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There Remains a Shortage of Semiconductor Chip Professionals in the Workplace
By EETimes.com / DesignLines – Fabricating newer integrated circuits is becoming an increasing challenge especially in light of trying to keep up with the rising demand. “Identifying and securing tradespeople who can handle the intricate needs of chip fab construction is something that needs more attention and thought, Shari Liss, executive director of the SEMI Foundation, a nonprofit arm of SEMI that focuses on workforce development programs.”
A new chip manufacturing facility was being constructed in Arizona where the production start-up processes were delayed by nearly a year where the “Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) had to delay its production start date to sometime in 2025.”
XCEL Energy Is Saying “No More” to Fossil Fuel Generation by 2030!
By UtilityDive.com – Will the power utility, XCEL Energy, have enough power generation capacity by 2030 in time to abolish all of its coal-fired generating plants? Energy regulators are very doubtful that XCEL Energy can achieve this vigorous goal in replenishing enough clean power to offset their reduction in carbon emissions. The fear is: will XCEL approach a power generation shortfall over the next decade to its electric load demand?
“The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on Jan. 4 asked Xcel Energy to reconsider shuttering its Sherco and King coal-fired power plants, writing that their premature closure adds to the uncertainty of electric generation resource adequacy in the upper Midwest.”
American Electric Power (AEP) Announces Recent Layoffs
By Msn.com / Columbus Dispatch – AEP just announced that it will cutting back on staff which is nearly 2-percent of its workforce and spread-out over multiple states “from Michigan to Texas (AEP’s 11-state region).” The utility “is laying off 270 workers including 170 in Ohio affecting various operations.” The staff reductions will be implemented next month.
AEP stated that the “staff reduction is necessary as we look at the roles needed to best meet the expectations of our customers in the face of higher costs of providing reliable service.”
TVA Sees a New Record Winter Peak Load Demand in Early 2024!
By PowerMag.com – On Wednesday, January 17, 2024, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), one of the nation’s largest power generation and transmission utilities in the southeast, reached an all-time record-breaking winter “peak power demand of 34,526 MW,” while the average temperature across the Tennessee valley region (7 state territory) was at “4 degrees F.”
TVA’s previous peak power demand record was set in August 2007 reaching a summer peak power “demand of 33,482 MW.” TVA also set another previous “winter peak power demand record at the end of 2023 (December 23, 2022) during the Winter Storm Elliott with a demand of 33,400 MW,” which spiraled into power generation shortages resulting in a series of rolling blackouts across the region.
With the higher peak power demand forecasted in early 2024, “TVA urged its 10 million customers to be aware of their power consumption” and to cut back on energy usage during the early morning hours. At this time, all of TVA’s generating units were operating adequately while maintaining a stable electric power grid. “TVA had invested $123 million over the past few months” in better preparation for this winter compared to the winter just a year ago.
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