The U.S. Department of Energy will provide $28 million in funding for a research program that aims to develop new technologies for floating offshore wind turbines, according to a Feb. 1 press release. The department recognizes that the U.S. has the potential to lead the world in the development of offshore wind energy, particularly in floating…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission found that the construction of Sempra Energy’s Port Arthur Liquefaction Project, a natural gas liquefaction and export terminal in Texas, and the associated pipeline projects would result in some adverse environmental impacts, which would be reduced to less-than-significant levels, according to a Jan. 31 notice. The facility, proposed by Port…
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued an order on Feb. 1 clarifying ownership of capacity and energy rights of facilities under net metering and Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, programs participating in the ISO New England Inc.’s forward capacity market. The order allows owners of storage-paired facilities to retain their energy or capacity…...
Interstate Power and Light Company anticipates that over the next decade it will have a surplus of renewable energy credits to the tune of between 1.5 million to 5.5 million per year, relative to Iowa’s current renewable energy requirements, according to a Jan. 31 filing by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Interstate Power and Light…
The Delaware Public Service Commission on Jan. 31 approved additional rate cuts for the state’s regulated utilities to account for over-collection associated with the federal tax reforms that slashed corporate income tax rates to 21 percent from 35 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2018. Overall rate reductions to regulated utilities to flow back excess taxes to…
Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., an affiliate of National Grid Plc, proposes to boost annual spending on transmission and distribution repairs, upgrades and other projects in New York to $805.7 million in fiscal year 2024, up from $573 million in 2020, according to the utility’s five-year capital investment plan issued Jan. 31. Capital spending to total…
FirstEnergy Corp.’s wholesale auction held on Jan. 28 resulted in an average clearing price of $47.92 per megawatt hour for a one-year product to supply electricity to the company’s Ohio customers for the delivery period of June 2019 through May 2020. The results will be combined with previous auctions to set the price-to-compare for the…
Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur announced on Jan. 31 that she would not be seeking a third term at the agency and plans to step down later this year. LaFleur, the longest-serving member on FERC, added that she will stay through the end of her term until June 30, and probably longer, depending on…
New York State Democratic Senator Liz Krueger introduced legislation on Jan. 24 that would protect electric and natural gas customers against slamming by prohibiting suppliers from switching customers without proper authorization. The bill would authorize the state Public Service Commission to establish requirements for obtaining customer consent to effect a change in their supplier and…
Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc. outlined a strategy to continue procurement of demand reduction beyond the 41 megawatts initially planned for 2019 through 2021 under its Brooklyn/Queens Demand Management, or BQDM, program, according to a Jan. 29 filing with the New York Public Service Commission. The company said the strategy, which details the program’s budget…
The New York Public Service Commission issued a notice to AAA ESCO Llc., a natural gas supplier, for failure to file its second quarter 2018 historic pricing data, threatening to revoke the supplier’s license to operate in the state. The regulator alleges that AAA has not complied with the filing deadlines for pricing data and has repeatedly missed…
New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on Jan. 17 unveiled the most aggressive plan of any state to eliminate global warming emissions and achieve 100 percent carbon-free power in just a couple of decades. Cuomo's legislative package, dubbed the "Green New Deal," is designed to put the state on a path to wipe out its carbon footprint by 2040 by slashing the heat-trapping emissions not just in the power fleet, but across the entire economy including the transportation and agriculture sectors and through building efficiency.
