The North Dakota Public Service Commission on Aug. 5 conditionally granted Northern States Power Company’s request for a determination of prudence for its contract to buy 151 megawatts of wind-generated power from Dakota Range III LLP. The agency ordered that customers should receive financial compensation for the renewable energy certificates, or RECs, associated with the…
The North Carolina Utilities Commission on Aug. 5 approved tariff revisions filed by Duke Energy Carolinas LLC and Duke Energy Progress LLC to implement the Green Source Advantage Program, which allows for the direct procurement of new renewable energy resources by large nonresidential customers. The commission approved the program with changes in February and directed…
Competition among U.S. states eager to take the lead in the nation's still nascent offshore wind sector is fueling growth and bringing the industry to new highs. Turning these goals into reality will be no small feat, as the targets are several hundred times the current installed capacity. Still, this hasn’t dissuaded states from doubling down on offshore wind commitments.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 1 revised a 1992 energy efficiency policy to allow funding for electrification efforts, paving the way for new programs that use electric technologies powered by emissions-free resources. The decision modifies the “three-prong test” that was originally adopted to avoid encouraging programs that involved substituting one fuel for another,…
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, signed a measure on Aug. 1 requiring the levelized price of offshore wind contracts resulting from subsequent solicitations to be lower than the initial procurement if the price is adjusted for federal tax credits, inflation, and incentives. The legislation takes into account the decline of federal tax credits in…
Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, announced on July 25 that it no longer plans to acquire a 157-megawatt wind facility in northwest Missouri as the transmission upgrades required to accommodate the project would lead to “unacceptably high costs.” Ameren said it has mutually agreed with EDF Renewables Inc. to cancel the development of…
Massachusetts state lawmakers on July 22 passed a bill that authorizes the Barnstable Town Council to grant an easement for a portion of Covell’s Beach to construct the interconnection between Vineyard Wind LLC’s offshore wind project and the New England power grid. The 800-megawatt project, jointly owned by Avangrid Renewables LLC and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners,…
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on July 24 granted a permit allowing Triple H Wind Project LLC to construct a 250-megawatt wind energy facility in Hyde County at an estimated cost $300 million. Triple H Wind, a subsidiary of Engie North America Inc., has entered into two 30-year power purchase agreements to sell the…
The California Independent System Operator Corporation called for an immediate plan to address near-term reliability needs through 2022, according to a July 23 filing in response to the Public Utilities Commission’s rulemaking to refine long-term procurement planning requirements. The grid operator projects a gap of up to 2 gigawatts beginning in the summer of 2021…
Virginia, followed by Ohio and Pennsylvania ranked as the top states within the PJM Interconnection LLC system for the amount of solar capacity requesting to be connected to the network, according to a July 26 report from the system manager. The bulk of the wind project requests, mostly large offshore projects, are from New Jersey…
The Michigan Public Service Commission on July 18 approved part of DTE Electric Co.’s renewable energy plan, which includes the purchase of about 455 megawatts of wind power that will qualify for the full federal tax credit. The investments are expected to boost the company’s renewable energy portfolio by nearly 50 percent. The agency said…
The Hawaiian Electric Company has submitted a plan with state regulators for its largest-ever renewable energy solicitation, seeking about 900 megawatts of new renewable generation capable of delivering nearly 2 million megawatt-hours each year, according to a July 17 filling. Pending regulatory approval, the utility plans to issue the final RFPs by August 9 and…
