Rick Perry to Issue Major Electric Grid Study by Month’s End
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday that he expects to release a major study on the reliability of the electric grid by the end of June.
Perry told a House Appropriations Committee budget panel that the study will show the state of the nation’s “baseload” power plants, which typically include plants that provide electricity around the clock, like coal and nuclear, but excludes resources like solar and wind.
The wind industry has been lobbying Perry to ensure that the benefits of wind energy are fairly recognized as an important resource for maintaining the reliability of the electric grid along with fossil fuels. But it has been unclear in the months since the study was first announced what it will conclude about the state of the grid.
Perry told lawmakers that the study will seek to answer the question, “Do we have the baseload?”
The study will examine the role of nuclear energy in providing reliable baseload electricity, as well as “where does our renewables play [a role], what role does carbon capture, utilization, sequestration of coal plants have to play in the baseload,” Perry said. Carbon capture technology is part of President Trump’s strategy to build “clean coal” power plants.
The study will also examine ways to protect the grid from the threat of nation states, or bad actors, attempting to hack into the grid, as seen most recently in Ukraine, he explained.
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- On June 21, 2017