Big Stone II is zu ende???
September 11th, 2009
Otter Tail Power has withdrawn from Big Stone II. Odd way to put it because Big Stone II IS Otter Tail Power. OTP was the big one left in the game and now they’re gone.
Otter Tail Power has withdrawn from the Big Stone II coal plant. Really?!?!?
Pinch me, I must be dreaming…
Here’s their post about it on their BSII site – love the euphemisims:
Big Stone II announces participant changes
Otter Tail Power Company withdraws; Project pursues new participants
In the first blurb to come over the wire, below, there’s one phrase that stands out:
I knew that financing was not happening and dependent on a big cash infusion from Bill Gates. Financing anything now is pert near impossible, hence the big cost allocation dust up for CapX lately, and Big Stone II was no exception. Who on earth, who in their right mind, would invest in a coal plant today? That falls squarely in the “HOW STUPID CAN WE BE” category, no doubt about it.
I‘ll post more as it turns up. From Marketwatch:
Otter Tail Power Company Announces Withdrawal From Big Stone II
September 12th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Thanks Carol! Keep up the good work. You are an amazing go-getter. MJ
September 14th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Yeah, and we have g@@ d@@@ f@@@@@@ tree-huggers like you to blame for this. When electricity becomes scarce, expensive, having to deal with rolling blackouts on a daily basis, you had g@@ d@@@ f@@@@@@ better start running as we’ll be coming for you, you g@@ d@@@ f@@@@@@ bitch.
September 14th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Um, Fnord… errrrrr…DDDietrich – should I take that as a threat? How lame… blackouts, jeez…haven’t you noticed the demand drop of over 15% that Xcel’s had since 2006? What, you don’t read their SEC filings? You should, and then you’d see that this horror of freezing in the dark, blackouts across the country, is just industry hype, the “we need more, we need more, WE NEED MORE!!!” used to push their economic dispatch plan to displace natural gas with coal (because they — you, because you must be one of them to have such an extreme reaction — can theoretically ship it from any point A to any point B). Think I’m making this up? Read this with an eye for the phrase “displace natural gas with coal”:
http://nocapx2020.info/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/icf_miso-benefits-analysis_final_02282007.pdf
And one thing that cracks me up is your rant about treehuggers. Earth to Mars… get a clue!
WHAT KILLED BIG STONE II WAS ECONOMICS… OTP didn’t have the $$$$$$ to build it, couldn’t get it in the market (company has fundamental financial problems, had to reorganize after PUC was stunned at comingling of regulated and unregulated activities, Bill Gates who is a major shareholder (controlling shareholder now?) was putting money in and wanted privileges that most large shareholders didn’t/couldn’t have, and under Minn. Stat. 302A.673, was going through a board process and PUC approval to get it.
Fnord, it’s simple. I’m not a God Damn Fuckin’ Treehugger. I’m the Economic Bitch Queen from Hell.
xoxoxoxoxox,
Carol