 years later, Fails Test of Time, WUWT:https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/17/carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carsons-silent-spring-fails-test-of-time-new-york-times-verdict-in-2007
  88. Robert Bryce, No Uranium for Nuclear, June 9, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/no-u
  89. Ken Braun on Leftist Organizations Funding anti Fossil Fuels: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nuclear-power-hating-hypocrites-part-1/
  90. World Economic Forum Doesn’t Even Hide their Intent to Create Decline of the Western World: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzGsnBbvwcrFHbjLsNkzqTMKjvCP
  91. WEF Urban Mobility Paper, May 2023: https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Urban_Mobility_Scorecard_Tool_2023.pdf?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  92. E&E News Democrats into Power Positions, May 2023: https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-green-new-dealers-became-washington-power-players/
  93. John Kerry Speech on “The Great Reset” New American, Nov. 2020: https://thenewamerican.com/john-kerry-talks-great-reset-at-world-economic-forum/
  94. The Great Reset movement toward World Totalitarianism, Hillsdale College Lecture by Michael Rectenwald: https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/what-is-the-great-reset/
  95. John Kerry Targets Agriculture at WEF Speech, May 2023, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerry-targets-agriculture-part-climate-crusade
  96. WEF Limiting Private Cars:  https://www.internationalfreepress.com/2023/06/wef-document-calls-for-limiting-private.html
  97. WEF on Degrowth, June 2022: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/what-is-degrowth-economics-climate-change/
  98. WEF Calls to reduce vehicles by eliminating ownership, Aug. 2022: https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/08/01/world-economic-forum-calls-to-reduce-private-vehicles-by-eliminating-ownership/
  99. Sierra Club and Abortion Alignment, On the Issues, : https://www.ontheissues.org/Celeb/Sierra_Club_Abortion.htm
  100. U.N., Planned Parenthood and Sierra Club Alignment Sept. 2015: https://unfoundation.org/media/un-foundation-planned-parenthood-federation-of-america-sierra-club-announce-winners-of-first-ever-why-we-care-youth-emerging-leaders-for-reproductive-rights-contest/
  101. Sierra Club & NRDC Environmental Groups Urge Support for Affordable Care Act and Reproductive Rights, March 2017: https://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/03/environmental-groups-urge-support-affordable-care-act-and-planned-parenthood
  102. Sierra Club & Planned Parenthood Join Conferences to Explain Sex and the Environment. Nov. 2007, Catholic News Agency, : https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/11091/sierra-club-joins-planned-parenthood-to-offer-conferences-on-sex-and-the-environment
  103. Professor Michael Kelly, UK, June 2017: https://www.soci.org/news/general-news/professor-michael-kelly-lecture
  104. FERC Energy Regulator States, “Power Grid is Facing Dire Consequences Due to Coal & Gas Retirements”, “WUWT June 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/06/13/federal-energy-regulatory-commissioner-mark-christie-power-grid-is-facing-dire-consequences-due-to-coal-gas-retirements/
  105. Donations to DeSantis Election Campaign by Duke and NextEra Utilities, June 2023: https://jacobin.com/2023/03/ron-desantis-florida-utility-companies-power-shutoffs-republican-party
  106. Electrical Disconnection by Utilities, June 2023 : https://bailout.cdn.prismic.io/bailout/49a01c18-5c8d-4821-ae22-5ee09a089cba_Powerless+in+the+US_Report.pdf?ref=the-lever
  107. Dark Money from Utilities to Elected Officials or Candidates, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/15/us-power-companies-political-lobbying-donations-nonprofit
  108. Electric Power Company Donations; https://www.energyandpolicy.org/campaign-finance-reports-reveal-utility-industry-contributions/
  109. Daily Signal list of companies that donate to Planned Parenthood, Aug. 2015: https://www.dailysignal.com/2015/08/19/more-companies-that-have-donated-to-planned-parenthood/ and
  110. https://www.dailysignal.com/2015/07/21/meet-the-41-companies-that-donate-directly-to-planned-parenthood/
  111. More companies that donate to PP: https://www.partnersforethicalcare.com/planned-parenthood-donors
  112. JTF donations of 25 million to Democrats: https://jtf.org/follow-the-money-planned-parenthood-donated-25m-to-democrats-since-2000/
  113. INTEL and others that promote Zero Population Growth and Planned Parenthood: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/meet-the-biggest-planned-parenthood-supporter-in-corporate-america.html
  114. Open Secrets Donations to Planned Parenthood, 2022: https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2022?cmte=Planned+Parenthood&tab=donors
  115. AMAC Article on Planned Parenthood Funding, 2017, over 962,000 abortions and $1.3 Billion in “Donations”: https://amac.us/may-not-support-planned-parenthoodbut-favorite-companies/
  116. 2nd Vote website of companies that contribute $1.3 Billion to Planned Parenthood, 2017: https://www.2ndvote.com/planned-parenthood/
  117. John Kerry on BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57135506
  118. John Kerry coordination with Green Groups, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-probe-john-kerrys-ties-eco-groups-efforts-shield-oversight
  119. Robert Bryce Substack on the “Iron Law of Electricity” Increases in coal use around the world, June 17, 2023: https://robertbryce.substack.com/p/the-iron-law-of-electricity-strikes
  120. California Globe, California’s Electricity Policy Failure, June 18, 2023: https://californiaglobe-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/californiaglobe.com/articles/the-failure-of-california-electricity-policy-in-one-image/amp/
  121. World Bank report, June, 2023, De-Tx Development, Mis-Use of Fertilizers & DeGrowth:  https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/61d04aca-1b95-4c06-8199-3c4a423cb7fe/content?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  122. NJ ROI (Return On Info) : https://www.roi-nj.com/2023/05/17/roi-influencers/energy-utilities-roi-influencers/roi-nj-presents-the-roi-influencers-energy-and-utilities/?utm_source=ROI-NJ+MAIN+Newsletter+List+%282%2F4%2F19%29&utm_campaign=ee9cbf68df-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_06_20_02_53&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-ee9cbf68df-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
  123. Capital Research Video on Green Ties to China: https://capitalresearch.org/article/how-china-designed-american-environmental-policy/
  124. China Influence of U.S.  Green Groups and U.S. Environmental Policy, Capital Research Center video:  https://capitalresearch.org/article/how-china-designed-american-environmental-policy/    
  125. Capital Research Center on Teen Vogue Influence of young female voters on Democrat policies: https://capitalresearch.org/article/teen-vogue-training-young-female-leftists/
  126. Good Energy News Reference: https://oilprice.com
  127. German Industry Shutting Down and Moving, due to high energy process, CNBC June 21, 2023 : https://www-cnbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/06/21/high-german-energy-prices-are-seeing-some-companies-relocate-bdi.html
  128. EIA Notice of Change in Calculating/Reporting Solar Primary Energy to use 3412 Btus/kWh, June 23, 2023: https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/change/
  129. WUWT Global Surface Temperature Chart 1880-2022: https://wattsupwiththat.com/uah-version-6/
  130. “Why Climate Change is Not an Emergency”, CO2 Coalition Presentations, May 27, 2023: https://co2coalition.org/media/why-climate-change-is-not-an-emergency/  
  131. Time Magazine, “The Modern World Can’t Exist Without These Four Ingredients. They All Require Fossil Fuels”, Vaclav Smil May 2022: https://time.com/6175734/reliance-on-fossil-fuels/
  132. ERCOT Dashboard: https://www.ercot.com
  133. EU Report and long list of references on the “DeIndustrialization of Europe” by forcing wind power on the citizens: 
    https://us1-campaign–archive-com.translate.goog/?u=a15449610a1df64c85f7499e1&id=5b33ebcfdc&e=59342c48f8&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=auto
  134. Causes of Blackouts in Europe, excellent paper, Jan. 2022: https://www-science–climat–energie-be.translate.goog/2022/01/07/les-blackouts-leurs-causes-et-consequences-economiques/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=auto
  135. NERC Summer Reliability Report, May 2023: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_SRA_2023.pdf
  136. Balancing Energy Security, Affordability, the Economy, Decarbonization and Security, Energy Policy Research Foundation: https://assets.realclear.com/files/2023/06/2210_eprinc_balancing_energy_security_affordability_and_decarbonization.pdf
  137. The Rise and Fall of the American Grid, American Affairs Journal, Fall, 2022: https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2022/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-american-electrical-grid/
  138. WSJ article on $400 Billion Loans for Green Energy: https://www.wsj.com/articles/green-energy-climate-loans-49fda73b?mod=hp_lead_pos7
  139. America’s Power, Editorial on the Importance of Coal, July 10, 2023: https://americaspower.org/the-need-for-sensible-epa-rules/
  140. America’s Power Key Takeaways of Winter Storm Elliott Report on the importance of coal: https://americaspower.org/new-report-evaluates-the-performance-of-electricity-resources-during-storm-elliott/
  141. Net Zero Reality Coalition: https://www.cfact.org/netzerorealitycoalition/
  142. WUWT On National Academy of Engineering Summer Report on decarbonization, July 11, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/07/11/national-academies-climate-junk-summit-7-11-7-12-is-open-to-all/
  143. EPA Regulations will Destroy the American Power Grid, Ed Ireland Substack: https://edireland.substack.com/p/epa-proposes-anti-fossil-fuel-regulations?r=kv1a9&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
  144. Nuclear in the 1960’s. Our predecessors got lots of things done: 
    https://whatisnuclear.com/news/2023-07-03-film-about-pm1-microreactor-in-wyoming.html
Uncategorized

Repeal the IRA! Protect America’s Lifeblood of Energy and Electricity Supply

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The Rise and Decline of nations throughout history is well documented. Here are my thoughts on the how close the U.S. came to a steep decline of freedom, strength and prosperity due to the un-American energy policies of Obama and Biden. Energy and electricity are the Life-Blood of our country’s productive capacity and prosperity. The harm of harmful policies are not felt until decades later, such as those Obama implemented, which I will cover later. The IRA should be fully repealed by Congress, otherwise, the American electric Grid unreliability and electricity costs will increase as has been experienced in Germany, Spain, Hawaii and the UK.

