The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on Sept. 5 proposed to add 800 megawatts to the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, program, which is fast approaching its current 1.6-gigawatt target. The declining block program was launched last November to provide a long-term, sustainable solar incentive solution.The agency proposed several revisions to the initiative as…
Republican Governor Christopher Sununu signed legislation on Sept. 11 prohibiting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in state waters. New Hampshire joins California, New Jersey, Maine, and Oregon that have enacted similar measures in response to the Trump administration’s plan to open vast amounts of coastal waters to drilling activities. The bill bans the lease…
Carbon reduction is becoming ingrained in the planning strategies of utilities across the Northwest in response to state-level decarbonization policies and market changes. As coal plants are no longer cost-competitive, utilities are taking advantage of new technologies and favorable economics of natural gas and renewables.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas expects nearly 84,000 megawatts of resource capacity to be available to meet a projected peak demand of 61,034 megawatts for the upcoming fall season from October through November, according to a Sept. 9 news release. The final assessment for the fall season includes 1,198 megawatts of planned capacity based…
Northern States Power Company, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy has submitted an application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to acquire, own and operate the 98.9 megawatt Mower County wind facility, which is owned by NextEra Energy Inc., according to an August 30 filling. In 2006, Xcel entered into a 20-year Renewable Energy Purchase Agreement with FPL Energy…
Southern California Edison Company asked the California Public Utilities Commission to authorize a revenue requirement of $7.6 billion to become effective January 1, 2021, according to an Aug. 30 filing. The request represents an increase of nearly $1.3 billion, or 20.1 percent, in 2021 over currently authorized and requested base rates, including sales reductions and…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission opened a proceeding on Sept. 3 to revise consumer protection standards for electric and gas utilities in accordance with legislation enacted in the 2019 session. The measure amends rules addressing service standards for utilities, billing practices, record keeping, and customer complaints. In May, the state passed three bills amending rules…
Democratic Governor Ned Lamont on sept. 3 signed an executive order directing the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to evaluate pathways and recommend strategies to transition to 100 percent carbon-free power by 2040. The order expands the responsibility of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change, or GC3, which was tasked with developing strategies…
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the New York Department of Public Service to broaden its probe into National Grid’s gas connection moratorium and take action to ensure that the company immediately provides gas to customers who were improperly denied service, according to an Aug. 28 news release. Cuomo also directed the department to impose penalties…
California’s energy landscape is evolving rapidly driven by its ambitious clean energy and carbon reduction goals. Recent actions range from enhancing renewable integration to reforming carbon market rules, strengthening auto-emission standards, and revising energy efficiency policies.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Aug. 29 proposed to reverse regulations put into place in 2016 to limit the emissions of methane, a potent global warming pollutant, during oil and natural gas drilling operations. The move follows a sweeping executive order that President Trump issued in 2017 to undo the prior administration’s climate regulations…
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission established a work plan to carry out the requirements of energy legislation passed in the 2019 session, according to an Aug. 27 news release. Legislators passed a sweeping energy policy agenda, including a bill requiring the state’s electricity supply to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and carbon-free by 2045. The…
