Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 14h

Is there a source for how much of their operating costs are for power? Natural gas is an expensive way to power things these days. In all of the talk about the power they will need I haven't seen anything on what they can afford to to pay for power to make this work. Or is that still unknown?

Reposted by Justin Mikulka

Zack Colman @zcolman.bsky.social · 15h

Trump & his Cabinet say wind & solar are making electricity more expensive.

Federal data say the opposite.

Our analysis showed states w/ > avg wind/solar generation & > avg acceleration of wind/solar since ‘21 were likelier to have < avg power prices.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

The government’s own data rebuts Trump’s claims about wind and solar prices

The Trump administration has targeted renewable energy for driving up electricity prices, but POLITICO’s analysis shows states that are growing their wind and solar power typically have lower power co...

www.politico.com

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 16h

Did she also tell them they need to do more pushups? She has that Hegseth energy about her. Born leaders.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 16h

This is an important point for people to understand.

It is also why the world is transitioning to clean energy. Simply the better economic choice in 2025.

Clare Fieseler, PhD @fieseler.bsky.social · 17h

Lots of people think Dems are forcing these dirty coal plants to “retire” with policies and regs.

It’s simply not true!

Coal plants are incredibly inefficient to run compared to gas and renewables. This New England plant didn’t “retire” — the company closed it because it was too expensive!

Canary Media Inc. @canarymedia.com · 18h

New England has said its final goodbye to coal power. Here’s how a transition to gas — and now renewables — helped shut its last plant down early.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 18h

"I don't know the details, I just saw a headline"

I believe this is also how this devout christian interprets the Bible while leading Team Cruelty.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18h

Johnson: "It's true that in previous shutdowns, many or most furloughed employees have been paid for the time they were furloughed, but there is new legal analysis - I don't know the details, I just saw a headline - but there are some legal analysts saying that might not be appropriate or necessary"

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 19h

He got one thing right. Falling solar costs will make energy much cheaper. That has zero to do with AI.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 20h

Some of it is politics. No one wants an LNG project in their community. I believe the other factor is mountains. California is tough to reach with pipelines.

Either way, it's highly unlikely that any of these projects will be built. China doesn't seem to need more LNG.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 21h

I expect that it is due to the location of gas production and existing gas infrastructure.

To make the big export terminals happen in the west coast of Mexico requires a big new pipeline through drug cartel territory.
They also made more sense when people believed China was a growth market.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 21h

I haven't seen any numbers on that and other than seeing the xAI turbines in Memphis have no idea how many data centers are taking this approach. I don't think it's a lot so far but it would be great to see real data.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

bar chart showing growth in gas power generation in the US for 13 straight quarters until it declined in the first two quarters of 2025

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

From earlier this year.

"The global LNG industry has an economics problem. The main use for LNG is to burn it to generate electricity. However, there are lots of ways to make electricity these days and importing LNG to then burn it to power gas turbines is currently one of the most expensive."

LNG: The India Question

The global LNG industry has an economics problem. The main use for LNG (liquefied natural gas) is to burn it to generate electricity. However, there are lots of ways to make electricity these days and...

powering-the-planet.ghost.io

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

from @ember-energy.org

bar chart showing big growth in renewable energy in India power generation while fossil fuel declines.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

Seems significant.

"Imports of LNG from the US declined by 41 per cent last month from a year earlier and by 23 per cent month-on-month."

The headline explains what is driving this.

"Economics trumps politics: India's US oil, LNG imports slump sharply"

www.business-standard.com

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

powering-the-planet.ghost.io/as-solar-dom...

As Solar Dominates, the Sun Sets on the LNG Boom

Gastech is a big deal in the global methane/natural gas industry. Gastech also openly embraces the false claims that the gas industry is somehow going to “...accelerate the global shift toward cleane...

powering-the-planet.ghost.io

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

The LNG industry likes to argue that expanding LNG use is a good thing because it will replace coal (this is a lie for two reasons).

1). LNG is dirtier than coal.
2). LNG is far more expensive than coal. If coal is beating the current price of US gas, it has no chance against LNG.

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

Even in the US, gas use is down for power generation. Remember gas is cheap in the US compared to the rest of the world. So what is happening in the US? Renewables are cheaper than gas but so is coal.

"This gas-to-coal switch was partly driven by higher gas prices."

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 22h

I recently wrote about how the US natural gas (methane) producers desperately need the world to get hooked on LNG imports. They need new markets for their gas. Why? From @ember-energy.org :

"global gas generation also fell (-6.3 TWh, -0.2%)"

The world is using less gas.

Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025 | Ember

Solar and wind outpaced demand growth in the first half of 2025, as renewables overtook coal’s share in the global electricity mix.

ember-energy.org

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Reposted by Justin Mikulka

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 1d

A couple living in Rep. Mike Lawler's (R-NY) district earning $82,800 annually would see an increase in costs of $13,459 every year. 😬

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Reposted by Justin Mikulka

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

CENSORED: “They refused to run my column this week. Too critical of Trump, they said.”

Writer Dan Conway left The Daily Memphian after editors rejected his column for criticizing Trump’s unconstitutional military incursions into US cities.

Read the censored column: www.facebook.com/share/p/16uP...

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 1d

"This is insane […] if they’re going to use energy from the grid, they need to pay the same fair market rate everyone else does.”

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 1d

This is not sustainable.

In 2023 New York State Electric & Gas, the regional utility monopoly for Ithaca and Tompkins County, implemented a 62% staggered rate increase over 3 years. The final phase of that increase went into effect this past May, but NYSEG requested another increase of 34.7%..."

Data Center Developer Secures Long-Term Lease of Cayuga Power Plant

The owners of the Cayuga Power Plant in Lansing have entered a long-term deal to lease the former coal-fired power plant to a company that develops data centers.

www.ithaca.com

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 1d

Shell is so heavily invested in the "LNG or bust" strategy we should not expect anything resembling truth out of them on the topic.

Oilfield Witness @oilfieldwitness.bsky.social · 1d

This is the CEO of Shell.

"Sawan described LNG as one of the most effective tools for lowering global emissions"

This is completely detached from science and reality.

Shell positions LNG as key focus for the next decade

CEO Wael Sawan sees surging demand for liquefied natural gas as key to cutting global emissions and boosting performance. | MobilityPlaza

www.mobilityplaza.org

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Reposted by Justin Mikulka

Climate Disconnect @climate-disconnect.bsky.social · 1d

Bubble watch.

"The hundreds of billions of dollars companies are investing in AI now account for an astonishing 40 per cent share of US GDP growth this year. AI companies have accounted for 80 per cent of the gains in US stocks so far in 2025."

America is now one big bet on AI

It’s seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy

www.ft.com

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 1d

"how companies get away with what amounts to lying."

Been writing about this for a decade about the oil and gas industry.

When I bring it up with industry people I'm told, "Everybody lies about everything."

Works until doesn't.

Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 1d

This is why the markets are going to have such a tough time when the bubble bursts. This money doesn’t exist, and suggesting it does or humoring it is how companies get away with what amounts to lying. $4.5bn per quarter “by 2026”?? So in the next three months? Huh?

FinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 1d

$AMD - BARCLAYS RAISES AMD PRICE TARGET TO $300 FROM $200 Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley raised AMD’s price target to $300 from $200, keeping an Overweight rating. He said the OpenAI deal, including warrants tied to stock milestones, could add ~$4.5B per quarter by 2026,

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Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks. I checked that but didn't find it there.

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