Saturday, August 24, 2024

Natural Gas Power Plants 8-24-24

The US needs to restore the 1000 gas power plants lost between 2019 and 2023. Europe has taken natural gas off their “greenhouse gas” list. 

As of December 2023, the United States has 987 natural gas power plants, more than any other country in the world. These plants have a combined capacity of nearly 530 gigawatts, which is also the largest in the world. In 2022, natural gas power plants accounted for 43% of the country's utility-scale electricity capacity, and generated 40% of the country's electricity. However, they also emitted 661 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, which is more than 13% of the country's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. -google search.

In 2019 there were around 1900 natural gas power stations in the United States, of which about 800 belonged to electric utilities.[1] In 2019, these natural gas plants produced 38% of the United States electricity production, the highest percentage of any source

above coalnuclear and renewables.[2] Natural gas power stations opened at a fast rate throughout the 2010s, quickly replacing aging, dirty, and economically unviable coal-fired power stations, but by the early 2020s new plants were mostly wind and solar with only TexasOhio and Pennsylvania continuing to open significant numbers of gas plants.[3] – Wikipedia

US has 133 new gas-fired plants in the works, putting climate goals at risk | S&P Global Market Intelligence.- May 15, 2024- google search.

Nuclear Power Plants

As of December 2023, there are 93 operating nuclear power reactors in the United States. These reactors are located in 28 states, with 48 in the South, 22 in the Midwest, 18 in the Northeast, and six in the West. The average age of these reactors is about 42 years old, with the oldest being Nine Mile Point Unit 1 in New York, which began operating in 1969.

The last Nuclear Power Plant addition was completed by Georgia Power. The Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia, southeast of Augusta, is the largest nuclear power plant in the United States, with a total generating capacity of nearly 5 gigawatts. The cost of the plant has increased significantly over the years, from an original estimate of $14 billion in 2009 to over $35 billion in 2024 – google search. Lessons learned during the construction of this addition should be used to reduce the cost of expanding the next series of nuclear power plants that will be needed.

The US electric grid is in need of expansion using natural gas and nuclear.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

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