The Green New Deal aka IRA

Reasonable cost, affordable, reliable and abundant energy is one important resource that made America strong. America once had the most reliable, affordable, resilient and robust electric Grid. That is until the Green New Deal came along. Codified into the so called, “Inflation Reduction Act” of 2022. If Kamala Harris would have won the election in November, the decline of America would have certainly accelerated. Energy and reliable electricity are the Life-Blood of America. Thankfully, President Trump was elected and some of the un-American policies of the Democrat Party, Obama and Biden are being corrected. Congress is working on a draft to correct the IRA, however, so far it does not go far enough to abolish the IRA. Alex Epstein wrote an excellent summary, worth reading, here. The Full repeal of the IRA is needed to keep America’s Life-Blood of Energy and Electricity Reliable & Affordable. Not doing so puts America on the same path as Spain, Germany, Hawaii and California. Call it a “Spain Spiral”.

The Changing World Order

Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Investments fame has published a book, “The Changing World order”. He has also posted a website and You Tube presentation which is a fascinating 45 minute history lesson of the changing world order and the rise and fall of empires. Here is a screenshot of his focus on four empires, the Dutch, British, U.S. and a rising China. Historical to current times. Had Kamala Harris been elected, Dalio’s projection of the U.S. decline, might have come to be. Why? Because in these modern energy intensive times conventional forms of energy, oil, gas, coal and nuclear are the foundation of American strength and hegemony.

I recommend watching Dalio’s You Tube presentation and his book, “Changing World Order”. This is relatively new, published this month. Previously, I have written my views on the U.S. Self-Sabotaging of our energy and electrical generation capacity. Here, Here, Here, Here and more.

Democrat Party and Other Un-American Organizations

The Democrat Party energy policies, in my opinion, could not have been improved on by Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping themselves to weaken America. The “War on Coal” and a review of Obama, Biden and the Democrat controlled Congress un-American policies are covered in these three articles:

“The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”

“Are You Worried about the Future of the U.S.A.?    

 The Green Energy Crisis is Here, Part 1

Here is a reminder of the lasting effects of regulations. Obama implemented the EV Mandate in August 2012. Obama’s EPA also forced the EPA Endangerment Finding. It took over a decade for the harm to become noticed by the general public.

The 2022 (wrongly titled) Inflation reduction Act actually codifies Obama and Biden “Green New Deal” policies. They need to be completely repealed. Alex Epstein and Ed Ireland have done excellent articles detailing the incomplete work of Congress to support President Trump’s promises. Here and here.

Learning from Others

President Trump understands the importance of energy independence and a reliable electrical grid. In fact, one of his first EO’s was to declare an energy emergency. He is correct in doing so. Why? Because under Biden and with the hateful energy policies of Obama still in effect, America was headed down the same path of Net-Zero Carbon that Spain, UK, Germany and other Western countries have followed. The results should be studied.

Conclusions

The U.S. is on a similar path as Germany, the UK and Spain if the Renewables subsidies of the IRA are not repealed. The CATO Institute has provided a summary of the costs until 2050. Worse yet are the risks of unreliable power supply due to too much intermittent, unreliable, non-Dispatchable solar and wind capacity.

President Trump was correct in his Executive Order of January 20th entitled, “Unleashing American Energy”.

Electricity demand according to most respected organizations, is expected to grow by 50% in the year 2050. That means an increase of reliable capacity of about 600,000 MW of new generating capacity. The only proven source of this enormous capacity is from nuclear, gas and coal generation. The natural gas expansion is limited by manufacturing capacity, nuclear takes decades to implement. New coal plant capacity should be included in the portfolio of new electricity generation capacity. If it is not, we may in fact, follow the de-industrialization path of Germany and lose the lead in AI. Congress should support the full extent, 100% of President Trump’s Executive Order to “Unleash American Energy”, including the building of new clean coal plants.

Dick Storm, May14, 2025

References and for further research

  1. Full text of Congress House Bill # 5376: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376/text
  2. CATO summary of IRA-2022: https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/budgetary-cost-inflation-reduction-acts-energy-subsidies
  3. Tax Foundation summary of costs for green energy: https://taxfoundation.org/blog/inflation-reduction-act-ira-credits-repeal-reform/
  4. President Trump’s EO, “Unleashing American Energy” Jan. 20, 2025: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/
  5. Alex Epstein Substack article May 13 on the Importance of Repealing the IRA: https://open.substack.com/pub/alexepstein/p/why-the-proposed-phaseout-of-ira?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
  6. Ed Ireland Substack on Repeal of IRA, May 14, 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/edireland/p/congress-is-not-repealing-the-green?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
  7. KGB Defector Yuri Bezmenov,  speech on You Tube on Indoctrination and Dividing western countries from 1980’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9TviIuXPSE
  8. Ray Dalio on the Rise and Fall of Nations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xguam0TKMw8
  9. “The War on Carbon, How it Came to Be”, Oct. 16, 2021: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/10/16/the-war-on-carbon-how-it-came-to-be/
  10. “Are You Worried about the Future of the U.S.A.?”     https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2021/01/21/are-you-worried-about-the-future-of-america/
  11.  The Green Energy Crisis is Here, Part 1, Sept. 17, 2023: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/05/29/the-green-energy-crisis-is-here-part-1/
  12. Fox News on Taxpayer funds to Democrats: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/exclusive-shady-trial-lawyer-pipeline-funneling-millions-democrats-report
  13. 114th Congress, Majority Staff Report, Obama’s Carbon Mandate, August 2015: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  14. The Coming Electricity Reliability Crisis and the Importance of Coal, Sept. 12, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/09/12/the-electricity-reliability-crisis-and-the-importance-of-american-coal/
  15. The Kingdom of Heaven Runs on Righteousness, The Kingdom of Earth Runs on Energy, Oct. 3, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/10/03/heaven-runs-on-righteousness-earth-runs-on-energy/
  16. Charley Reese’s Last Column, “545 vs. 300,000,000 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/11/27/charley-reeses-last-column-a-classic-commentary-written-over-twenty-years-ago/
  17.  Why is Western Civilization Self Sabotaging the Primary Energy that Provides 80% of the fuel for America’s Life-Blood of Reliable Electricity, with the War on Carbon?.     : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/12/17/why-is-western-civilization-self-sabotaging-the-primary-energy-sources-that-provide-80-of-the-fuel-for-americas-life-blood-of-reliable-electricity-with-the-war-on-carbon/
  18. Musings on the Self-Sabotaging Energy Policies and a Reminder of the History of the Rise and Fall of Nations:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/01/13/musings-on-self-sabotaging-energy-policies-and-a-reminder-of-the-history-of-the-rise-and-fall-of-nations/
  19. The EPA “Endangerment Finding” and why it Needs to Go, Feb. 2, 2025: https://wp.me/p5DzAo-1ZW
  20. The SWAMP MONSTER vs. 300 Million Americans, Feb. 21, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/02/21/the-swamp-monster-vs-the-best-interests-of-the-united-states-of-america/
  21. Thomas J. Shepstone Substack on Dick Storm’s “Primer on How to Ensure Electricity Security (and How to Destroy It)”:  https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/a-primer-on-how-to-ensure-energy?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false 
  22.  Existing EPA-Endangerment Rules Impact South Carolina Electricity Costs and Will Cause Rationing if the EPA Endangerment Finding Isn’t Repealed  Feb. 28, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/02/28/existing-epa-rules-increase-costs-and-will-cause-rationing-of-electricity-in-south-carolina-if-endangerment-finding-is-not-repealed/
  23. David Siegel videos on Climate Change: https://www.cuttingthroughthenoise.net/climate-curious 
  24. The EPA Endangerment Finding Needs to Go! Thomas Shepstone publishing of Dick Storm article, March 9, 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/the-epa-endangerment-finding-needs?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false 
  25. The U.S. Self-Inflicted Electricity Generation Crisis was Created by GONGO the SWAMP Monster, March 19, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/03/19/the-u-s-self-inflicted-electricity-generation-crisis-was-created-by-gongo-the-swamp-monster-here-is-how-to-end-it/
  26. Coal Power, It is the End Result that Matters!:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/03/28/coal-power-it-is-the-end-result-that-counts/
  27. My Letter to Senator Davis on Coal Power in S.C. April 1, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/04/03/response-to-palmetto-electric-request-to-contact-our-s-c-senators/
  28. The Solution to America’s Electricity Generation Crisis: Build New Coal Plants Now! https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/04/18/the-solution-to-the-nations-coming-electricity-reliability-crisis-build-new-coal-plants/
  29.  Clean Energy Crisis, May 2, 2025     https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/05/02/clean-energy-crisis-2/
  30. Thomas J. Shepstone, edited version of Clean Energy Crisis on Substack, May 3, 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/the-clean-energy-crisis-and-why-it?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  31.  Reality of Building 125 GW of New Coal Power Generation Capacity, Then and Now: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/05/ 
  32.    NMA Map of Electricity Prices and coal power in lower 48 states: https://nma.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/coal-gen-map-2023.pdf
  33. WSJ article on “Economic Growth Depends on Electricity, Not Oil”, March 27, 2025: https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/economic-growth-now-depends-on-electricity-not-oil-40250941?st=cbzcRt  
  34. Bjorn Lomberg on the High Cost of Solar and Wind, Climate Change Dispatch, Jan. 2, 2025: https://climatechangedispatch.com/wind-solar-hidden-truth-behind-rising-electric-bills/
  35. Frazer Institute, “Hot Air, Cold Truths, Bjorn Lomberg, March 2025: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/hot-air-and-cold-truths-bjorn-lomborg
  36. Delaware County Insider, Wind and Solar are Expensive, Bjorn Lomberg, May 24,  2024: https://delawarevalleyjournal.com/lomborg-the-true-cost-of-wind-and-solar-energy/
  37. Yahoo Finance and National Post, March 2025, Bjorn Lomberg, Wind and Solar are Expensive: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/bjorn-lomborg-solar-wind-power-100008520.html
  38. Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling, Energy Bad Boys, Outstanding article on Phasing out PTC’s, May 16, 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/energybadboys/p/gops-phase-out-of-ira-subsidies-isnt?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
  39. Judge Glock comments on the IRA from City Journal:  Judge Glock
     https://lnkd.in/e-qtXsr4
     
Coal Power, economic prosperity and energy

The Reality of Building 125 GW of New Coal Plant Generation Capacity Then and Now

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It has been forecasted that the U.S. needs about 125 GW of new electricity generation capacity by 2030 and about 600 GW of new generation capacity by 2050. The combined maximum manufacturing of new nuclear, new wind and new solar cannot provide this growth in time. Previously written here, here and here. The Our World in Data graph showing worldwide capacity of total primary energy by sources shows the futility of expecting the new Demand for energy to be supplied from wind and solar.

