nuclear-news

Exelon Corp. CEO Christopher Crane told the Chicago Tribune in comments published Friday that his company might eventually have to close nuclear facilities “if we continue to build an excessive amount of wind and subsidize wind.”

Exelon vocally opposed the extension of the wind production tax credit last year. That led the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) to kick the Chicago-based utility out of the organization.

Exelon will likely try to quash AWEA’s push this year for a phase-out of the 2.2 cent per kilowatt-hour credit for wind power production. Exelon has ties to the White House, as one of its directors is a top fundraiser for and friend of President Obama. Former strategist David Axelrod also consulted for the utility, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who served as Obama’s first chief of staff, helped create the firm through a merger in 2000 while working as an investment banker.

AWEA is looking to secure a five-year commitment on the subsidy from Congress beyond 2013. After that, the trade association says the domestic wind industry could survive on its own.

The credit has the backing of most Democrats, and also some Republicans from breezy states.

But several GOP lawmakers and utilities, like Exelon, want to ensure that doesn’t happen……

Rob Gramlich, AWEA’s interim chief executive, told the Tribune that Exelon is merely “looking for a scapegoat” after power prices plummeted following the utility’s “bet on the electricity spot market” with nuclear.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/281921-exelon-chief-wind-subsidies-could-shut-down-nuclear-plants#ixzz2KQgU98vH