U.S. President Biden Announces Ban on Energy Imports From Russia

U.S. President Biden Announces Ban on Energy Imports From Russia

U.S. President Joe Biden announced on March 8 that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil and gas and energy, “targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy.” This is latest action taken by the Biden administration in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began nearly two weeks ago. Biden noted that the effort…...

Indiana Michigan Power

Indiana Regulator Approves $95 Million Rate Decrease for Indiana Michigan Power

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on Feb. 23 approved a rate settlement agreement that will decrease the annual revenues of Indiana Michigan Power Company by 5.9 percent or $94.7 million. This will occur over two phases with the first phase effective immediately. The second phase will take effect in January 2023. The order represents a…...

ERCOT’s Final Winterization Report Confident That Texas Grid Is Prepared for Winter Weather

Texas Electricity Generators Remain Resilient, Avoid Outages Amid Winter Snap: EIA

Power plants and electricity assets in Texas increased output to meet higher demand, during a cold weather snap earlier this month, according to a Feb. 14 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Power generators, so far this year, have remained resilient and have avoided widespread power outages, like those witnessed in February 2021, when…...

EnerKnol Research PU Visual Primer IRP 2022 02 15 Blog preview

Visual Primer: Utilities’ Long-Term Plans Reflect Efforts to Expedite Coal Plant Retirements

Long-term planning strategies of electric utilities across the U.S. reflect the growing trend towards phasing out coal-fired power generation while embracing renewables. Coal power plants account for 85 percent of electric generating capacity scheduled to retire in the U.S. during 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Pennsylvania exported 78 million megawatt hours (MWh) of generated electricity

Pennsylvania Becomes Top Electricity Exporting State in 2020: EIA

Pennsylvania exported 78 million megawatt hours (MWh) of generated electricity to neighbouring states in 2020. This is the highest among any other state, despite other states such as Texas and Florida, producing more electricity, according to a Feb. 7 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. During 2020 more than 230 million MWh of electricity…...

Michigan Regulator Approves Energy Efficiency Programs for Low-Income Utility Customers

Massachusetts Regulator Approves Utilities’ $4 Billion Energy Efficiency Plan

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities on Feb. 2 approved a three-year energy efficiency plan filed by the state’s electric and gas utilities for the period of 2022-2024. The energy savings targets set forth in the plan are designed to better align the Mass Save programs with the state’s climate goals. The program has a…...

EnerKnol Research PU Policy Primer Retail Electric Competition 2022 02 08 Blog preview

Policy Primer: Competitive Retail Electricity Markets February 2022 Update

Revisions to rules governing competitive retail electricity markets are focused on strengthening customer protections while exploring ways to expand access to these markets. Recent actions include efforts to open retail electric competition in Arizona, Connecticut’s investigation into supplier offers, and Maine’s update to marketing standards for retail electric services.

Transmission requirements

California Grid Operator Releases 20-Year Transmission Plan to Meet Clean Energy Goals

The California Independent System Operator Corp. on Feb. 1 released a 20-year transmission outlook that discusses long-term infrastructure requirements to reach the state’s target of generating 100 percent electricity from carbon-neutral sources by 2045. The draft plan is based on the assumption that about 120 gigawatts will have to be added to the grid by…...

New York Governor Announces $90 Million in Federal Aid for Home Heating During Winter

Kansas Regulator Authorizes Black Hills Energy to Recover $88 Million in Weather-Related Costs

The Kansas Corporation Commission on Jan. 28 approved a settlement agreement allowing Black Hills Energy to recover $87.9 million in deferred costs related to natural gas service provided during the winter storm Uri in February 2021. The storm affected the south-central U.S., causing widespread outages and forcing natural gas processing plants to shut down. As…...

U.S. Offshore Wind Energy Projects

Visual Primer: U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Marches On Despite Opposition Due to Impacts on Coastal Areas

U.S. offshore wind is gaining traction with new milestones spurred by state commitments of almost 40 gigawatts (GW) by 2040 and a federal goal of 30 GW by 2030. Recent developments include state-level project selections that could add more than 3.2 GW of new capacity, New Jersey’s proposal for a novel offshore wind transmission solution, and New York’s move to advance transmission technologies for offshore wind integration.