William Ferguson: With deregulated electricity, no need to subsidize nuclear power
For decades, the government regulation of Pennsylvania’s electricity markets dictated all aspects of power generation resources in the state, thus restricting market-driven prices for consumers and hindering new power plant development and investment.
Deregulation has enabled competitive markets to drive energy prices downward, which has transformed Pennsylvania from a higher-electricity-cost state to one with prices below the national average.
Recently, the economic advantage of abundant low-cost natural gas has spurred an influx of billions of dollars of private capital investment and thousands of jobs to construct environmentally responsible natural gas power generation facilities throughout the commonwealth — including our three power generation facilities in operation and one presently under construction.
Calpine is an independent power provider with a national portfolio of 80 highly efficient power plants in operation or under construction with an electric generating capacity of approximately 26,000 megawatts. Collectively, these resources can provide sufficient power for more than 30 million residential homes. We are not a regulated utility receiving a guaranteed rate of return on investment. Rather, Calpine competes to sell wholesale power into the electric markets, and the economics of supply and demand are fundamental to the success of our business.
To date, Calpine has invested approximately $2 billion in Pennsylvania. Our Bethlehem Energy Center in the Lehigh Valley and the York Energy Center in York County produce nearly 1,700 megawatts of power through the use of highly energy-efficient, advanced gas turbine electric generating technology.
These facilities are extremely flexible — as they can operate continuously as base-loaded generating units as well as facilities that can quickly start up when power is needed and shut down when demand drops. Our York 2 Energy Center, presently under construction in Peach Bottom Township, will produce an additional 828 megawatts of reliable and flexible energy resources that will serve Pennsylvania and the entire Mid-Atlantic region. During peak construction, more than 650 jobs are being created.
Pennsylvania’s deregulated electricity market is working. Consumers are benefiting from low-cost natural gas, and companies such as Calpine are investing billions of dollars and creating thousands of jobs to build advanced, energy efficient, environmentally responsible and flexible power generating facilities.
There are presently seven electric generating projects under construction in the commonwealth, representing about a $7 billion capital investment that will produce about 7,000 megawatts of efficient electrical power, with additional facilities being planned.
Looking back 20 years following the enactment of the Pennsylvania Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act, Pennsylvania’s regulators and policymakers must conclude that the results of a free and fair market-driven structure have delivered indisputable benefits to the consumer and the Pennsylvania economy.
While consumers are now reaping the benefits of open and competitive electricity markets, we see challenges on the horizon that could threaten the foundation of those markets. Due to pressure from nuclear power generators, state policymakers throughout the nation have been increasing efforts to impact the generation mix in their respective states by offering ratepayer funded subsidies to existing nuclear generation resources.
