The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin reached a consensus to end the temporary moratorium on utility disconnections for nonpayment from July 25 as the state reopens, according to a June 11 press release. The commission encourages customers facing difficulties to seek a payment plan or apply for energy assistance with the utilities, while ensuring most…...
The New York State Public Service Commission established a proceeding to identify and address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on utilities and ratepayers and other commission-regulated services and programs, according to a June 11 press release. The proceeding will examine impacts to customers and explore mitigation methods. The agency will examine the unprecedented change…...
In a move commended by offshore wind advocates, federal regulators released a much-awaited environmental analysis of the $2.8 billion Vineyard Wind project, which would be the first U.S. large-scale offshore wind project, and other facilities planned along the East Coast. The review is a step forward in the project’s permitting process and critical for the future offshore wind industry as it braces for challenges from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged permitting timelines.
New England’s average wholesale electricity prices dropped by 40 percent to $28 per megawatthour during the 2019-2020 winter from $47 per megawatthour in the previous winter, according to a June 10 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Natural gas-fired generators set the price of electricity more often compared with previous winters because of the…...
U.S. summer electricity demand, from June through August, is expected to total 998 billion kilowatthours, a 5 percent drop compared to 2019 and the lowest value since 2009, according to a June 10 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retail electricity sales in the commercial and industrial sectors are expected to decline 12 percent…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 9 approved a request by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc., a wholesale generation and transmission cooperative, to authorize the transfer of electric service contracts as part of a 2019 agreement, allowing Delta-Montrose to exit Tri-State on June 30. The cooperative will assign its wholesale electric service contracts…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 9 adopted a rule that forbids natural gas projects from commencing construction until the agency acts on rehearing requests. The move intends to protect stakeholders, including landowners affected by pipeline projects. The rule attempts to address some of the concerns raised in a lawsuit before the U.S. Court…...
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released the long-awaited supplement to the draft environmental review of Vineyard Wind LLC’s 800-megawatt wind farm offshore Massachusetts. Last year, the bureau postponed the final review for the $2.8 billion project, in order to undertake a supplemental analysis to understand the cumulative impacts of multiple projects proposed in the…...
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority on June 5 submitted a petition to the Public Service Commission, requesting approval to launch and advance the Build-Ready program through 2025. The move is in response to recent legislation that established a Clean Energy Resources Development and Incentives Program through which the agency will advance…...
The North Dakota Public Service Commission on June 10 issued a permit allowing Northern Divide Wind LLC to build a 200-megawatt wind generating facility and associated transmission line in Burke County. The NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary submitted a revised project application after a previous proposal was denied over concerns by federal and state regulators about…
The New Mexico State Land Office approved leases for a 76-megawatt wind project proposed by Pattern Renewables 2 LP, according to a June 4 news release. The Western Spirit Wind Development, spanning about 16,442 acres in Torrance County and Lincoln Counties, is expected to power over 15,000 homes annually. Commissioner of Public Lands, Stephanie Garcia…...
The Virginia State Corporation Commission announced a pilot program that will allow Dominion Energy Inc.’s commercial customers to combine the load of separately metered retail stores to purchase electricity from third party suppliers, according to a June 10 press release. The measure is in response to legislation enacted in April that directed the agency to…...