The graph above illustrates the dismal contribution of wind and solar to the total Primary Energy needs of the world. Bjorn Lomborg (and others) has written numerous articles that document the poor capacity factor, high cost and unreliability of wind and solar after decades of spending billions.

The answer to providing the needed Primary Energy for electricity generation over the next twenty five years is to build more dispatchable electricity generation capacity from new natural gas, nuclear and coal plants. We need to build lots of new gas, nuclear and coal plants. Easy to write, harder to accomplish. That is the purpose of this article, to try to quantify the colossal design, manufacturing and construction supply-chain effort that needs to be accomplished on a fast-track basis.

New Generation Capacity Manufacturing Supply-Chain

The gas turbine supply-chain limitation was covered in my previous article here and by POWER Magazine here. Nuclear is the fuel that provides the largest carbon free capacity today and it is likely to be the fuel of choice in the future. However, building 125 GW of new electricity generation capacity by 2035 or so could with a Herculean effort be accomplished with new coal plant construction. This is about the same as the electricity generation capacity that has been shut down since 2010. The previous article discussed the 151 new coal plants that were planned in 2008 most of which were never built. Between now and 2035 we need to build the coal plants that were planned in 2008 and were never built.

The Coal Plant Supply-Chain That Was circa 1975-1980

In 1975 I was a project engineer for the startup and improvements for the 720 MW Roxboro Generating Station Unit #3. The superheater needed to be replaced with upgraded alloy due to design issues of temperature and steam distribution throughout the over 1500 individual flow circuits. The tubing material selected was 304H stainless steel. Over twenty miles of new tubing needed to be fabricated into 48 superheater assemblies, each comprised of 26 tube circuits about 120 feet long. The contract was signed about March of 1975 for delivery to site and installation in the fall outage the same year. The tubes had to be manufactured from stainless steel billets, drawn into tubing and the tubing bent, attached together into assemblies, stress relived in a furnace and welded together. The total superheater required dozens of truck loads for delivery from Chattanooga to Roxboro. The same project today would be possible but not in the same time frame. It will require more than a year or two to simply fabricate a superheater of this size and get it delivered. Much of the tubing and components would be sourced from Asia.

Remembering Combustion-Engineering

Let’s discuss Combustion-Engineering’s Chattanooga works in 1975. Here is an aerial picture of this magnificent facility.

The facility was over 88 acres under roof and included capabilities for manufacturing steel tubing, waterwalls, heavy walled headers, fabrication of tube assemblies as described above for the Roxboro superheater and also nuclear reactors and steam generators. I intentionally used the adjective magnificent to describe it. Here is a quote from my friend Tom who worked at C-E during this time period:

“I did a stint at CE in Chattanooga and still vividly recall the enormity of  the manufacturing capability. For instance 15,000 ton press that could bend 12” thick steel  Into a cylinder for a completed  nuclear vessel weighing 700 tons.

A Gang drill setup to drill 1600 holes through a 26” Inconel tube sheet for nuclear PWR steam generators. 

1000 ton crane to handle these fabrications and heat treat furnaces large enough to stress relieve them before shipment. What an experience to view and work with these marvels.”

The facility evolved and progressed over many years to become the pearl of manufacturing prowess that it was in 1975. Combustion-Engineering in these times was capable of producing steam generators that could power about 25,000 MW of electricity generation capacity each year. The business volume in 1977 dollars was about $1 Billion/year. The manufacturing volume was almost equal to the business profits of aftermarket maintenance and repairs. Being outstanding in design, manufacturing and services was a huge business for tens of thousands of employees. In 1978 Combustion-Engineering was # 125 on the Fortune 500 list of companies. Two competitors during this era with facilities similar to Combustion-Enegineering were Babcock & Wilcox and Foster-Wheeler. B&W was # 132 on Fortune’s list and Foster-Wheeler # 207.

Today Combustion Engineering and Foster-Wheeler U.S. shops are gone, B&W’s downsized but, thankfully, still in operation.

Today I discussed a replacement/repair of a high pressure header for a Utility coal steam generator in Texas. I was told the header is on emergency order and it will be on site this fall. The header is sourced from somewhere in Asia and welding of tube studs and completion of fabrication will be done in South Carolina. This is bout 24 weeks lead time for just one header. I described a 1350 MW steam generator in a previous article, here. Just to show a rough idea of the immensity of a large coal steam generator. The one described is the B&W Zimmer Plant, supercritical steam generator. In electricity generation capacity, it is nearly twice the size of Roxboro Unit #3.

How About Talent?

I was watching Mike Rowe on TV yesterday and he stated that today over 485,000 manufacturing jobs remain unfilled. Tens of thousands of highly skilled craftsmen such as the Boilermaker/Welders such as those shown below are needed. But, the training and education of the workforce is a topic for another day. Here is a recent WSJ article on building the craft workforce.

Building a new 1600 MW Coal Plant

One of the most recent coal plants built is the Prairie States Energy Center in southern Illinois. The plant construction is well documented by Bechtel and Prairie States. Here are some statistics to explain the immensity of the challenge of building a plant such as the Prairie States Energy Campus.

Now do the math. It will take about 78 new coal plants like Prairie States to produce 125,000 MW of electricity. Using the proportions of what it took about 13 years ago to build the Prairie States Energy campus would extrapolate to:

  • 12,870,000 yards of concrete
  • 3,276,000 tons of steel
  • 210,600 construction workers
  • 93,600 miles of electric cable, mostly copper
  • 9,360 miles of piping

This does not include the engineers and designers to prepare the engineering drawings, the factory personnel such as those once employed at the C-E Chattanooga Works described above or Foster-Wheeler’s Mountaintop Pennsylvania facility. I estimate that over 250,000 new engineers, technicians, craftsmen and other factory workers will need to be trained and employed to accomplish this huge task. Unfortunately, many of the trained and experienced engineers needed are like me and many of my friends, who are now retired. The next generation has a huge job to rebuild the supply-chain.

Conclusions

Needed is 600 GW of new reliable, affordable, dispatchable and preferably, U.S. made generation capacity. Satisfying this demand for new capacity will require more new gas, new coal and new nuclear plants to be built. As discussed above, the new gas turbine manufacturing capacity is at it’s limits and optimistically, about half of the needed 600 GW by 2050 can be provided by G-E, Mitsubishi, Siemens and a few others.

Nuclear today provides about 100 GW of electricity generation. Most of the nuclear plants providing this power were built over 40 years ago. It took over 30 years to build the first 100 GW of nuclear generation and yes, we should proceed full speed ahead on doing so again. All things considered, including manufacturing facilities, talent, forgings, high grade nuclear quality steel production and site construction challenges, doubling the 100 GW of existing nuclear capacity may take another 30 years. America misses both the manufacturing facilities such as C-E Chattanooga and others and the 125 GW of coal plant capacity that also has disappeared.

The solution, in my view, is build more coal plants and build them now. It will be difficult to ramp up the supply-chain, but we should begin ASAP. Building plants like Prairie States takes years. At best, about four years from the start of engineering to the first connection to the Grid and then it usually takes months of debugging and fine tuning to reach the full potential of a new plant.

The Roxboro Generating Station has been mentioned by me in many of my articles and talks. Why? Because I was employed at Roxboro as a field service engineer, senior startup engineer, operations superintendent, maintenance contractor and consultant over a fifty year career. I know (or at least remember it) Roxboro plant very well. A side note, Mr. Mendall Long, one of the Greatest Generation and past Manager of Fossil Plant Engineering told me late in his life, “Lad, you are the only guy I know that made a full career out of working on only three boilers” Mr. Long was referring to the Riley Boilers at Sutton and Roxboro Plants that I did indeed work on (amongst others) over a forty year period during his life-time. We miss extraordinary and courageous engineer/managers like Mr. Long.

Roxboro has a capacity of 2,462 MW. I use this plant as an example of the 125 GW’s of new power needed. It will take 50 new plants like Roxboro to produce 125,000 MW’s of coal plant capacity. I described the superheater replacement for Unit #3 above. That is only one unit. Roxboro has four operating units. The Prairie States Energy Campus is a better example because it is newer.

POWER Magazine wrote in October 2013: “The 1,600-MW Prairie State Energy Campus uses the latest coal technology to burn Illinois coal from the Lively Grove mine, located adjacent to the plant. In planning since 2001, the second unit of the two-unit, $4.93 billion plant entered commercial service in November 2012, thus completing the largest coal-fired plant built in the U.S. in 30 years.

The Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC) is likely the last of the multi-unit coal-fired power plants that will be built in the U.S. in the foreseeable future. The most recently commissioned coal plants (SWEPCO’s 600-MW John W. Turk, Jr. and Duke Energy’s 825-MW Cliffside Unit 6) are single-unit plants with no firm plans for future expansion. The last two-unit coal-fired plants completed as a single project were Luminant’s Oak Grove power plant (2 x 800 MW) and We Energies’ Elm Road plant (2 x 615), both completed in 2010, but that’s where the similarity ends.”

