Grid concerns could prolong coal plant use

GRID: The Omaha Public Power District considers plans to keep a coal plant — one of the biggest polluters in Nebraska — open for possibly another three years to ensure grid reliability as replacement projects stall. (Omaha World-Herald)

ALSO:
• Ameren customers could pay $15 million to $20 million a month to keep open a large Missouri coal plant to ensure reliability. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• Grid operators confront challenges with production lulls as wind and solar projects experience gaps in generation. (E&E News)

UTILITIES: AEP Ohio officials say they will ​“fully cooperate” with state regulators’ review of the utility’s intentional outages last week to maintain grid operations during storms and extreme heat. (WBNS)

EFFICIENCY: A Chicago-based company with operations throughout the Midwest helps homeowners and owners of multifamily units finance energy efficiency improvements that are often out of financial reach. (Energy News Network)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Ford’s first electric F-150 truck is delivered to a customer in Michigan who says workers at his local dealership ​“were just as excited as I was.” (NPR)
• Cincinnati-based grocery retailer Kroger plans to add hundreds of electric vehicle charging stations at stores across four Midwest states. (FOX 19)

PIPELINES: North Dakota officials work to generate interest from potential developers of a cross-state natural gas pipeline that would be backed by $150 million in state funding. (Prairie Public Broadcasting)

SOLAR:
• A developer presents plans for a 250 MW solar project in central Missouri. (Fulton Sun)
• Northeastern Kansas county officials approve plans for a 12-acre solar project while sending a similarly sized project back to planners for amendments. (KSNT)
• A central Michigan school district approves plans for solar installations on multiple school buildings that will save $4 million in energy costs over the next 30 years. (WILX)

COAL:
• A real estate company plans to build a $226 million industrial park at the site of We Energies’ Pleasant Prairie coal plant in Wisconsin. (WTMJ)
• An Illinois coal mine operator faces $1.2 million in civil penalties for letting coal production continue last year while a dangerous onsite fire burned on site. (McClatchy)

CLIMATE: A longtime Madison, Wisconsin, resident and activist leads the state’s largest nonprofit fighting for climate action. (Wisconsin State Journal)

COMMENTARY:
• The developer of a commercial solar project says it has made several amendments in response to concerns, maintaining that it would be an overall benefit for landowners and local governments. (Dayton Daily News)
• Now is the time to remove threats of toxic sites, including coal ash and nuclear waste storage facilities, leaking into Lake Michigan, an editorial board writes. (Chicago Sun-Times)