Energy News Roundup: November 10-November 16

This week in regional energy news …

• With heating oil prices remaining high, and natural gas not yet available to most areas in Maine, more Mainers are turning to propane as a replacement fuel.  According to the director of the Governor’s Energy Office, the use of liquid propane to heat homes has more than doubled in recent years.
• According to a report released by the Efficiency Maine Trust, Mainers collectively could reduce their electricity consumption by 16% over the next decade by installing energy-efficient appliances.  Click here to download the study.  The Trust is currently developing a second triennial energy efficiency plan for Maine.
• Small towns in New England are benefiting greatly from increased revenues and added employment as a result of wind developments.  Click here to view a table of wind projects set to come online imminently, along with their size and estimated benefits.  One of those projects is the Hancock County, Maine, Bull Hill project, which has recently been completed.  Another potential project is in the planning stages in the Bingham area of central Maine.
• The Point Lepreau nuclear reactor in New Brunswick, Canada, is behind schedule, but three other CANDU reactors (two in Ontario and one in South Korea) have come online following refurbishments.