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Survey: Mini-Depression in Grid Spending, and Utilities are Bullish on Nuclear By SGN Staff Feb 22, 2010 - 2:03:50 PM
Despite all the talk about the Smart Grid, spending on electric power infrastructure has dropped for two straight years for the first time since the Great Depression. According to a new survey by Black & Veatch, many utilities are pulling in their horns to focus on keeping the lights on while keeping their books in the black.
Black & Veatch, an engineering and construction firm, just released its 2009/2010 Strategic Directions in the Electric Utility Industry Survey. The company surveyed 329 utility industry representatives from public and investor-owned utilities as well as architects, builders, engineers, non-regulated generators, financial institutions, attorneys and others affiliated with the industry.
The survey found that survey participants consider reliability, regulation and long-term investment to be the three top issues facing utilities. Also, many utilities see their generation assets as near, at or past their planned service lives. And, they don't like what they see in the current cap and trade legislation, though they do expect carbon legislation by 2012.
And while respondents said nuclear energy is the most effective way to meet environmental requirements and to tackle emissions reductions — with wind and natural gas coming in second and third — there is still a place for coal in the country's energy future.
Also, their investments in renewables at this point are led primarily by wind and solar.
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