As mentioned above, America should build 78 new plants similar to the Prairie States Energy Campus. We should begin now as the electricity generation crisis is real, not imagined. In 2008 over 150 new coal plants were planned. Most of these were cancelled. That was a mistake that needs to be corrected.

Dick Storm , May 7, 2025

References and for Further Research

  1. Prairie States Energy Campus Bechtel Statistics:  https://www.bechtel.com/projects/prairie-state-energy-campus/
  2. Wall Street Journal on Workforce Development and Training: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/skilled-trades-high-school-recruitment-fd9f8257
  3. POWER Magazine article on the Prairie States Plant of the Year, October 2013: https://www.powermag.com/prairie-state-energy-campus-washington-county-illinois/
  4. POWER Magazine on Gas Turbine Supply Crunch: https://www.powermag.com/gas-powers-boom-sparks-a-turbine-supply-crunch/
  5. Howard Concrete Pumping article on concrete supplied to Prairie States Energy Plant: https://www.howardconcretepumping.com/prairie-state-energy-campus.html
  6. History of Foster-Wheeler and BHI: http://www.bhifw.com/eng/main/main.html
  7. FWEC Fortune 500 List #207 1978: https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500_archive/full/1978/201.html
  8. Global Energy Monitor on Cancelled Coal Plants: https://www.gem.wiki/Coal_plants_cancelled_in_2008
  9. How Can a 6,000 MW Utility in 2030 Become a 9,000 MW Utility in 2050 and Still Meet Net Zero Carbon? Update of last year’s article, May 2, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/05/02/how-can-a-6000-mw-regional-utility-in-2030-which-likely-will-be-a-9000-mw-utility-in-2050-achieve-net-zero-carbon-an-update-on-my-electricity-provider-in-south-carolina/
  10. NERC Long Term Reliability Assessment Report and including, Data Center Load Growth, December 2024: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_Long%20Term%20Reliability%20Assessment_2024.pdf
  11. Coal’s Final Battle, May 18, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/05/20/coals-final-battle/
  12. Tom Shepstone’s Substack repost of Dick Storm commentary, May 20, 2024: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/why-we-the-american-people-must-win?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
  13. Visualizing 100 Quadrillion BTUs. Shouldn’t Coal Remain in our Energy Mix?” : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/07/02/visualizing-100-quadrillion-btus-of-primary-energy-coal-should-remain-in-our-energy-mix/
  14. NMA Map of Electricity Prices and coal power in lower 48 states: https://nma.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/coal-gen-map-2023.pdf
  15. WSJ article on “Economic Growth Depends on Electricity, Not Oil”, March 27, 2025: https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/economic-growth-now-depends-on-electricity-not-oil-40250941?st=cbzcRt  
  16. Bjorn Lomberg on the High Cost of Solar and Wind, Climate Change Dispatch, Jan. 2, 2025: https://climatechangedispatch.com/wind-solar-hidden-truth-behind-rising-electric-bills/
  17. Frazer Institute, “Hot Air, Cold Truths, Bjorn Lomberg, March 2025: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/hot-air-and-cold-truths-bjorn-lomborg
    Delaware County Insider, Wind and Solar are Expensive, Bjorn Lomberg, May 24,  2024: https://delawarevalleyjournal.com/lomborg-the-true-cost-of-wind-and-solar-energy/
  18. Yahoo Finance and National Post, March 2025, Bjorn Lomberg, Wind and Solar are Expensive: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/bjorn-lomborg-solar-wind-power-100008520.html
  19. Alabama Attorney General is amongst 22 states in appeal to return to coal for power generation revival of the Grid: https://gulfcoastmedia.com/stories/alabama-attorney-general-calls-for-reviving-americas-energy-grid-with-coal,257548?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0XeLob6rYc5WaBBtSyuB7vHctTdzVhTJxJZ96bExtALJBFoqUPAJPKaY0_aem_8TNpNEKQSIdjNrJTJeBF8Q#//
  20. Life Powered article on the Unreliability of Wind & Solar in Texas, March 29, 2025: https://lifepowered.org/reliability-standards-to-reduce-the-cost-of-wind-and-solar-volatility-in-texas/
  21. We the People vs. The Ten Headed Swamp Monster     :  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/07/10/we-the-people-vs-net-zero-indoctrination-by-the-ten-headed-swamp-monster/
  22. The Magnificent and Indispensable Heat Engines Society Depends on: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/07/30/the-magnificent-and-indispensable-heat-engine-on-which-civil-society-depends-part-1-heat-engines-1-3-million-horsepower/ 
  23. The EPA Endangerment Finding Needs to Go! Thomas Shepstone publishing of Dick Storm article, March 9, 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/the-epa-endangerment-finding-needs?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false 
  24. The U.S. Self-Inflicted Electricity Generation Crisis was Created by GONGO the SWAMP Monster, March 19, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/03/19/the-u-s-self-inflicted-electricity-generation-crisis-was-created-by-gongo-the-swamp-monster-here-is-how-to-end-it/
  25. Coal Power, It is the End Result that Matters!:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/03/28/coal-power-it-is-the-end-result-that-counts/
  26. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 2, The Reality of Replacing Conventional Forms of Energy, Jan. 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/06/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-2-some-facts-on-the-reality-of-replacing-conventional-forms-of-energy/
  27. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 3, The Transition that Isn’t, from the perspective of Minerals, Feb. 8, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/08/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-3-the-transition-that-isnt-from-the-perspective-of-minerals/
  28. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 4, The True Agenda for Climate Policies, Feb. 13, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/13/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-electricity-generation-and-environmental-protection-part-4-what-is-the-true-agenda-for-climate-policies/
  29. Energy Matters! March 2024 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/11/energy-matters/
  30. Update on Hawaii’s “Green New Deal” March 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/20/hawaii-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-the-green-new-deal-aka-inflation-reduction-act-here-is-an-update/
  31. The Rise and Fall of Nations from the perspective of nuclear power systems manufacturing: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/08/15/the-rise-fall-and-rise-again-of-nations-and-the-realities-of-energy/
  32. Thomas J. Shepstone posting on Substack of,  “Energy Matters If You Value the Life You Now Have and Don’t Want to Live Under Socialism
     March 11, 2024: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/energy-matters-if-you-value-the-life?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email  
  33. Threats to the Electric Grid, March 15, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/15/threats-to-the-grid-electricity-reliability/
    Giant Sucking Sound, March 18, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/18/giant-sucking-sound/
  34. “Update on Hawaii’s Glimpse of the Future of the Green New Deal” March 20, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/20/hawaii-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-the-green-new-deal-aka-inflation-reduction-act-here-is-an-update/
  35. The Reality of Electrifying Everything,  April 9, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/04/09/the-reality-of-electrifying-everything-and-the-primary-energy-required-to-generate-the-electricity/
  36. My Letter to Senator Davis on Coal Power in S.C. April 1, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/04/03/response-to-palmetto-electric-request-to-contact-our-s-c-senators/
  37. The Solution to America’s Electricity Generation Crisis: Build New Coal Plants Now! https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/04/18/the-solution-to-the-nations-coming-electricity-reliability-crisis-build-new-coal-plants/
  38.  Clean Energy Crisis, May 2, 2025     https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/05/02/clean-energy-crisis-2/
  39. Thomas J. Shepstone, edited version of Clean Energy Crisis on Substack, May 3, 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/the-clean-energy-crisis-and-why-it?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email 
  40. Combustion-Engineering History-From Wikiwand: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Combustion_Engineering_Company Combustion Engineering (C-E) was a multi-national American-based engineering firm that developed nuclear steam supply power systems in the United States. Originally headquartered in New York City, C-E moved its corporate offices to Stamford, Connecticut, in 1973. C-E owned over three dozen other companies including Lummus Company, National Tank Companyand the Morgan Door Company. The company was acquired by Asea Brown Boveri in early 1990. The boiler and fossil fuel businesses were purchased by Alstom in 2000, and the nuclear business was purchased by Westinghouse Electric Company also in 2000. Merger with the Superheater Company During the Great Depression, C-E formed a partnership with the Superheater Company. The Locomotive Superheater Company was founded in 1910 to further the use of superheated steam in locomotives. The Superheater Company’s primary manufacturing facility was located in East Chicago, Indiana. In December 1948 stockholders approved a merger between the Combustion Engineering Company and Superheater Company. Following consolidation the corporation was called Combustion Engineering-Superheater Inc. In September 1950 the firm announced plans to build a large high-pressure generating unit for Virginia Electric & Power Company in Chester, Virginia. In 1953, the name Superheater was eliminated and the company took the more familiar name – Combustion Engineering, Inc. At this time, C-E primarily designed and built boiler assemblies for conventional power plants; those powered by coal and oil. In the mid-1950s, C-E also expanded its operations into oil and gas exploration, production, refining, and petrochemicalswith the acquisition of the Lummus Company located in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Lummus also supplied small industrial steam supply systems for oil field enhanced recovery. C-E was one of the major suppliers of boilers for US Navy steam-powered warships, including Liberty ships during World War II. Amongst many other warships, all of the 46 Knox-class frigates built during the 1960s and 1970s were equipped with a 1,200-pound-per-square-inch (8,300 kPa) C-E power plant. C-E also was a leader in the development of large coal utility steam supply systems which were used worldwide. C-E pioneered the tangential firing process used in modern large pulverized coal utility boilers. C-E maintained a large coal burning test unit at the Windsor, Connecticut site which allowed the Power Systems Group to test changes to boiler air-flow and other critical boiler design factors.
  41. Nuclear steam supply systems C-E’s nuclear power activity began in 1955 under Arthur Santry Jr. The history of the C-E Windsor, Connecticut campus dates to the early development of the nuclear submarine. From the mid-1950s through the early 1960s, Combustion Engineering, under federal government contract, produced nuclear fuel for the US Navy’s “Nuclear Navy” nuclear submarines. Also located at the Windsor site was the prototype marine nuclear propulsion training facility known as S1C, which was designed and constructed by C-E adjacent to its main campus. The S1C prototype was operated by C-E for more than ten years as an R&D and Naval training facility. After expiration of C-E’s contract, the S1C contract was subsequently awarded to Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL), who operated the unit until its decommissioning and dismantlement in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In the 1960s, C-E began selling nuclear power steam supply systems. The first commercial nuclear steam supply system was sold to Consumers Power Company of Michigan for the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station, which closed in 2022. C-E competed aggressively with General Electric and Westinghouse in this domain. In the late 1960s the company supplied nuclear reactor systems and fabricated uranium fuel for electric utility companies. A joint venture was announced in April 1968, involving the Combustion Engineering Company, Houston Natural Gas, and Ranchers Exploration & Development Corporation. The three businesses combined to search for uranium on 250,000 acres (1,000 km2) in New Mexico C-E was generally credited with a superior design, evidenced by the fact that the megawatt yield of its nuclear reactors was typically about 10% higher than that of comparable Westinghouse plants. The basis for this increase in efficiency was a computer-based system called the Core Operating Limit Supervisory System (COLSS) for design, and the Core Protection Calculator (CPC) for real-time control room operation, which leveraged almost 300 in-core neutron detectors and a patented algorithm to allow higher power densities. [citation needed] Combustion also fabricated a number of the Westinghouse reactor vessels and steam generators at its Chattanooga manufacturing facility under contracts with the Westinghouse company. C-E maintained a sophisticated nuclear reactor operator training simulator at the Windsor facility for support for customers of its nuclear steam supply systems…..
economic prosperity and energy, Energy, Electricity, Economic Prosperity and Environmental Protection, Fossil Fuels are Important, Keeping America Great, Nuclear Power Generation

