The Ohio Power Siting Board on May 21 issued a certificate allowing Icebreaker Wind Inc. to construct a 20.7- megawatt offshore wind demonstration project in Lake Erie, subject to 33 conditions. The order includes a condition that the turbines remain feathered during nighttime hours from March 1 to November 1, in order to mitigate the…...
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska on May 18 opened a proceeding to establish certification standards for regional electric reliability organizations, or EROs, and create a regulatory framework to oversee them. The move stems from legislation enacted in March that authorized the commission to certify EROs and define their duties including submission of integrated resource plans,…...
Wild Springs Solar LLC filed an application with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for a permit to build a 128-megawatt solar project in eastern Pennington County, according to a May 22 notice. The project will serve Basin Electric Power Cooperative under a 15-year power purchase agreement, starting in 2022 to help the cooperative meet…...
The California Public Utilities Commission on May 15 issued a decision adopting a new standard offer contract for independent electricity generators of up to 20 megawatts seeking to sell their power to regulated utilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act 1978, or PURPA. The commission established a contract length of 12 years for new…...
The New York Public Service Commission on May 14 authorized an additional $573 million in funding for the NY-Sun initiative and extended the term of the program to support the state’s goal of achieving 6 gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025. The state is approaching the attainment of the initiative’s original goal of 3 gigawatts…...
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on May 14 issued a final rule to update regulations for oil and gas operations in the central and western Gulf of Mexico and the area off the North Slope Borough of Alaska. The changes do not relax any air pollution standards, but make technical and…...
The U.S. Energy Department on May 14 announced the launch of the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which will provide $160 million initial funding for two reactors to be operational in the next five to seven years. The program will establish cost-shared partnerships with U.S. industry to expedite the demonstration of advanced nuclear reactors. The funding…...
U.S. coal shipments to the power sector declined for their fifth straight year in 2019, down to the lowest value, according to a May 12 report from the Energy Information Administration. Nearly 70 percent of coal delivered to the U.S. electricity sector last year was transported completely or in part by rail. Coal delivery costs, which…...
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on May 15 denied a water quality permit for Williams Co.’s Northeast Supply Enhancement Project. The $1 billion project is designed to provide about 400,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas capacity to National Grid. The department determined that the project would not meet the state’s rigorous…...
The New York Public Service Commission on May 14 opened a proceeding to implement the provisions of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act with regard to distribution and transmission upgrades and capital expenditures needed to meet the state’s clean energy goals. The law established a new siting office to streamline permitting for…...
National Grid released a report on May 8 supplementing its long-term capacity analysis issued earlier this year on natural gas capacity constraints in Downstate New York and available options for meeting long-term demand. The supplemental report incorporates feedback received from six public meetings, as well as the changing conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The…...
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection on May 11 granted a permit allowing Central Maine Power Company to build its New England Clean Energy Connect, a transmission project designed to deliver up to 1.2 gigawatts of Canadian hydropower into the Northeast. The proposed 145-mile high-voltage power line would cross western Maine to supply Massachusetts with…...
