The Virginia State Corporation Commission on Aug. 5 approved Dominion Energy Inc.’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Commercial project, a 2,587-megawatt wind facility 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. The project , the state’s first utility-scale offshore wind facility, will help the utility meet its requirements under the renewable portfolio standards. Regulators also granted…...
The California Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 5 approved a plug-in electric vehicle submetering protocol for Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, PacifiCorp and two smaller utilities. The commission demands the stated utilities implement the submetering protocol for all customers with plug in electric vehicles and customer owned submeters…....
The California Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 4 took major steps and formalized procedures to consider the affordability of utility services in its upcoming activities to address the cost of utility services in the state. The action requires utilities to offer consumers the tools to evaluate the total affordability of planned rate surges throughout industries…...
The U.S. power grid, in the first six months of 2022, added 15 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity, according to an Aug. 3 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind generation had the largest share with 34 percent, gas had the second largest share, and solar and battery storage made up the rest.…
The U.S. Energy Department on Aug. 3 issued a notice of its decision to build a Versatile Test Reactor, VTR, at the Idaho National Laboratory. The initiative would facilitate the modernization of U.S. nuclear energy research and development infrastructure and accelerate technology development for current and next-generation reactors. The sodium-cooled reactor would be the first…...
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved new Intermountain Gas Company rate schedules by an interim Purchased Gas Cost Adjustment, or PGA, according to an Aug. 3 press release. Residential natural gas service rates increased by about 24.1 percent and commercial rates increased by about 27 percent. The rate change will increase Intermountain’s revenues by $67…...
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator board approved a $2.23 billion investment for new transmission lines which are completely or partially in Minnesota, according to an Aug. 2 press release from the Minnesota Commerce Department. The investments are expected to advance and expand the electric grid to ensure reliability during the state’s transition to clean energy…....
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the State Department of Commerce (DOC) on Aug. 1 adopted new rules for electric utilities, marking an important step forward in the state’s transition to a clean energy future. The rule addresses various key aspects of the 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act, or CETA, including the requirement…...
The growth in power generation from small-scale, customer-sited solar installations is altering the hourly pattern of metered electricity demand in New England during spring – March to May, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since 2016, New England has added 3.8 gigawatts to its grid, with small-scale solar accounting for 60 percent of that…...
Performance-based regulation (PBR) is gaining momentum across U.S. states driven by policy and technology changes to meet decarbonization goals and changing customer expectations.
The Oregon Public Utilities Commission on July 29 approved an ongoing discount program on monthly bills for Cascade Natural Gas Corporation’s residential customers based on their income. The program contains four levels of discounts, varying from 15 percent to 95 percent, evaluated as a percentage of the bill. Qualifying customers must have an income level…...