CLEAN ENERGY CRISIS

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Title of the prescient 2023 book by the late Mr. Donn Dears.

Mr. Dears wrote many books and several are listed in the references below. His last book, “Clean Energy Crisis” was written before the announcement of many Data Centers were to be built and would drastically increase the rate of electricity usage. Mr. Dears wrote much on the flaws and fiction of Net-Zero Carbon and dependence on electricity by carbon-free forms of power. In fact, his statements written in 2023 regarding “What would it take to replace Fossil Fuels” are listed below: Remember, this is before the advent of AI Data Centers.

Here is what Donn Dears calculated in power generation by 2050 from the combination of Wind, PV Solar, and Nuclear:

  • 995,141 Wind turbines of 2.5 MW each
  • 3,918,996 MW of PV Solar
  • 881 new Nuclear Units like Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4

In summary of this, Mr. Dears writes: ” It is not possible to generate all the electricity needed for electrification of the economy (including the replacement of ICE vehicles and BEV’s, and the replacement of natural gas for heating with electric heat pumps) by relying on wind, PV Solar, or nuclear power, whether alone or in combination”

Thank you Donn Dears, we miss your great engineering talent and visionary work. RIP my friend, your numerous published books, blog and voluminous published technical articles warned us. It is my hope that the state and Federal Bureaucrats who create laws and regulations, will read your books and all available publications.

The Importance of Coal Power

Previous articles by me and others have highlighted the importance of coal power. Especially during peak Demand in the winter. As this is written, it is May and the period between March and May, in the U.S.A. lower 48 has always been a period of low demand, due to the mild weather not requiring much heating or cooling. The crisis periods are peak summer, July-August and winter December-February. Coal has unique and proven benefits for power generation. Such as long term on-site storage.

Here are a dozen articles that cover the importance of coal power for electricity reliability, affordability, Dispatchability and National security.

  1. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 2, The Reality of Replacing Conventional Forms of Energy, Jan. 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/06/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-2-some-facts-on-the-reality-of-replacing-conventional-forms-of-energy/
  2.  Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 3, The Transition that Isn’t, from the perspective of Minerals, Feb. 8, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/08/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-part-3-the-transition-that-isnt-from-the-perspective-of-minerals/
  3. Facing the Hard Truths of Energy, Part 4, The True Agenda for Climate Policies, Feb. 13, 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/02/13/facing-the-hard-truths-of-energy-electricity-generation-and-environmental-protection-part-4-what-is-the-true-agenda-for-climate-policies/
  4. Energy Matters! March 2024 : https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/11/energy-matters/
  5. Update on Hawaii’s “Green New Deal” Hawaii was one of the first states to recklessly shut down their one, lowest cost electricity producing coal plant. Check the results a few years later when there is no GRID to import coal power from other states as California does. March 2024: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/20/hawaii-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-the-green-new-deal-aka-inflation-reduction-act-here-is-an-update/
  6. The Rise and Fall of Nations from the perspective of nuclear power systems manufacturing: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2023/08/15/the-rise-fall-and-rise-again-of-nations-and-the-realities-of-energy/
  7. Thomas J. Shepstone posting on Substack of,  “Energy Matters If You Value the Life You Now Have and Don’t Want to Live Under Socialism https://open.substack.com/pub/energysecurityfreedom/p/energy-matters-if-you-value-the-life?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email  
  8. Threats to the Electric Grid, March 15, 2024:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2024/03/15/threats-to-the-grid-electricity-reliability/
  9. The U.S. Self-Inflicted Electricity Generation Crisis was Created by GONGO the SWAMP Monster, March 19, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/03/19/the-u-s-self-inflicted-electricity-generation-crisis-was-created-by-gongo-the-swamp-monster-here-is-how-to-end-it/
  10. Coal Power, It is the End Result that Matters! That is if you want reliability and reasonable cost power:  https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/03/28/coal-power-it-is-the-end-result-that-counts/
  11. My Letter to Senator Davis on Coal Power in S.C. April 1, 2025: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/04/03/response-to-palmetto-electric-request-to-contact-our-s-c-senators/
  12. “The Value of Coal”, by Fred Palmer and Frank Clemente, “Coal Zoom” March 2025: https://www.coalzoom.com/article.cfm?articleid=39111
  13. The Solution to America’s Electricity Generation Crisis: Build New Coal Plants Now! https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2025/04/18/the-solution-to-the-nations-coming-electricity-reliability-crisis-build-new-coal-plants/

Conclusions

Generation of the power required for our country to remain the #1 world economy and to sustain our high quality of life will require much more electricity generation capacity. The EIA, NEMA and IEA forecast that electricity demand by 2050 will increase by 50%. (In my opinion plus the opinions of Stephen Heins, Chris Wright, Thomas Shepstone and others… this is conservative considering AI Data centers and plans to reshore manufacturing)

Satisfying this Demand increase will need to come from conventional forms of proven Primary Energy. Those proven forms of primary energy for electricity generation are natural gas, nuclear, coal and hydro-electric.

A 50% increase in capacity will be about 600 GW of generation capacity from the current 1, 200 GW of installed capacity. The 50% increase is also reported by NEMA report. So what sources of power can supply this enormous amount of growth of electricity generation Demand?

Let’s be realistic. For reliable, Dispatchable power, 24/7 that generation must come from coal, gas or nuclear. Here is my take on this. For gas power production G-E has reported record sales and the shops are full till about 2030. They hope to produce about 54 GW of power production by 2030. Let’s say with facilities modernization and expansion by 2050 they can produce say 300 GW more. That gets us to about 350 GW by 2050. Yes, I know there are also other Gas Turbine manufacturers such as Mitsubishi and Siemens. But….in my view we are already too dependent on “Just in Time” pipeline supplied gas. America is now about 45% dependent on natural gas for electricity generation.

Nuclear is well proven and has provided about 20% of our electricity for decades. However, expansion takes time and the Supply-Chain needs to be rebuilt. Back to Donn Dears forecast of 881 new nuclear plants by 2050. We must remember it took Georgia Power about ten years to build the 2200 MW expansion at Plant Vogtle. So, nuclear should be included in the portfolio of new generation. However, the entire U.S. Fleet of about 94 operating nuclear units took about 30 years to design and construct. 1957-1987. The current operating nuclear plants represent 97 GW.

I know this is rough, back of the envelope estimating, but so are all forecasts.

So, if gas plants can provide say 350 GW of new capacity and new nuclear units another 200 GW (I may be optimistic on doubling existing fleet capacity, considering the age of existing plants and the fact that some will be retired by 2050). Where do we get the remaining 50+ GW of required electricity generation capacity? I predict much more than 50 GW of new coal or other Dispatchable power will be required before 2050 and we must absolutely consider the retirements of existing coal plants. According to the Washington Times article, over 117 coal plants are scheduled to be shut down by 2030.

My suggestion is build at least 125 GW of new coal plants. This is about the same capacity as has been shut down and demolished since Obama was President. It will not be easy to do so.

A large coal plant can be imploded with explosives in about ten seconds and reduced to a pile of rubble as Green supporters cheer. However, to build a magnificent, Dispatchable, Reliable, and Affordable 600 MW coal plant will take about five years after the permitting is completed.

My next article will be on the challenges of building 125 GW of new coal plants.

