The New York Public Service Commission will hold a virtual public statement hearing to discuss Two Rivers Solar Farm LLC’s proposed 200-megawatt solar electric generating facility in St. Lawrence County. The facility would interconnect to the power grid via the New York Power Authority’s Haverstock – Willis E 345 kilovolt transmission line. The company plans to build the project on land leased and/or purchased from owners of private property within an area of approximately 3,168 acres. The project has the potential to power approximately 56,000 homes. The company is seeking a lightened regulatory regime as it intends to operate the project as a competitive wholesale generator. Comments are due by May 6. 25-E-0616

The Maryland Public Service Commission seeks public comments on Washington Gas Light Company’s application for adjustments to retail rates and charges applicable to its natural gas service. The company is seeking an increase of approximately $82.5 million, with an incremental increase of $67.1 million after the inclusion of its commission-approved Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement revenue requirements. This would result in a 5.3 percent increase in the total bill of an average residential customer. 9849

The California Energy Commission will consider Soda Mountain Solar LLC’s proposal to construct and operate a 300-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility, up to 300-megawatt/1,200-megawatt-hours of battery energy storage, and associated infrastructure in San Bernardino County. In August 2024, the company filed an application under the state’s opt-in certification program, which provides a consolidated state permitting option for eligible clean energy projects. The program designates the commission as lead agency to accept applications and provides a streamlined process for review and decision. 24-OPT-03

The California Energy Commission will consider adoption of the fifth edition of the guidelines for its 2026 Demand Side Grid Support, or DSGS, program. Commission staff has issued a revised draft of the program guidelines, which seeks to refine and clarify program requirements for the 2026 season while aligning the program with the estimated funding level projected to be available after the 2025 compensation payout. The program offers incentives to electric customers who provide load reduction and backup generation to support the grid during extreme events, with payments for committed capacity and per-unit reductions in net load. The fourth edition of the program guidelines, adopted in April 2025, includes a newly added incentive option offering capacity-based compensation for load reduction capacity committed by dispatchable virtual power plants. 22-RENEW-01

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will hold the first in a series of workshops to develop a policy statement addressing large load interconnections for regulated electric utilities. The move comes as electricity demand continues to rise across the U.S., driven in part by large energy users, including data centers. While regulated utilities have not seen the large load growth experienced by other areas of the state and country, the commission is taking proactive steps to help balance economic development opportunities with customer protections. Large load customers pose unique risks and opportunities for traditional business models, especially in the constrained power system of the Pacific Northwest. The commission will focus on developing principles and policies related to large loads seeking service from and interconnection with investor-owned utilities. UE-260162

The Michigan Public Service Commission seeks reply comments on recommended changes in a recent staff report regarding the state’s existing extreme weather condition policies for electric and gas utilities. Among other things, the report recommends a uniform and consistent policy for all utilities and an evaluation of the efficacy of company extreme weather policies every five years. If the commission finds that utilities must include air quality information in their extreme weather policies, staff intends to work with the utilities to monitor and update policies as needed. U-20140