The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities adopted a proposed rule establishing offshore wind renewable energy certificates or ORECs detailing a process to fund the state’s offshore wind program and flow back revenue to ratepayers, according to a Dec. 18 press release. The industry has gained momentum under Democratic Governor Phil Murphy who seeks to…...
The New York Public Service Commission on Dec. 14 approved phase III of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s plan to implement the Clean Energy Standard or CES, adopted in August 2016, to achieve the state’s goal of obtaining half its electricity from renewable resources by 2030. The program includes a renewable…...
Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corp., announced an agreement to buy a 157-MW wind generation facility to be built in northern Missouri, according to the company’s Oct. 22 press release. The proposed Brickyard Hill wind project, to be developed by EDF Renewable Energy Inc., is expected to come online in 2020. The acquisition is subject…
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management auctioned three leases off Massachusetts’ coast earmarked for the development of offshore wind farms, reaping a record-breaking $405-million, according to a Dec. 14 press release. The bureau sold commercial wind energy leases comprising nearly 390,000 acres, which are expected to support about 4.1 gigawatts of power. Out of 11 bidders,…
The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 10 passed legislation that would authorize offshore wind energy development in the exclusive economic zone adjacent to all five U.S. territories extending 200 nautical miles seaward, while state waters extending 3 nautical miles would continue to remain under territorial jurisdiction. The bill would provide each territory with state-equivalent…
The Iowa Utility Board on Dec. 4 approved a settlement determining ratemaking principles for MidAmerican Energy Company’s proposed 591-megawatt Wind XII Project. The settlement establishes a cost cap of $1.560 million per megawatt and a return on equity of 11 percent. For construction work in progress, an equity rate of 10 percent will be applied.…
The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia issued an update to its renewable energy portfolio standard policy revising the generator certification and eligibility requirement, eliminating redundancies, deleting obsolete sections and generally clarifying the commission’s rules, according to a Dec. 5 order. On Nov. 27, the Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously to advance a…
The Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously on Nov. 27 to advance a bill that would double the renewable energy portfolio standard to 100 percent by 2032, from the current target of 50 percent. The bill, which amends the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard Act of 2004, would require utilities operating in the District…
The New York Public Service Commission approved the construction and operation of a 126-megawatt utility-scale wind generation project proposed by Cassadaga Wind LLC, a subsidiary of EverPower Wind Holdings Inc., according to a Nov. 15 press release. The commission determined that the developer is financially able to move forward with the project. In January, the…
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Energy Management sees potential for 9.6-gigawatts of offshore wind power in the New York Bight area, an indentation along the Atlantic coast between New Jersey and Long Island, according to a Nov. 14 draft plan. The draft plan includes 478,594 acres of secondary areas, which are more likely…
American Electric Power Company Inc. announced a $33 billion capital investment plan from 2019 through 2023, with 75 percent focused on its transmission and distribution operations, according to a Nov. 11 news release. The plan includes $2.7 billion for new renewable generation, including about $2.2 billion for competitive, contracted projects. The company said the transition…
The Virginia State Corporation Commission on Nov. 2 issued an order finding that Dominion Energy Inc.’s proposal to build a 12-megawatt offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia Beach is prudent. The project, expected to come online in December 2020, has an estimated cost of about $300 million, excluding financing costs. The commission noted…