Dick Storm, May 2, 2025

References and for Further Research using respected and factual sources

  1. EIA Forecast of electricity growth 2020-2050 (Also see reference #195 by NEMA): https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo/consumption/sub-topic-03.php
  2. EIA Current Installed Electricity Generation Capacity by Nameplate as of 2023, 1,189,492 MW: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us-generation-capacity-and-sales.php
  3. EIA Operating Nuclear Plants as of April 2025, 97GW: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65104
  4. Donn Dears book, “Clean Energy Crisis” available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRH737HM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=101IJSF3ORQFO&keywords=books+donn+dougherty+dears&qid=1672668053&sprefix=books+donn+dougherty+dears,aps,85&sr=8-1
  5. NERC Long Term Reliability study: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_LTRA_2021.pdf
  6. POWER Magazine, May 2025, “World Nuclear Power Projected to Rise by 100 GW by 2035” : https://www.powermag.com/group-projects-100-gw-rise-in-global-nuclear-power-capacity-across-next-decade/?utm_source=omeda&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pwrnucleardirect+eletter&oly_enc_id=3214I3524889A9B
  7. Self Sabotage the Electric Grid: WSJ January 2023:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-self-sabotages-its-electrical-grid-renewable-fossil-fuel-power-11672685320
  8. The Christmas Grid Emergency: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-christmas-electric-grid-emergency-11672091317?mod=article_inline
  9. World Nuclear News, France to Build more Nuclear Plants: https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/French-Senate-adopts-bill-on-accelerating-nuclear
  10. Capital Research Center on Al Gore’s 30 years of wrong predictions: https://capitalresearch.org/article/al-gores-30-years-of-climate-errors-part-1/
  11. James Brooks, RBAC on bringing improved living conditions to Billions: https://rbac.com/rbacs-role-in-bringing-energy-to-a-billion-people/
  12. Cyrus Brooks Video on Renewables, Outstanding communication in 2 minutes: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cyrus-brooks-03274713_energy-power-energybills-ugcPost-7040102595239055360-BoVt?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop 
  13. The Real Price of Wind and Solar: https://www.wsj.com/articles/renewable-energy-balancing-costs-united-kingdom-energy-bills-9795e48d?mod=opinion_lead_pos4
  14. The Critic: “The End of Civilization, 2035” : https://thecritic.co.uk/2035-the-end-of-civilisation/
  15. New York Post, Get Ready for Lights out and Heat off in 2040: https://nypost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/nypost.com/2023/02/09/get-ready-for-the-lights-and-heat-to-go-out/amp/
  16. The Critic: Energy Planning in the UK, a Horror Story: https://thecritic.co.uk/british-energy-planning-a-horror-story/
  17. Cowboy State Daily, March 2023: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/03/10/letter-to-the-editor-children-should-be-taught-what-energy-is-so-they-can-fight-idiocy/
  18.  S & P Global China Coal Plans, April 20, 2022: https://cleanenergynews.ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/china-seeks-to-perform-balancing-act-with-latest-national-ener.html
  19. NREL Solar cost Info: https://www.nrel.gov/solar/market-research-analysis/solar-installed-system-cost.html
  20. LLNL TOTAL PRIMARY ENERGY FLOW CHART 2021: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov
  21. EIA Total Energy Sources, 2021 including Pie Chart & Fuels 1950-2021: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/
  22. St. Louis Fed (FRED) Energy & Economy: https://www.stlouisfed.org/search#siteresults_e=0&siteresults_q=%20Energy%20&siteresults_o=%2CRelevance
  23. Washington Examiner Feb, 2, 2023. Anti-Police and Environmental Extremists have similar Goals, destroy the American System: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/anti-police-and-environmentalist-activists-share-the-same-goal-the-destruction-of-the-american-system
  24. Ken Wilson, P. Eng. Canada, IPCC vs. Facts, CO2 Coalition Feb.. 2023:  https://co2coalition.org/publications/ipcc-vs-the-facts-the-case-for-climate-realism/
  25. CO2 Coalition, Publications, All Excellent: https://co2coalition.org/publication_category/member-publications/
  26. GWPF UK Study, Where are the Engineers” By Professor Michael Kelly : https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2020/05/KellyDecarb-1.pdf
  27. GWPF NZ Professor, Michael Kelly: http://www.bryanleyland.co.nz/power-industry-stuff.html
  28.  Samuel Furfari,  “Hydrogen, an old Idea and still Windy”: https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/features/hydrogen-a-century-old-idea-and-still-windy/
  29. New England Electricity Sources during cold February week: https://blackmon.substack.com/p/saturdays-energy-absurdity-meredith/comments
  30. U.S. Dept of Energy Plan to Net Zero on NPR Feb. 4, 2023:  https://www.npr.org/2023/02/02/1148370220/biden-renewable-energy-goals
  31. Paul Harvey, “If I Were the Devil” A old story, prescient today to watch and listen to this wise man’s comments from 1964 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9NoQHgjM_0
  32. A newspaper article updating the fact that we did not listen, on Paul Harvey’s classic radio talk, “If I were the Devil”: https://www.joplinglobe.com/opinion/geoff-caldwell-paul-harvey-warned-and-we-didnt-listen/article_0f5c948e-c180-11ec-941d-8becd457c17d.html
  33. Canary Media Electrify Everything, Feb. 6, 2023:  https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/electrification/home-of-the-future-climate-friendly-electrified-and-closer-than-ever?utm_campaign=canary&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=244754760&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–6rlMJjZBNphFujAKeUSOclhM7MDo3MAq3t8u3MAn-Hv5pscN1RZ8R1qq_RNf10dSqng0r9Wbyq214_bxo0U_i_LgE4Bn5CS-Zttgn5ClFXBvgoBU&utm_source=newsletter
  34. Judith Curry Blog, 2016, “Balancing the Grid” : https://judithcurry.com/2016/09/12/balance-and-the-grid/
  35. American Coalition of Clean Coal Energy, 2016 Report on Economics: http://www.americaspower.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Family-Energy-Costs-2016.pdf
  36. WUWT on Use of Academic Studies, Feb 7, 2023, Includes good links to Planning Engineer and Economic consequences of unreliable power: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/01/12/academics-and-the-grid-part-i-i-dont-think-that-study-means-what-you-think-it-means/
  37. USGS List of Critical Materials/Metals: https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/us-geological-survey-releases-2022-list-critical-minerals
  38. Paul Driessen list of Billionaire Climate Activists: https://climatechangedispatch.com/billionaire-climate-elites-have-their-own-rules-and-agenda/
  39. IEA 2021 Energy Report, Exec. Summary: https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2021/executive-summary
  40. BP Statistical Review 2021 (released (July 2022): https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/business-sites/en/global/corporate/pdfs/energy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2022-full-report.pdfenergy-economics/statistical-review/bp-stats-review-2022-full-report.pdf
  41.  Germany’s Nuclear Power Implosion July 2022:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/germanys-nuclear-implosion-bundestag-robert-habeck-energy-europe-russia-11657572926?st=i8v3nn5fczebec0&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  42. World Nuclear Assoc.  U.S. Uranium Mining in U.S Profile, Nov. 2021: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-t-z/us-uranium-mining.aspx
  43. Inside Sources, Creating our Own Energy Crisis, NMA: https://insidesources.com/creating-our-own-electricity-crisis/
  44. NMA Statement, DOE Action on Uranium Reserve to bring Uranium Mining back to U.S. A Good First Step: https://nma.org/2022/07/01/doe-action-on-uranium-reserve-is-an-important-first-step/
  45. Framatome You Tube video of steam generator replacement: https://youtu.be/RqGFI76yj9E
  46. Framatome Manufacturing video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9WfWIKkXsc
  47. Bjorn Lomborg Science Direct, Jan. 20233, We should adapt not adopt drastic changes to the way we live. Excellent fact and science based common sense: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162520304157
  48. Influence watch, Sierra Club: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/sierra-club/
  49. Robert Stilson Page at Capital Research on Biden Cabinet Members: The Biden Administration connections. Hope you might find it helpful: https://www.influencewatch.org/hub/biden-administration/
  50. Bloomberg Beyond Carbon: https://www.beyondcarbon.org
  51. Sierra Club, Beyond Coal website: https://coal.sierraclub.org
  52. Sierra Club Success stories: https://coal.sierraclub.org/the-campaign/success-stories
  53.  WSJ Article on Sri Lanka “Green Revolution” July 14, 2022: https://www.wsj.com/articles/sri-lankas-green-new-deal-was-a-human-disaster-gotabaya-rajapaksa-borlaug-synthetic-fertilizers-hunger-organic-agriculture-11657832186?mod=MorningEditorialReport&mod=djemMER_h
  54. Woke Anedote, Ron Clutz:   https://rclutz.com/2022/07/12/woke-antidote/
  55. EIA Energy Fact Sheet, 2022: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/
  56. VOX, “Electrify Everything” August 2020: https://www.vox.com/podcasts/2020/8/27/21403184/saul-griffith-ezra-klein-show-solve-climate-change-green-new-deal-rewiring-america
  57. World Nuclear Assoc. Small Modular Reactors: https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/small-nuclear-power-reactors.aspx
  58. POWER Mag, Article on HELE Plants 2018: https://www.powermag.com/could-high-efficiency-low-emissions-hele-technology-revive-u-s-coal-power/
  59. World Coal Assoc. : https://www.worldcoal.org/clean-coal-technologies/clean-coal-2/
  60. Climate Fact Check from Junk Science, March 7, 2023: https://junkscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Climate-Fact-Check_February-2023-Edition_v2.pdf
  61. Dr. Faith Birol, IEA World Energy Crisis May Get Worse, Bloomberg, July 11, 2022: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-12/worst-of-global-energy-crisis-may-be-ahead-iea-s-birol-warns
  62. Reuters, IEA Head Warns of Energy Crisis Ahead, July 11, 2022: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iea-warns-against-energy-crisis-deepening-fossil-fuel-reliance-2022-05-23/
  63.  World Economic Forum States that Gas Prices must go higher: https://climatechangedispatch.com/world-economic-forum-save-democracy-gas-prices-go-higher/
  64. The Energy Crisis will Worsen, Daniel Yergin, July 11, 2022: https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/energy-crisis-will-deepen-no-supply-by-daniel-yergin-2022-07
  65. Short Link to No Energy=No Power July 13, 2022: https://dickstormprobizblog.org/2022/07/13/no-energyno-power-extremists-want-more-than-clean-air/
  66. Australia Energy Crisis July 1, 2022: https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-warning-from-australias-power-crisis-green-energy-anthony-albanese-11655659465?mod=Searchresults_pos5&page=1
