Welcome to your Friday Rundown for the week ending Nov. 10. We’ll always keep eyes and ears open for inquiries at info@clearpathaction.org.
COSTELLO: CHINA “CLEANING OUR CLOCK” IN CLEAN ENERGY
China is “cleaning our clock” in clean energy innovation, Rep. Ryan Costello said at a Nov. 6 event hosted by ClearPath. “They are certainly at least winning the clean energy deployment race.” Jobs and economic growth that are being created in the clean energy space “will reshape the global energy sector,” Costello said. “And it’s really just a question of whether or not we’re going to formulate and shape policy to direct those jobs in such a way that it becomes a smart investment to do it here.”
ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell added the U.S. power system no longer is “the most sophisticated machine in the world,” with China aggressively expanding both its coal and clean energy deployment.
THE EXPERTS WEIGH IN
A panel of experts moderated by Axios energy reporter Amy Harder tackled whether China is already winning the clean energy race against the U.S. and, if so, what can be done here to catch up.
Among the highlights:
Council on Foreign Relations fellow Varun Sivaram: China is playing to its innovation strengths and has a concrete strategy for rapid deployment, as opposed to the U.S. But the innovation race is far from over.
Christopher Guith of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute: China’s trade policies broadly put the U.S. at a disadvantage but the U.S. can win big on leading global efforts to store energy not just from renewables but all power sources.
Carbon Utilization Research Council’s Shannon Angielski: U.S. is winning the race to develop and commercialize technologies that capture, store and utilize carbon emissions from coal plants particularly for use in enhanced oil recovery. Further advancement can be made with using carbon to manufacture a range of products.
Nuclear Infrastructure Council’s David Blee: It’s not game over but “game on” in the advanced nuclear space, thanks in part to growing federal support.
CEOS TO APPROPRIATORS: FUND CLEAN ENERGY INNOVATION
ClearPath Founder Jay Faison joined other top business and industry voices – including Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine, GE SVP and Chief Technology Officer Victor Abate and U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue – in asking leading congressional appropriators to properly fund energy innovation efforts. “Other nations, including China, have announced large investments to meet this demand and seek to lock in strategic advantages that will be difficult for the U.S. to compete with if we do not make investments in energy innovation a priority,” they wrote. “Robust funding for energy innovation at such a pivotal moment would support long- term American competitiveness in one of the world’s fastest growing markets and should be prioritized.”
China is finishing construction on four AP1000 reactors from Westinghouse. Part of the licensing deal is that China is allowed to use the IP for a bigger design. They are designing the CAP1400, a 1400 MW version of the U.S. design, which they will market for export.
MCMORRIS-RODGERS HYDRO BILL PASSES HOUSE
House lawmakers Nov. 8 approved a critical measure from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) that would improve burdensome licensing and relicensing for non-federal hydropower facilities.
The Hydropower Policy Modernization Act (H.R. 3043), approved 257-166, aims to help the roughly 400 hydropower projects that will be up for relicensing by 2030, representing 18,000 megawatts of capacity. The bill would also clear the way for additions to domestic hydropower capacity, including generation to non-powered dams and closed-loop pumped storage.
“This is strong part of a growing suite of House Republican efforts to help clean, reliable hydropower,” ClearPath Action Executive Director Rich Powell said.
“The bill will encourage private-sector hydropower production by creating a more reasonable licensing process that balances clean energy development with environmental concerns,” ClearPath Action Policy Associate Justin Ong added.
ADVANCED NUCLEAR, CARBON CAPTURE ABSENT IN TAX REFORM
The House Ways and Means Committee Nov. 8 approved a tax reform plan that includes a modification to the 45J tax credit for production from advanced nuclear power facilities that is vital to the expansion of the U.S. fleet. But that modification is absent from a competing Senate tax reform package unveiled that day.
Neither the House nor the Senate plan includesbipartisan efforts to expand and extend the Section 45Q incentivethat is part of a multi-pronged financing effort for carbon capture projects. These incentives have the potential to dramatically boost commercial carbon capture deployment in the U.S., which can lead to significant increases in enhanced oil recovery and other economic benefits. ClearPath recently joined major coal and oil producers, labor unions and advocates – including Occidental Petroleum, Peabody Energy, Cloud Peak Energy, United Mine Workers and the Carbon Utilization Research Council – in sending a letter to Senate Finance Committee leaders asking them to include the 45Q extension and fix.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry and International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol signed a pledge Nov. 7 to “support a renewed push for investment” in carbon capture, storage and utilization technologies “as an essential part of a clean energy future.” IEA will host a policy and investment workshop next year, among other actions. READ THE PLEDGE
The Energy Storage Association has a new glide path toward deploying more than 35 gigawatts of new energy storage systems in the U.S. by 2025. The benefits include more than $4 billion in cost savings, improved grid reliability and resilience, fewer emissions and more than 167K jobs in manufacturing and R&D, construction, sales, marketing and other positions. DETAILS
Wind, Solar Power Advance But Carbon Refuses To Retreat NEW YORK TIMES
Oil Majors See Profit in Carbon Capture and Storage OILPRICE.COM
France Backpedals on Pledge to Cut Nuclear Power Reliance WASHINGTON POST
THE PATH AHEAD
MONDAY:United States Energy Association hosts a briefing on “Approaches for International Collaboration, Financing For Carbon Capture Pilot Projects.” Speakers include the Department of Energy’s John Litynski, CURC’s Shannon Angielski and the National Carbon Capture Center’s Frank Morton. DETAILS
WEDNESDAY:Information Technology & Innovation Foundation hosts discussion on “ARPA-E: A Catalyst of Clean Energy Innovation.” DETAILS
