The Southwest Power Pool Inc. (SPP), the grid operator for 17 states in the central and western U.S., on Aug. 16, 2022, announced that its “Market+” service offering designed to provide hurdle-free transmission service and facilitate reliable integration of fast-growing renewable resources, has gained the attention of customers in the Western Interconnection. The service, which…...
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Aug. 15 announced a partial multi-party settlement in Puget Sound Energy’s existing rate increase request, explicitly addressing the company’s Green Direct Program. The agreement is subject to authorization by the three member commission. The program permits commercial and governmental clients to willingly purchase 100 percent of their energy…...
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), passed by the U.S. Congress on Aug. 12, includes a historic $369 billion investment in energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years.
In 2020, seven U.S. states experienced the largest declines in their annual energy production in the last six decades, according to an Aug. 8 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This is due to the decrease in economic activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among all the states in the U.S., Wyoming experienced a…...
The U.S. Senate on Aug. 7 approved the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes $369 billion for energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years. Among the key climate and clean energy provisions, the bill would expand the investment tax credit for clean energy manufacturers, establish the first hydrogen production tax…...
Grid modernization efforts are increasingly focused on resilience and reliability to protect the system against extreme weather and cyberattacks. Lawmakers and regulators are pursuing reforms to ensure that policies keep pace with the rapidly changing resource mix to facilitate the transformation to a future grid capable of integrating the increasing number of intermittent resources and electric vehicles.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 4 took major steps and formalized procedures to consider the affordability of utility services in its upcoming activities to address the cost of utility services in the state. The action requires utilities to offer consumers the tools to evaluate the total affordability of planned rate surges throughout industries…...
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved new Intermountain Gas Company rate schedules by an interim Purchased Gas Cost Adjustment, or PGA, according to an Aug. 3 press release. Residential natural gas service rates increased by about 24.1 percent and commercial rates increased by about 27 percent. The rate change will increase Intermountain’s revenues by $67…...
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the State Department of Commerce (DOC) on Aug. 1 adopted new rules for electric utilities, marking an important step forward in the state’s transition to a clean energy future. The rule addresses various key aspects of the 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act, or CETA, including the requirement…...
Performance-based regulation (PBR) is gaining momentum across U.S. states driven by policy and technology changes to meet decarbonization goals and changing customer expectations.
The Oregon Public Utilities Commission on July 29 approved an ongoing discount program on monthly bills for Cascade Natural Gas Corporation’s residential customers based on their income. The program contains four levels of discounts, varying from 15 percent to 95 percent, evaluated as a percentage of the bill. Qualifying customers must have an income level…...