  67. Judith Curry July 15, 2022: https://judithcurry.com/2022/07/16/week-in-review-climate-edition-4/
  68. CFACT, Where wind is used, prices soar excellent essay on the true cost of wind power, March 2023: https://www.cfact.org/2023/03/07/electricity-prices-are-soaring-in-heavy-wind-energy-states/?mc_cid=993d261e3e&mc_eid=2f8550900e
  69. Feasibility of Achieving Net-Zero Carbon by 2050, by Professor Michael Kelly: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/04/feasibility-for-achieving-a-net-zero-economy-for-the-u-s-by-2050/
  70. Wind Power Report by IRENA : https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Technology/Wind-energy
  71. Judith Curry Website on Cost of wind power:  https://judithcurry.com/2015/05/12/true-costs-of-wind-electricity/
  72. The Conversation on Why are Household Electricity Prices Going Up If Wind is so Cheap?: https://theconversation.com/renewables-are-cheaper-than-ever-so-why-are-household-energy-bills-only-going-up-174795
  73. Boston Energy Costs High, Feb. 2023: https://www.bostonsolar.us/solar-blog-resource-center/blog/why-are-energy-costs-so-high-this-winter/
  74. Electricity Prices U.S. by EIA, Feb. 2023: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/tables/pdf/7ctab.pdf
  75. Climate Policies will Cost Germany 960 + Billion and still will not make much difference…..:https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/08/claim-climate-change-will-cost-germany-960-billion-by-2050/
  76. 41 Realities on Energy, By Mark Mills: 
    https://fee-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/fee.org/articles/41-inconvenient-truths-on-the-new-energy-economy/amp      
  77. WSJ EV Sales Jolt, Jan 2023:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-ev-sales-jolted-higher-in-2022-as-newcomers-target-tesla-11672981834
  78. WSJ Coal Provides the Fuel Needed for Germany to Keep the Lights on in 2022: https://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-coal-energy-electricity-renewables-4700b442?mod=opinion_lead_pos2
  79. Visual Capitalist Coal in Asia, March 2023: https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/asias-biggest-sources-of-electricity-by-country/
  80. Daily Caller. Biden’s EPA Rule to Kill Off Coal Plants, March 8, 2023: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/08/biden-epa-new-regs/&source=gmail&ust=1678615516765000&usg=AOvVaw0di3ndkkR73iVUOKpvIzfh
  81. Vaclav Smil book, “How the World Really Works” available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/How-World-Really-Works-Science/dp/B09FC3D9ZQ/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=635981343309&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9010739&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16468172001605479783&hvtargid=kwd-1662165196696&hyd
  82. Europe’s Industry Crippled by high Energy Costs NYT, Sept. 2022: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/business/europe-energy-crisis-factories.html
  83. Power Engineering article on Hydrogen Hub: https://www.power-eng.com/policy-regulation/doe-encourages-33-groups-to-submit-regional-clean-hydrogen-hub-applications/
  84. Is Green Energy China’s Trojan Horse? Western Standard by Joseph FOURNIER, OCT. 2022: https://www.westernstandard.news/opinion/is-green-energy-the-chinese-communist-partys-trojan-horse/article_6bbc2b04-50a5-11ed-bdc4-9b18b8d01f80.html
  85. China to build 106 GW of new coal plants March 2023: https://chinadialogue.net/en/energy/two-sessions-chinese-provinces-push-coal-and-clean-energy/
  86. WUWT Post, ”Gas Generated Electricity is less expensive than Wind”: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/03/gas-power-is-cheaper-than-wind-despite-carbon-briefs-claims/
  87. Dr. Judith curry, Climate Uncertainty review by WUWT: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/03/judith-curry-part-1-presentation-about-her-new-book-tom-nelson-podcast-77/
  88. WSJ LNG Paths from Texas to France: https://www.wsj.com/articles/american-fracked-gas-ukraine-invasion-europe-import-9e5cc725?mod=hp_lead_pos7
  89. Alex Epstein, Talking Points on the Importance of Energy for Human Flourishing: https://alexepstein.substack.com/p/some-of-my-favorite-talking-points?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  90. WUWT Energy and Military Strength, March 3, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/03/03/russias-biggest-weapon-and-chinas-too-is-fossil-fuel-energy/
  91. Capital Research Center: Ken Braun’s latest at Real Clear Energy: https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2023/05/16/facebooks_esg_agenda_went_down_to_georgia_and_trashed_a_trophy_fishing_lake_899609.html
  92. Capital Research info on Sierra Club: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/sierra-club/
  93. Capital Research background and funding estimate for Planned Parenthood, which is allied with the Sierra Club and has much influence on voters: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/planned-parenthood-federation-of-america/
  94. Finland GTK Time to Wake up Slide Presentation: https://www.gtk.fi/en/research/time-to-wake-up/
  95. Heartland Institute 2015 Summary of Obama Carbon Rules: https://heartland.org/opinion/senate-exposes-epa-green-group-secret-collusion-on-carbon-rules/
  96. CNBC Interview with Liberty Energy CEO, Chris Wright: https://lnkd.in/gyeD9Jdf  
  97. China buying Russian oil, gas and coal, Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/asian-buyers-russian-oil-gas-coal-2022-02-22/
  98. China-Russian Energy Deal, February 2022: https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/russia-china-may-sign-energy-other-deals-amid-moscow-tension-with-west-2022-02-03/
  99. Russia overtakes Saudi Arabia as World’s largest oil supplier, June 20, 2022 Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-20/china-buys-7-5-billion-of-russian-energy-with-oil-at-record
  100. Korea Times, China depends on Sanctioned Russian Fuel, June 20, 2022: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/world/2022/06/501_331352.html
  101. Utility Dive, Capacity Auction Prices, June 25,2022: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-capacity-auction-nuclear-solar-coal-prices/625861/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202022-06-22%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:42604%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive
  102. Detroit News, Consumers Energy to End Coal Use in 2025: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2022/06/23/michigan-panel-approves-consumers-energy-plan-end-coal-use-2025/7716918001/
  103. Alliant and WEC Change Plans to Retire Coal to Meet Demand, June 22, 2022: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/wisconsin-utilities-coal-retirement-miso-delay/626005/
  104. WSJ Report on Ameren Keeping Rush Island Operating to Satisfy Demand June 10, 2022:https://www.wsj.com/articles/old-coal-plant-neared-retirement-but-now-its-needed-to-keep-the-lights-on-11654858801?mod=djem_EnergyJournal
  105. WSJ May 8, 2022, Power Plants Struggling With Electricity Shortages to Keep Power on: https://www.wsj.com/articles/electricity-shortage-warnings-grow-across-u-s-11652002380?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_2&cx_artPos=0&mod=WTRN#cxrecs_s 
  106. WSJ June 18, 2022, West Risks Blackouts From Drought and loss of Hydroelectric Capacity: https://www.wsj.com/articles/west-risks-blackouts-as-hydroelectric-power-dries-up-11624008601?mod=article_inline 
  107. WSJ, Opinion, May 27, 2022, Jason Hayes, “Why Blackouts are Coming to Michigan” Regarding shutdown of Palisades Nuclear Generating Plant: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-electricity-blackouts-are-coming-to-michigan-nuclear-power-plant-green-energy-renewable-climate-11653685521?cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_2&cx_artPos=5&mod=WTRN#cxrecs_s
  108. NERC Warning of Blackout Risk: https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/north-american-electric-reliability-corp-warns-of-increased-risk-of-grid-blackouts-this-summer/
  109. The Guradian (UK) China’s Premier Calls For More Coal Plants, June 24, 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/24/chinese-premier-calls-for-more-coal-production-as-electricity-demand-soars 
  110. Global Food Supply at Risk Due to High Energy Prices, The Guardian, June 25, 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jun/25/our-global-food-supply-is-at-risk-when-high-gas-prices-limit-the-creation-of-fertiliser
  111. US and World Coal Reserves Map: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Coal-reserves-volumes-by-countries-of-the-world-3_fig1_328037099
  112. EIA 2nd reference on World Coal Reserves, EIA 2011: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=2930
  113. American Geosciences institute, World Coal Reserves: https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/maps/interactive-map-coal-resources-united-states
  114. EIA Total Energy Use 1950-2020: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=43515
  115. NZ/UK Professor Michel Kelly & Bryan Leyland Web page:  http://www.bryanleyland.co.nz/power-industry-stuff.html
  116. Professor Michael Kelly web page:   https://www.thegwpf.org/content/uploads/2020/05/KellyDecarb-1.pdf
  117. WUWT Electricity Prices Rising Due to Wind & Solar Installations, Feb. 22, 2023:https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/02/20/wind-solar-and-household-electricity-prices/
  118. Climate Depot website for renewables production costs: https://www.climatedepot.com/2018/01/25/who-would-have-thought-nations-with-more-renewables-have-more-expensive-electricity/
  119. Vogtle Nuclear Plant Update, also info on SCE&G Summer 2&3, Feb. 20, 2023:  https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/02/21/still-more-vogtle-nuclear-delays-how-will-it-end/ 
  120. Union of Concerned Scientists Clarification on Nuclear Power, 2018: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/11/23/ucs-clarifies-stance-on-nuclear-power/
  121. “Renewables are cheaper than 99% of coal plants” Utility Dive, Feb. 9, 2023: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/renewables-cheaper-energy-than-99-percent-of-us-coal-plants-just-energy-transition/642393/
  122. Capital Research Center information on Wild Earth Guardians: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/wildearth-guardians/
  123. Joe Goffman Atty in EPA Revolving Door of well funded non-Profits and EPA: http://www.scientificintegrityinstitute.org/USSEWP080415.pdf
  124. Shelly Moore Capito Opinion in WVA “Intelligencer” Newspaper, July 2022: https://www.theintelligencer.net/opinion/local-columns/2022/07/joe-goffman-the-wrong-choice-to-help-lead-epa/  
  125. March 2022 Letter from Congressmen to Janet Yellen complaining of Russia Influence of Funds to NGO’s: https://www.scribd.com/document/564227085/RSC-Letter-to-Treasury-on-Russia#
  126. Gina McCarthy employee wage record on NRDC-Action Fund 990 https://www.nrdcactionfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/nrdc-actionfund-990-2020.pdf  Biden Administration people. Robert Stilson Blog is:  https://www.influencewatch.org/hub/biden-administration/
