$8.3 Billion Proposal for Addressing Texas Blackouts
Berkshire Hathaway is a public company that owns several utilities. Their proposal illustrates the difference between a company taking risks versus a utility.
Berkshire is proposing the Texas Grid operator (utility oversight company) build a gas-fired power plant that would be weather normalized and fixed to support a large portion of Texas’ energy demands. Berkshire is proposing to spend $8.3 billion to build this plant.
The cost: Berkshire would earn what a Texas utility earns on investments which is 9.3%.
So, Berkshire like any utility in Texas that receives regulatory approval, earns a return regardless of whether what they build works.
Berkshire as a public company takes risks building and operating businesses such as Dairy Queen, Burlington Northern Railroad, or Sherwin-Williams. Any investment in these businesses comes with no guaranteed return.
EVERY utility makes money by spending money to provide service. The Texas Grid operator will undoubtedly not accept this proposal but, it does show the difference between private businesses and utilities.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 7 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/buffett-s-berkshire-floats-8-3-billion-fix-for-texas-grid/ar-BB1eXRHl?ocid=spartan-ntp-feeds
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 1,746 Bcf as of Friday, March 19, 2021, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net decrease of 36 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 263 Bcf less than last year at this time and 78 Bcf below the five-year average of 1,824 Bcf. At 1,746 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 1,782 Bcf as of Friday, March 12, 2021, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net decrease of 11 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 253 Bcf less than last year at this time and 93 Bcf below the five-year average of 1,875 Bcf. At 1,782 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 1,793 Bcf as of Friday, March 5, 2021, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net decrease of 52 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 257 Bcf less than last year at this time and 141 Bcf below the five-year average of 1,934 Bcf. At 1,793 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 1,845 Bcf as of Friday, February 26, 2021, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net decrease of 98 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 277 Bcf less than last year at this time and 178 Bcf below the five-year average of 2,023 Bcf. At 1,845 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
A solar panel in space is collecting energy that could one day be beamed to anywhere on Earth
Launched in May 2020, a panel attached to an unmanned drone has been looping Earth to harness the sun’s light to convert to electricity. Technology to focus power directly back to Earth has already been studied and proven possible. This prototype could, once scaled up, revolutionize energy generation and distribution around the world. Experimental results point to this being a feasible option to receive energy in the future. Funded by the Pentagon, costs are always of a concern but prices to create the panels have been decreasing. The amount of people this could help in remote areas or during natural disasters is a large incentive to backing this project.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 7 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/23/americas/space-solar-energy-pentagon-science-scn-intl/index.html
DOE EIA Weekly Gas Storage Report
Working gas in storage was 1,943 Bcf as of Friday, February 19, 2021, according to EIA estimates.
This represents a net decrease of 338 Bcf from the previous week. Stocks were 298 Bcf less than last year at this time and 161 Bcf below the five-year average of 2,104 Bcf. At 1,943 Bcf, total working gas is within the five-year historical range.
Brutal Cold grips central United States
Temperatures have dropped more than 40° below the average.
Power costs have soared from $4 / MWh to over $600 / MWh.
Most of the news we are seeing is coming from Texas for several reasons:
- Well, it is really cold; well below freezing for nearly 5 days.
- Texas is a power island. They have no connections outside of Texas so, other states cannot supply power for them.
- Texas’ energy infrastructure is not built for freezing temperatures. This results in water main breaks, gas pipes freezing, and power equipment not operating properly.
Outside of Texas the Polar Vortex will have economic impact but, electricity and gas are generally staying on.
If your power or heat is interrupted, CALL your local utility.
Realgy Energy Services is a registered Retail Energy Marketer in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. We offer Service Plans that will provide electric and natural gas at wholesale pricing direct to customers without any utility markup. Our Service Plans work with the local utility to provide seamless service and annual energy savings. Service Plans include Guaranteed SavingsTM, ManagedPriceTM, ManagedGreenTM Index, Fixed and PriceAssuranceTM.
Realgy owns and operates 7 solar plants in Illinois and is looking to invest in additional locations.
Additional Information: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/16/us/winter-storm-texas-power-outage-map.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage