New York Regulator Approves $223 Million to Ease Gas Demand as Con Edison Imposes Moratorium on New Connections

New York Regulator Approves $223 Million to Ease Gas Demand as Con Edison Imposes Moratorium on New Connections

The New York State Public Service Commission on Feb. 7 authorized Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. to implement a portfolio of demand-side solutions at a cost capped at $223 million, in a bid to ease natural gas demand in the utility’s supply-constrained areas. The commission said that the need to address surging gas…

Renewable Energy Met 28 Percent of New York’s Electricity in 2017

Renewable Energy Met 28 Percent of New York’s Electricity in 2017: NYSERDA

Renewable energy resources accounted for about 28.1 percent of New York’s electricity generation in 2017, according to a Feb. 7 report from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, analyzing progress toward the Clean Energy Standard which requires half the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030. The 28.1 percent contribution…

New Jersey Launches Largest 'Single-State' Solicitation For 1.1-Gigawatts of Offshore Wind Power

Natural Gas-Fired Generating Capacity Surged 60 Percent in 2018, While Renewable Expansion Slowed: FERC Report

The U.S. installed about 31 gigawatts of new generating capacity in 2018, up from 27 gigawatts in the prior year, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s energy infrastructure update, released on Feb. 5. Natural gas-fired power dominated the capacity additions, accounting for about 20 gigawatts, while wind and solar provided 6 gigawatts and 4.2 gigawatts,…

Renewable Energy Standard

Massachusetts Retail Supplier Faces Probe for Wholesale Payment Defaults, Failure to Meet Renewable Energy Standard

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities on Feb. 4 issued a notice of violation against Union Atlantic Electricity LLC in response to complaints that the retail supplier defaulted on its wholesale electricity market obligations and failed to comply with the renewable portfolio standard. The department noted that the supplier’s actions forced its customers onto basic service,…

Texas Solar Capacity to More Than Double This Year

Texas Solar Capacity to More Than Double This Year: Grid Operator

New utility-scale solar projects totalling 2.1 gigawatts have locked into agreements to connect with the Texas grid in 2019, or enough to more than double the system’s solar capacity, with even larger amounts in store for 2020, according to a Feb. 5 report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. While Texas is known for…

New York Legislature Passes Offshore Drilling Ban to Thwart Trump’s Expansion Plan

New York Legislature Passes Offshore Drilling Ban to Thwart Trump’s Expansion Plan

New York lawmakers approved a bill on Feb. 5 that would block oil and gas development off the state’s coastline. The legislation would put New York in line with California, New Jersey, and Oregon that have enacted similar measures following the Trump administration’s plan to open up vast amounts of coastal waters to drilling activities. The measure…...

U.S. Ethane Exports

U.S. Ethane Exports Continue to Grow With Natural Gas Development, Infrastructure Expansion: EIA

Since early 2014, when the U.S. began exporting ethane by pipeline to Canada, infrastructure additions have facilitated shipments to more destinations including Brazil, India, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, according to a Feb. 5 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. became the world’s top ethane exporter, surpassing Norway in 2015.…

Michigan Electric Choice Program Shows 8 Megawatt Higher Consumption Amid Drop in Enrollees

Michigan’s electric choice customers had about 1,970 megawatts of demand, as of December 2018, an increase of about 8 megawatts from the prior year, according to the Michigan Public Service Commission’s report on electric competition report released on Feb. 1. Electricity consumption rose despite a decline in the number of customers to 5,819, from 5,929…

Dominion Pushes Atlantic Coast NatGas Line Completion to 2021 at $1B Extra Cost

Dominion Pushes Atlantic Coast NatGas Line Completion to 2021 at $1B Extra Cost

Dominion Energy Inc. has bumped up the estimated cost of its 604-mile natural gas pipeline from $6 to about $7 billion, adding that it also expects the project to be delayed until early 2021 following permitting issues. Thomas Farrell, Chief Executive Office, said in a Feb. 1 press release that the company is “actively pursuing multiple paths to…

Georgia Power’s Long-Term Plan Seeks to Retire 1-Gigawatt of Coal-Fired Generation

Georgia Power’s Long-Term Plan Seeks to Retire 1-Gigawatt of Coal-Fired Generation

Georgia Power Company proposed to close four of its coal generation units at Plant Hammond and one unit at Plant McIntosh as part of its 2019 integrated resource plan filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission on Jan. 31. Hammond and McIntosh plants have a capacity 800 megawatts and 163 megawatts, respectively. The company requested…

U.S. Natural Gas Exports Continue to Grow as U.S. Ramps Up LNG Capacity

U.S. Natural Gas Exports Continue to Grow as U.S. Ramps Up LNG Capacity

The Department of Energy’s Natural Gas Imports and Exports Third Quarter Report 2018 highlights all the important transactions of the precious fossil fuel from July through September last year. Total U.S. exports were 918.7 Bfc, about 13 percent higher than the previous quarter and about 24 percent higher compared to 2017. Total imports decreased by 0.1…