Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corp., announced an agreement to buy a 157-MW wind generation facility to be built in northern Missouri, according to the company’s Oct. 22 press release. The proposed Brickyard Hill wind project, to be developed by EDF Renewable Energy Inc., is expected to come online in 2020. The acquisition is subject…
Virginia is striding towards a clean energy future by paving the way for faster and larger deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Grid Transformation and Security Act of 2018 declares that 5,000 megawatts of solar and wind energy are in the public interest, making it easier for these projects get regulatory approval. The state’s 10-year energy plan emphasizes grid modernization and innovative technologies, setting goals for renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. on Dec. 3 proposed revisions to facilitate deeper integration of energy storage resources across its region. The grid operator proposed a new electric storage resource category providing unique modeling, offer parameters, operating limitations, and settlement provisions that recognize the characteristics of energy storage resources. MISO said that the filing…
The New York Public Service Commission on Dec. 13 set an energy storage target of 3,000 megawatts by 2030 pursuant to legislation enacted last year, with an interim goal of 1,500 megawatt by 2025. The new storage target is the most ambitious nationwide compared to California’s goal of 1,300 megawatts by 2020 and New Jersey’s recently adopted target of…
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management auctioned three leases off Massachusetts’ coast earmarked for the development of offshore wind farms, reaping a record-breaking $405-million, according to a Dec. 14 press release. The bureau sold commercial wind energy leases comprising nearly 390,000 acres, which are expected to support about 4.1 gigawatts of power. Out of 11 bidders,…
The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, in a Dec. 12 decision, found that the state’s local distribution companies took a prudent approach to managing their gas supply portfolio during the 2013 to 2016 winter seasons and properly met their “supplier-of-last-resort” or SOLR obligations. The agency analyzed data for the peak demand days from the three…
The Bureau of Land Management’s quarterly oil and gas lease sale in Utah generated net proceeds of $3.04 million drawing bids for 96 of 105 parcels offered, according to a Dec. 12 press release. The sale excluded 116 parcels following a court ruling in September by the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho…
The U.S. Energy Department will partner with the University of Kentucky to explore breakthrough energy storage technologies in the second phase of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, the agency’s innovation hub dedicated to battery science. Established in 2012, the mission of the hub is to create next-generation technologies that can transform the transportation…
The Virginia Corporation Commission on Dec. 7 directed Dominion Energy Inc. to refile its 2018 integrated resource plan finding that the company failed to establish that the proposal is reasonable and in the public interest. The commission found that the plan includes resources that were not subject to modeling on a least-cost basis. The company…
The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 10 passed legislation that would authorize offshore wind energy development in the exclusive economic zone adjacent to all five U.S. territories extending 200 nautical miles seaward, while state waters extending 3 nautical miles would continue to remain under territorial jurisdiction. The bill would provide each territory with state-equivalent…
PJM Interconnection LLC filed revisions with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for market rules that would provide greater flexibility for energy storage resources participating in the wholesale market to manage system operations when charging, discharging or providing continuous electrical service across their full dispatchable range. PJM said the proposal includes modifications, where necessary, to the capacity, energy…
The New York Independent System Operator Inc. on Dec. 7 released a plan outlining a design to internalize the social cost of carbon dioxide emissions in the wholesale electricity markets. The plan would use a carbon price in dollars per ton of emissions, proposing a net cost of $40.74 per ton in 2020. The proposal would require suppliers to include the charges in their energy offers, allowing the price to…