  127. Washington Post, Earth First Eco Terrorist Group with leader (Tracy Stone-Manning) now part of Biden Administration, BLM Dept: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/07/14/did-bidens-pick-lead-bureau-land-management-support-eco-terrorism/
  128. Paris Based Liberty Group on Russia Funding of Anti-EU or U.S. Domestic Energy: https://www.fondapol.org/en/study/freedoms-at-risk-the-challenge-of-the-century/
  129. Business Insider, Links of Russian Funds to NRDC Funding to fight Fracking: https://www.businessinsider.com/a-russian-linked-company-in-bermuda-is-funneling-millions-to-us-anti-fracking-groups-2015-1
  130. Russia Dark Money to EU and U.S. Environmental Groups to fight Hydraulic Fracturing: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/596304-investigate-russias-covert-funding-of-us-anti-fossil-fuel-groups/  
  131. Washington Examiner, 2011, Russia Funds Invested in Anti-Fracking: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/russian-funded-environmental-group-gave-millions-to-anti-fracking-groups
  132. Gatestone Institute on Russia Funding Environmental NGO’s: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18330/russia-funding-environmental-groups
  133. Big Green Radicals, 2014  : https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/epa-report.pdf
  134. John Kerry, Far Left Support, Fox News Aug 2022: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-kerrys-climate-office-rife-ties-far-left-green-groups
  135. CRC, This profile deals with the Department of the Interior: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-department-of-the-interior/
  136.  the Department of Energy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-department-of-energy/
  137. The EPA: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-independent-agencies/#environmental-protection-agency
  138.  the WH Council on Environmental Quality: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#council-on-environmental-quality
  139.  the WH Office of Domestic Climate Policy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#office-of-domestic-climate-policy
  140.  The Office of Science and Technology Policy: https://www.influencewatch.org/government-agency/biden-administration-executive-office-of-the-president/#office-of-science-and-technology-policy
  141. section on environmental group connections in this blog post from June 2021: https://capitalresearch.org/article/nonprofits-in-the-biden-administration-special-interest-and-advocacy-groups/
  142. EPA Retains Tools to Harm Coal Power Production, Utility Dive, July 1, 2022: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/supreme-court-epa-GHG-carbon-power-plant/626456/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202022-07-01%20Utility%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:42837%5D&utm_term=Utility%20Dive
  143. EPA New Source Review  Settlements Summaries: https://www.gem.wiki/EPA_Coal_Plant_Settlements
  144. EPA Settlements on NSR violations by WEPCO 2003: https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/wisconsin-electric-power-company-wepco-clean-air-act-civil-settlement 
  145. Dissertation on the Sierra Club Success of Beyond Coal Campaign 2020: https://www.proquest.com/openview/b734be1b4fa402463fbb2ee03a7993e5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
  146. Inside the War on Coal Politico, The Agenda 2015: https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/inside-war-on-coal-000002/
  147.  NRDC China Office: https://chinadevelopmentbrief.org/ngos/natural-resources-defense-council-nrdc/ 
  148.  Government Accountability Office Report on Environmental Protection Agency–Application of Publicity or Propaganda and Anti-Lobbying Provisions
  149. EPA Lobbying, 2015: https://www.gao.gov/products/b-326944 
  150.  NRDC About us and link to IRS 990 Form: https://www.nrdcactionfund.org/about/
  151. Influence Watch, NRDC page: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/natural-resources-defense-council-nrdc/
  152. Washington Examiner: Gina McCarthy CEO of NRDC: https://eelegal.org/washington-examiner-gina-mccarthy-and-nrdc-together-again/
  153. Wrong Kind of Green, NRDC and Source Watch: https://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/the-group-of-ten/natural-resources-defense-council/
  154. Bezos awards $100 million to NRDC : https://www.nrdc.org/media/2020/201116
  155. Bezos plans to give Billions to Environmental Org’s: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/20/jeff-bezos-pledges-1-billion-to-conservation-through-bezos-earth-fund.html
  156. Activist Facts,  Environmental Report (Follow the Money): https://www.activistfacts.com/organizations/19-natural-resources-defense-council/
  157. Washington Examiner 2013 EPA and Sue and Settle Lawsuits: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/epas-back-room-sue-and-settle-deals-require-reform
  158. Activist Facts, Sierra Club, Beyond Coal, Beyond Gas, Nuclear :https://www.activistfacts.com/organizations/194-sierra-club/
  159. Mother Jones 2012, Sierra Club “War on Coal” update to kill 167 coal plants: https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/04/map-american-coal-plants/
  160. Source Watch Brags on NRDC being responsible for forcing shutting down of Seven major coal plants in Texas in 2007: https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Natural_Resources_Defense_Council#Support_for_coal_gasification
  161. Environmental Defense Fund: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_Defense_Fund
  162. Influence Watch profile of EDF: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/environmental-defense-action-fund/
  163. Paul Driessen Federalist Papers on Global Warming News: https://thefederalist.com/category/science/global-warming/
  164. Michael Bloomberg Awards 174 million to Sierra Club Beyond Coal Program: https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/09/bloomberg-philanthropies-and-sierra-clubs-beyond-coal-campaign-reaches
  165.  Tom Steyer Starts Fund of 100 million to fight Climate Change, Philanthropy News Digest: https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/hedge-fund-billionaire-to-step-up-climate-change-advocacy-efforts
  166. Capital Research Information on Natural Resources Defense Council: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/natural-resources-defense-council-nrdc/
  167. Capital Research information on the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (this one certainly needs an update): https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/blue-ridge-environmental-defense-league/
  168. Capital Research background, funding and information on the Southern Environmental Law Center, Opposition to coal, offshore drilling and more: https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/southern-environmental-law-center/ 
  169.  Andy May, Petro-Physicist Energy use 2020-2021: https://andymaypetrophysicist.com/2023/01/05/energy-use-2020-to-2021/
  170. World’s Climate Scientists Told to Cover Up the Fact the world has not warmed in 15 years, Daily Mail, UK: https://www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2425775/amp/Climate-scientists-told-cover-fact-Earths-temperature-risen-15-years.html
  171. CLINTEL website: https://clintel.org
  172. Retired NASA Engineers web site: The Right Climate Stuff : https://www.therightclimatestuff.com 
  173. CO2 Coalition. Excellent, science based information on CO2 and Climate: https://co2coalition.org 
  174. Climate Science by Dr. Ole Humlum of Norway: https://climate4you.com/
  175. Dr. Timothy Ball Paper on the Deliberate Corruption of Science, 2014: https://www.alachuacounty.us/Depts/epd/EPAC/BOOK%20REVIEW%20-%20‘THE%20DELIBERATE%20CORRUPTION%20OF%20CLIMATE%20SCIENCE%20by%20TIM%20BALL.pdf
  176. Tim Ball, CO2 is not a pollutant 2018: https://www.technocracy.news/tim-ball-the-evidence-proves-that-co2-is-not-a-greenhouse-gas/
  177. Dr. Roy Spencer Website on Atmospheric Science https://www.drroyspencer.com/
  178. Review of Dr. Judith Curry’s new book: “Climate Uncertainty and Risk, Rethinking Our Response” available June 6th, 2023: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2023/05/27/book-review-climate-uncertainty-and-risk-rethinking-our-response/ 
  179. Lars Schernikau, “Unpopular Truths” Newsletter on the decline of German Industry due to failed energy policies: https://sh1.sendinblue.com/3gvdip76f0lpfe.html?t=1744529565190  
  180. EIA Stats on Past & Future Generation, April 2025: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/?mkt_tok=ODI0LU1IVC0zMDQAAAGZ43WWFr9wNO8tPTOKgsmgwPPWNk8RGWot7DxVoIoE1kJAseIHl5QOIFpB76qfZCFPWq3TXGNoBegkdD42BBUBalqtXixFnxyn9aADnl2Y44Sbvxc
  181. EIA List of electricity generation plants, by fuel source, 2013-2023: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/table.php?t=epa_04_02_a.html
  182. NERC Long Term Reliability Assessment Report and including, Data Center Load Growth, December 2024: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_Long%20Term%20Reliability%20Assessment_2024.pdf
  183. Beautiful Clean Coal and it is Affordable too, Stephen Heins, Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling! https://open.substack.com/pub/stephenheins/p/headline-beautiful-clean-coal-is?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
  184. We Need More Energy, Lots More Energy, by Stephen Heins, Chris Wright and Shan Sankara : https://open.substack.com/pub/stephenheins/p/headline-chris-wright-by-shan-sankara?r=kv1a9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
  185. POWER Magazine on the surge in Gas Turbine sales, four year lead times, April 2025: https://www.powermag.com/gas-powers-boom-sparks-a-turbine-supply-crunch/
  186. Cowboy State Daily, Good News for Coal Plants: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/04/18/politically-red-wyoming-utah-and-idaho-talk-break-from-power-giant-pacificorp/
  187. Grid Security Now website: https://securethegrid.com
  188. WUWT Roger Ciazza on the implications of extreme weather on renewable power reliability: https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/04/13/implication-of-assessment-of-extreme-renewable-resource-lulls/
  189. Santee-Cooper enacts higher rates for AI Centers:  https://thisweekinenergy.substack.com/p/scs-state-owned-utility-enacts-higher
  190. Gas Turbine World: https://gasturbineworld.com/category/forecasts/
  191.  Washington Times article by Michelle Bloodworth, April 28, 2025: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/apr/28/strong-nation-requires-reliable-electricity/
  192. Coal Zoom, “The Value of Coal”, by Fred Palmer and Frank Clemente, March 2025: https://www.coalzoom.com/article.cfm?articleid=39111
  193. Electrical Manufacturers Association study of electricity growth to 2050, April 2025: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/us-electricity-demand-will-grow-50-by-2050-electrical-manufacturer-study/744575/
  194. Full report on the Grid growth by NEMA, April 2025: https://www.makeitelectric.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/grid-reliability-study-nema-deck.pdf