The Nevada Public Utilities Commission on June 24 announced that subscriptions for the third tier of its net metering program reached the 80-megawatt threshold established by a 2017 law, which created a four-tier structure to compensate customers for grid-exported energy. There is no capacity limit for Tier four, which is now open for applications, but…...
The New York Department of Public Service and the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority on June 18 released a whitepaper that identifies a framework to achieve the state’s goal of sourcing 70 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Achieving the goal is…...
As the pandemic continues to unfold, utility regulators across the U.S. are focusing on the core issues of providing relief for the hardest-hit customers and reviving the economy with the help of utility initiatives. To date, several states have extended disconnection moratoriums and implemented customer relief programs, while others are examining how additional spending by the utilities could provide new jobs while minimizing customer bill impacts in the future.
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy on June 16 announced plans to develop an offshore wind port on an artificial island along the Delaware River. The 200-acre New Jersey Wind Port would provide a location for staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities for projects planned along the East Coast. The $300 to $400 million green infrastructure project positions…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 18 approved the New England grid operator’s Inventoried Energy Program to compensate resources that provide fuel security during the winters of 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The commission found that the program is a reasonable short-term solution that will help address winter energy security in light of the misaligned incentives…...
Xcel Energy Inc. on June 17 filed a plan with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to invest almost $3 billion in accelerated and incremental projects in an effort to help the state’s economy recover from the slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal follows the commission’s request for information from electric and gas utilities…...
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on June 17 announced that this year’s distribution of impact fees collected from natural gas producers totaled $200 million, nearly 43 million lower than the prior year. The commission attributed the change to the lower average price of natural gas in 2019, resulting in lower impact fee payment for each…...
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission established a proceeding to examine retail rates of electric utilities in the state, according to a June 17 press release. The proceeding will specifically focus on recommendations intended to provide rate relief for utility territories whose rates are materially higher than the state’s average. The commission will conduct a survey…...
Rocky Mountain Power, a unit of PacifiCorp, proposed to close its net metering program, which compensates customers for exported energy at the retail rate, and create a successor program that would provide compensation based on an export credit rate, according to a June 12 press release from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The new net…...
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.
