The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 20 issued a series of orders to narrow the resources exempt from the New York grid operator’s buyer-side market power mitigation rules. The agency dismissed a complaint from the Public Service Commission and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority seeking an exemption for electric storage…
The U.S. Agriculture Department on Feb. 20 announced a goal to boost biofuel production efficiency and competitiveness to achieve market-driven blend rates of 30 percent of transportation fuels by 2050. The goal is part of a department-wide initiative, which aims to increase farm production by 40 percent, while cutting the sector’s environmental footprint by 50…
The North Dakota Public Service Commission on Feb. 19 granted a permit allowing Energy Transfer Partners to add a pump station designed to increase the capacity of its Dakota Access Pipeline from 600,000 barrels per day to up to 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day. The 1,172-mile pipeline, which has been operating since…
Utility-scale wind generators accounted for 70 percent of the 3.1 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in Michigan last year, according to a Feb. 18 report by the state’s Public Service Commission. Across the state, new wind and solar projects are expected to add more than one gigawatt of new, utility-scale electricity generation in 2020 and…
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources endorsed the long-term contracts executed by the state’s electric distribution companies to procure offshore wind power from Mayflower Wind Energy LLC ‘s 804-megawatt project, citing net benefits of about $2.4 billion to ratepayers over the 20-year term. The wind generation output and renewable energy certificates from the project will…
The U.S. Energy Department plans to invest in a five-year research program focused on producing fuels from sunlight, according to a Feb. 19 news release. The agency will establish one large or two smaller energy innovation hubs, which are “integrated multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research teams” to accelerate the fundamental scientific breakthroughs needed to enable solar fuel…
PacifiCorp filed a general rate revision with the Oregon Public Utilities Commission, seeking an increase of about $78 million for its electric services and recovery of about $17.3 million related to the early closure of Unit 4 of the 395-megawatt Cholla coal power plant, according to a Feb. 14 filing. The company’s proposal to amortize…
The U.S. is projected to export more crude oil and petroleum combined than it imports until 2050, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2020. In two scenarios, one with more oil and gas supply and the other with higher oil prices, the agency expects the nation to become a net exporter…
The NY Green Bank’s fourth quarter of 2019 was the strongest to date, adding nearly $118 million to its portfolio, according to a Feb. 14 announcement. With portfolio commitments exceeding $909 million, the bank has spurred $2.4 billion in clean energy investments. The bank was established in 2013 to alleviate market barriers, motivating private sector…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission issued a request for proposals from renewable generation resources for the sale of energy or renewable energy credits, according to a Feb. 14 news release. The move stems from legislation enacted in 2019 directing the commission to conduct two competitive solicitations for long-term procurement contracts for an amount of energy…
Vineyard Wind LLC no longer expects its 800-megawatt offshore project to begin commercial operation in 2022, according to a Feb. 11 announcement, after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management updated the permitting schedule for the project. The revised schedule indicates that the final environmental review will be issued on Nov. 13, later than what was…
The U.S. Energy Department authorized liquefied natural gas exports from Annova LNG Common Infrastructure LLC, Rio Grande LNG LLC, Texas LNG Brownsville LLC, and Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage III LLC for a total volume equivalent to up to 6.75 billion cubic feet per day, according to a Feb. 10 news release. The export capacity of…
