U.S. Court Upholds New England Capacity Market Exemptions For State-Sponsored Renewables

NextEra Seeks FERC Action to Protect Renewable Contracts as PG&E Faces Bankruptcy

NextEra Energy Inc. and NextEra Energy Partners L.P on Jan. 18 asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order that Pacific Gas and Electric Company may not reject its wholesale contracts in bankruptcy without the federal regulator’s approval. PG&E announced it will file for bankruptcy protection on or about Jan. 29 as it faces billions…...

AEP Seeks New Wind Power Proposals After $4.5 Billion Plan Fails

AEP Seeks New Wind Power Proposals After $4.5 Billion Plan Fails

Southwestern Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of American Electric Power Company Inc., issued a request for proposals for 1.2 gigawatts of wind energy that would come online by Dec. 15, 2021, according to a Jan. 9 filing with the Louisiana Public Service Commission. The move comes six months after the company scrapped a $4.5-billion wind…...

California Grid Operator Set to Launch Reliability Services Across West

California Grid Operator Set to Launch Reliability Services Across West

The California Independent System Operator Corporation finalized agreements to provide reliability coordinating services for 32 electricity balancing authorities and transmission operators across the west, according to a Jan. 14 press release. Following a year of planning and coordination, the ISO said it will now focus on technology and system integration to implement the service by July 1…....

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

Minnesota Regulator Adopts Process to Implement Performance-Based Rates

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Jan. 8 established a procedure to determine goals and metrics for Xcel Energy Inc.’s performance-based rates. The commission adopted the Office of Attorney General’s recommendation which outlines a “goals-outcomes-metrics process” as an effective method to gather stakeholder input and develop performance metrics. The possible outcomes identified include affordability, reliability,…

Electric Car Charging Stations

Maryland Regulator Authorizes Utilities to Install 5,000 Electric Car Charging Stations

The Maryland Public Service Commission approved a five-year electric vehicle charging program for the state’s largest utilities, taking a major step towards its ambitious goal of putting 300,000 electric vehicles on roadways by 2025, according to a Jan. 14 press release. The order permits utilities to own a limited number of public charging stations, in…

Grid Operators Set to Expand Opportunities for Energy Storage in Wholesale Markets

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Grid Operators Set to Expand Opportunities for Energy Storage in Wholesale Markets

Regional grid operators have filed proposals to comply with the first federal directive for broader participation of the technology in regional wholesale power markets. The California system operator is already compliant with majority of the requirements, with a market design that FERC has cited as an example for integrating storage resources. New York grid operator’s proposal poses limitations, such as lack of dual participation in wholesale and retail markets, amidst the state’s efforts to advance an ambitious 3-gigawatt goal for storage.

PG&E to Seek Bankruptcy Protection Amid Wildfire Liability

PG&E to Seek Bankruptcy Protection Amid Wildfire Liability

PG&E Corporation announced it intends to reorganize under Chapter 11 of the U.S. bankruptcy code as it faces billions of dollars in potential liability resulting from the 2017 and 2018 Northern California wildfires, according to a Jan. 14 press release. The move comes a day after Geisha Williams stepped down as CEO. The company said…...

U.S. Energy Department to Invest $88 Million in Oil, Gas Recovery Projects

U.S. Energy Department to Invest $88 Million in Oil, Gas Recovery Projects

The U.S. Energy Department announced funding for cost-shared research and development projects aimed to improve technologies used for oil and natural gas recovery, according to a Jan. 10 press release. The Initiative intends to further the technology and innovation that resulted in the shale revolution, which has transformed the U.S. energy landscape. The agency said…

California Begins Process to Determine Wildfire Cost Recovery Amid PG&E’s Troubles

California Begins Process to Determine Wildfire Cost Recovery Amid PG&E’s Troubles

The California Public Utilities Commission on Jan. 10 opened a docket to implement the provisions of Senate Bill 901 enacted last year, allowing utilities to pass some of their costs to ratepayers. The commission said it will adopt a methodology for wildfire cost recovery, but will not adopt any specific financial outcome for future applications…....

Power Suppliers Seek Supreme Court Review of State Nuclear Subsidies

Power Suppliers Seek Supreme Court Review of State Nuclear Subsidies

The Electric Power Suppliers Association on Jan. 7 filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review appellate court rulings that upheld zero-emission credit programs designed to support financially struggling nuclear plants in New York and Illinois. The organization argues that the subsidy programs infringe on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s jurisdiction over wholesale…...

Dominion Energy Seeks $114 Million Rate Hike to Fund Environmental Projects

Dominion Energy Seeks $114 Million Rate Hike to Fund Environmental Projects

The Virginia Electric and Power Company filed a rate adjustment clause proposing a revenue requirement of $113.6 million to recover the costs of complying with state and federal environmental regulations for the 2019 rate year starting Nov. 1 and ending Oct. 31, 2020, according to a Jan. 10 press release from the Virginia State Corporation…