Virginia Regulators Grant Key Environmental Approvals to $6 Billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Allowing Construction in the State to Begin

Virginia Regulators Grant Key Environmental Approvals to $6 Billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Allowing Construction in the State to Begin

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Natural Gas, Top News

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality approved three environmental protection plans for the Atlantic Coast pipeline, allowing construction to begin on the 300-mile track across the state, according to an Oct. 19 press release. Following the approval of the erosion and sediment control, stormwater management, and karst protection plans, final construction approval now lies with…

U.S. Interior Department Announces Massachusetts Offshore Wind Auction, Opens California Coast for Commercial Leases

U.S. Interior Department Announces Massachusetts Offshore Wind Auction, Opens California Coast for Commercial Leases

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Top News, Wind

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will auction three commercial wind energy leases comprising nearly 390,000 acres offshore Massachusetts on Dec. 13, according to the agency’s Oct. 19 notice. The auction is expected to support about 4.1 gigawatts of power. Massachusetts has set a goal to procure 1.6 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2027 and…

New York Grid Operator Finds No Reliability Need in 10-Year Assessment

New York Grid Operator Finds No Reliability Need in 10-Year Assessment

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Wholesale Power

New York Independent System Operator Inc.’s 2018 reliability needs assessment issued on Oct. 18 identifies no resource adequacy related reliability need for the 10-year period from 2019 through 2028. The grid operator also said the assessment identifies no reliability need resulting from the transmission security evaluations for the same period. NYISO said that a transmission…

New York Simplifies Grid Connection for Energy Storage as it Seeks to Meet Half of Electricity Needs With Renewables by 2030

New York Simplifies Grid Connection for Energy Storage as it Seeks to Meet Half of Electricity Needs With Renewables by 2030

Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse

The New York Public Service Commission updated the Standardized Interconnection Requirements for renewable distributed generators including energy storage systems. With these revisions to the application and technical study process, the regulator wants to achieve a more transparent and faster interconnection process, allowing the utility to analyze and process a high volume of applications and helping…

FERC Approves Rules to Mitigate Cyber Threats Related to Supply Chain for Grid Systems

FERC Approves Rules to Mitigate Cyber Threats Related to Supply Chain for Grid Systems

Cyber Security, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, Top News

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Oct. 18 approved reliability standards to address supply chain risks in industrial control system hardware, software, and computing and networking services. The rule, developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation builds on existing critical infrastructure protection standards to allay cyber security risks associated with the supply chain for…

National Grid Wins FERC Approval For Natural Gas Liquefaction Project at Fields Point Facility in Rhode Island

National Grid Wins FERC Approval For Natural Gas Liquefaction Project at Fields Point Facility in Rhode Island

EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, LNG, Natural Gas

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Oct. 17 authorized National Grid LNG LLC to add natural gas liquefaction facilities at the company’s existing Fields Point facility in Providence, Rhode Island. National Grid proposed the project, which seeks to add a 20 million standard cubic feet per day capacity, at the request of its customers Narragansett…

PJM Statement on Independent Review of GreenHat Energy Default

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Wholesale Power

PJM Interconnection LLC’s board of managers initiated an independent investigation into GreenHat Energy LLC’s default in the grid operator’s financial transmission rights or FTR market, according to an Oct. 16 news release. FTR is a financial product that allows market participants to hedge the costs of day-ahead transmission congestion. GreenHat, a Texas-based financial trading company,…

NV Energy Seeks to Add 350 Megawatts of Renewables, Storage in Nevada

NV Energy Seeks to Add 350 Megawatts of Renewables, Storage in Nevada

Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Request for Proposal, Solar

NV Energy Inc. issued a request for proposals for projects of at least 20 megawatts to add 350 megawatts or more renewable energy capacity in Nevada, according to the company’s Oct. 16 press release. The solicitation is open to solar, geothermal, wind, biomass and biogas technologies that comply with the state’s renewable portfolio standards. The…

Illinois Alternative Energy Supplier Agrees to Refund $2.65 Million for Violating Marketing Rules

Illinois Alternative Energy Supplier Agrees to Refund $2.65 Million for Violating Marketing Rules

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Retail Power and Gas

The Illinois Commerce Commission announced that Sperian Energy Corp., an alternative retail electric supplier, would return $2.65 million to Illinois consumers as a result of a multi-agency enforcement action for violations pertaining to marketing of retail electric products, according to an Oct. 15 news release. The agency initiated a proceeding against the company in July…

New Jersey State Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Integrate Energy Storage Into Long-Term Utility Resource Plans

New Jersey State Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Integrate Energy Storage Into Long-Term Utility Resource Plans

Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Integrated Resource Plans

New Jersey state Assembly member Harold Wirths, a Republican, introduced legislation on Oct. 15 that would require the board of public utilities to establish mechanisms for electric suppliers and utilities to procure energy storage as part of their distribution and transmission system planning process. The legislation would require the board adopt rules and regulations that…

ComEd Seeks Approval of 'Price to Compare' Bill Message to Increase Visibility for Illinois Customers

ComEd Seeks Approval of ‘Price to Compare’ Bill Message to Increase Visibility for Illinois Customers

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Retail Power and Gas

Commonwealth Edison Company proposed that residential and commercial monthly bills display the “price to compare” for accounts of 15,000 kilowatt-hour or less of annual usage, according to an Oct. 15 filing. In July, the commission asked regulated utilities to clearly display the message so that customers can easily find and understand their current electric cost…

Connecticut Regulator to Strengthen Retail Electric Billing Rules to Ensure Transparency

Connecticut Regulator to Strengthen Retail Electric Billing Rules to Ensure Transparency

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Retail Power and Gas

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority proposed to update rules that require licensed electric suppliers to provide timely and accurate information to distribution companies for inclusion on residential customer bills, according to an Oct. 15 draft decision. The proposed update would require distribution companies to reject enrollments that lack supply summary information and place them…