The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved the winter reconnect order, which is designed to help Ohioans reconnect or maintain electric and natural gas service during the winter heating season between Oct. 14, 2019 and April 15, 2020, according to a Sept. 11 press release. Under the order, any customer of a PUCO-regulated electric…
The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement that resolves a number of long-standing contract issues between Consumers Energy Co. and qualified independent power producers in five separate cases, according to a September 11 press release. In June, the commission approved a settlement in Consumers’ integrated resource plan that included a new Public Utility…
The Michigan Public Service Commission released a report on September 11 called Statewide Energy Assessment, which Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer requested in the aftermath of an energy emergency earlier this year. In late January 2019, an extreme cold weather event combined with a fire at a major compressor station created an energy emergency in Michigan that challenged the…
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on Sept. 5 proposed to add 800 megawatts to the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, program, which is fast approaching its current 1.6-gigawatt target. The declining block program was launched last November to provide a long-term, sustainable solar incentive solution.The agency proposed several revisions to the initiative as…
Republican Governor Christopher Sununu signed legislation on Sept. 11 prohibiting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in state waters. New Hampshire joins California, New Jersey, Maine, and Oregon that have enacted similar measures in response to the Trump administration’s plan to open vast amounts of coastal waters to drilling activities. The bill bans the lease…
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority of Connecticut issued a draft decision on Sept. 9 conditionally approving the request of The United Illuminating Company to enter into a power purchase agreement with NuPower Bridgeport FC, LLC for a combined heat and power district energy project in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas expects nearly 84,000 megawatts of resource capacity to be available to meet a projected peak demand of 61,034 megawatts for the upcoming fall season from October through November, according to a Sept. 9 news release. The final assessment for the fall season includes 1,198 megawatts of planned capacity based…
Northern States Power Company, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy has submitted an application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to acquire, own and operate the 98.9 megawatt Mower County wind facility, which is owned by NextEra Energy Inc., according to an August 30 filling. In 2006, Xcel entered into a 20-year Renewable Energy Purchase Agreement with FPL Energy…
Southern California Edison Company asked the California Public Utilities Commission to authorize a revenue requirement of $7.6 billion to become effective January 1, 2021, according to an Aug. 30 filing. The request represents an increase of nearly $1.3 billion, or 20.1 percent, in 2021 over currently authorized and requested base rates, including sales reductions and…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission opened a proceeding on Sept. 3 to revise consumer protection standards for electric and gas utilities in accordance with legislation enacted in the 2019 session. The measure amends rules addressing service standards for utilities, billing practices, record keeping, and customer complaints. In May, the state passed three bills amending rules…
Democratic Governor Ned Lamont on sept. 3 signed an executive order directing the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to evaluate pathways and recommend strategies to transition to 100 percent carbon-free power by 2040. The order expands the responsibility of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change, or GC3, which was tasked with developing strategies…
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the New York Department of Public Service to broaden its probe into National Grid’s gas connection moratorium and take action to ensure that the company immediately provides gas to customers who were improperly denied service, according to an Aug. 28 news release. Cuomo also directed the department to impose penalties…