Massachusetts lawmakers approved legislation on July 31 to strengthen the state’s renewable portfolio standard by requiring a 2 percent boost in procurement of the supplies each year from 2020 to 2029, up from the current 1 percent annual increase. The current goal requires 15 percent by 2020, followed by a one percent increase each year.…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on July 20 authorized a subsidiary of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to acquire a 49-percent stake in Cedar Point Wind LLC and Silver State Solar Power North LLC from Enbridge Holdings (Power) LLC. Cedar Point owns a 252-megawatt wind farm in Colorado, while Silver State owns a 52-megawatt…
Kansas electric utilities have enough capacity to meet the goal of 20 percent renewables by 2020 under the state’s voluntary renewable energy program, according to a July 11 report from the Kansas Corporation Commission staff. The staff said that compliance filings show that reporting utilities have surplus renewable energy credits to meet the 2020 goal…
The California Public Utilities Commission is weighing updates to the rules governing the power purchase contracts utilities must enter into with small producers under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, or PURPA, to reflect market changes, according to a July 11 proposed decision. The commission intends to adopt a new standard offer contract…
The California Public Utilities Commission on July 2 started a new rulemaking to continue oversight of the state’s renewable portfolio standards program. The commission will continue to review and monitor renewable procurement plans of retail sellers as well as procurements of investor-owned utilities, assess compliance, and take enforcement action. The new proceeding will consider improvements…
Duke Energy announced it will solicit bids for renewable projects totaling 680 megawatts capacity under a new competitive solicitation program in North and South Carolina, according to a July 10 press release. Bids for the projects are due Sept. 11 and can be in the form of solar contracts, utility-developed facilities, or asset acquisitions, with…
The Arizona Corporation Commission on July 5 issued draft rules to implement the Arizona Energy Modernization Plan that sets a goal for the state to deploy 3,000 megawatts of energy storage by 2030 and requires 80 percent of annual electric sales to come from clean resources by 2050. It also includes a clean peak standard…
Public Service Company of Colorado, a unit of Xcel Energy Inc., filed its Colorado Energy Plan, a blueprint for the utility to source over half of its electricity supply from renewables and cut carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2026. The plan, filed June 6 with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, directs the company to…
The Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. announced plans on May 31 to invest as much as $17 billion through 2022 in energy grid modernization and clean energy programs in New Jersey. The company plans to spend $2.5 billion to extend its Energy Strong program aimed at improving reliability and resiliency by bolstering electric and gas…
