NextDecade Corporation’s Texas LNG Project Gets Favorable Draft Review From U.S. Energy Regulator

NextDecade Corporation’s Texas LNG Project Gets Favorable Draft Review From U.S. Energy Regulator

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff issued a draft environmental assessment for NextDecade Corporation’s Rio Grande LNG Project finding that the project would result in some adverse environmental impacts, which would be reduced to less than significant levels, according to the agency’s Oct. 12 announcement. The staff said it has developed other site-specific mitigation measures…

FERC Schedules Environmental Review for Tallgrass Energy’s $213 Million Cheyenne Connector Gas Line

FERC Schedules Environmental Review for Tallgrass Energy’s $213 Million Cheyenne Connector Gas Line

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission set a Dec. 18 deadline to issue an environmental assessment for the Cheyenne Connector Pipeline and Cheyenne Hub Enhancement projects in Colorado, according to the agency’s Oct. 11 notice. The pipeline, proposed by Cheyenne Connector LLC, comprises a 70-mile interstate line to move about 600 million cubic feet per day…

NRG Files Appeal Against New York Utilities Said to Unfairly Slash Credits for Community Solar Power

New York to Jumpstart Energy Storage With $40 Million Funding For Solar-Paired Projects in Move Towards 1.5 Gigawatt Goal

Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced the funding to advance progress towards the state’s ambitious target of deploying of 1,500-megawatts of energy storage by 2025 and also support the Clean Energy Standard, which requires half of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030. The NY-Sun program, a $1 billion initiative that strives…

California Regulator Raises Fees for Community Choice Aggregation Customers to Avoid Cost Shifting

California Regulator Raises Fees for Community Choice Aggregation Customers to Avoid Cost Shifting

The California Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 11 approved a proposal that revises the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment, a fee intended to equalize cost sharing between customers who switch to community choice aggregation or CCA and those to continue to take service from electric utilities. The adjustment is an exit fee charged by the state’s…

NextEra Seeks Texas Approval to Sell Interests in 200-Megawatt Wind Farm

NextEra Seeks Texas Approval to Sell Interests in 200-Megawatt Wind Farm

Monarch Wind Holdings LLC asked the Texas Public Utilities Commission to authorize the transfer of its Class B or non-controlling membership interests in Javelina Wind Energy II LLC to Global Energy and Power Infrastructure Fund II L.P., according to the agency’s Oct. 11 notice. Javelina owns a 200-megawatt wind generation facility in Webb County interconnected…

Wisconsin Governor Releases Roadmap for Carbon-Free Electricity by 2050

Southern Power Partners With Royal Caribbean in 200 Megawatt Wind Project to Offset Carbon Emissions

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. signed an agreement with Southern Company’s subsidiary Southern Power for its 200 megawatt Reading wind facility in a bid to offset up to 12 percent of the cruise operator’s emissions, according to an October 11 press release. The project, located in eastern Kansas, was originally developed by Renewable Energy Systems Ltd.…

North Dakota Mulls NextEra Subsidiary's 300 Megawatt Emmons-Logan Wind Energy Center Project

North Dakota Mulls NextEra Subsidiary’s 300 Megawatt Emmons-Logan Wind Energy Center Project, One of Largest in the State

The North Dakota Public Service Commission is reviewing an application by Emmons-Logan Wind LLC, an indirect subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, to build a 298.1 megawatt wind project in the southern part of the state, according to an Oct. 10 notice. An application was filled on July 19 for the 123 wind turbine generators and…

Ørsted to Expand U.S. Offshore Wind Portfolio With $510 Million Acquisition of Deepwater Wind

Ørsted to Expand U.S. Offshore Wind Portfolio With $510 Million Acquisition of Deepwater Wind

Denmark-based Ørsted A/S will buy Deepwater Wind LLC, which owns the first U.S. offshore wind farm, the 30-megawatt Block Island farm off the Rhode Island coast, according to the company’s Oct. 10 press release. Ørsted entered into an agreement with U.S.-based D.E. Shaw Group to buy a 100 percent stake in Deepwater Wind, resulting in…

West Virginia Regulator Orders Cost Adjustments Slashing Gas Bills For 95 Percent of Customers

West Virginia Regulator Orders Cost Adjustments Slashing Gas Bills For 95 Percent of Customers

The West Virginia Public Service Commission announced that customers will benefit from a decrease in the purchased gas portion of natural gas utilities’ rates, according to an Oct. 9 press release. The annual adjustment is an estimate of the prices utilities would pay for gas from November through October of the following year and a…

Trump Nominates McNamee to FERC as Agency Examines Crucial Issues of Pipeline Policy, Resiliency

Trump Nominates McNamee to FERC as Agency Examines Crucial Issues of Pipeline Policy, Resiliency

President Donald Trump nominated Bernard L. McNamee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the term ending June 30, 2020, to fill the vacancy resulting from Commissioner Robert Powelson’s resignation in August, according to an Oct. 9 release from the agency. McNamee currently serves as the Executive Director of the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of…

Expanding Retail Electricity Market Prompts Tighter Oversight From States

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Expanding Retail Electricity Market Prompts Tighter Oversight From States

An increasing number of electricity customers are gaining access to the competitive retail market, giving them a broader range of choices in suppliers of electric power. In a bid to ensure a more competitive and transparent market, states are strengthening rules on marketing by suppliers. Among recent actions, New York is examining the status of cybersecurity in the retail access industry, while Maryland is considering enhancements to the competitive market and customer choice framework.

Duke Energy Plans Microgrid in North Carolina, Envisions $500 Million in Battery Projects in Long-Term Resource Plan

Duke Energy Plans Microgrid in North Carolina, Envisions $500 Million in Battery Projects in Long-Term Resource Plan

Duke Energy Progress LLC asked the North Carolina Utilities Commission to approve its Hot Springs microgrid project consisting of a 2-megawatt solar facility and a 4-megawatt lithium-based battery storage facility in Madison County, according to an Oct. 8 filing with the agency. The company said the project provides an innovative grid solution without the need…