A coalition of investor-owned utilities and renewable energy developers on Nov. 11 asked the Maine Public Utilities Commission for temporary rule changes to resolve issues arising from the growth in interconnection activity after the state passed a law in June that expands opportunities to invest in solar power and distributed generation. The legislation led to…
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo notified National Grid plc of the state’s intent to revoke the company’s license to operate its gas franchise, following its inability to provide reliable natural gas supply, according to a Nov. 12 press release. The company’s failure to plan for supply needs is evident from its own explanation that it denied…
The California Public Utilities Commission voted to authorize the procurement of 3.3 gigawatts of new, non-emitting electricity resources by 2023 to forestall potential resource adequacy shortages starting in 2021, according to a Nov. 7 news release. The order also seeks to keep some natural-gas-fired power plants open past their current 2020 closure dates by recommending…
U.S. President Donald Trump formally nominated Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to head the Energy Department, according to a Nov. 7 press release. If confirmed by the Senate, Brouillette will replace current Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who announced his resignation last month amid scrutiny for his involvement in the administration’s interactions with Ukraine. The Ukraine…
PJM Interconnection LLC and its members are prepared to meet the forecasted winter electricity demand across 13 states and the District of Columbia, according to a Nov. 7 press release. The nation’s largest grid operator forecasts peak demand at around 134,000 megawatts this winter compared to the grid operator’s all-time winter peak of 143,434 megawatts, which…
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has approved annual changes to the fixed cost adjustment for Avista natural gas customers, according to a Nov. 6 press release. According to the company, an average residential natural gas customer using 61 therms per month will see their monthly bills increase from $45.67 to $46.72, an increase of $1.05…
The amount of natural gas held in storage in 2019 went from a relatively low value of 1,155 billion cubic feet at the beginning of April to 3,724 billion cubic feet at the end of October because of near-record injection activity during the natural gas injection, or refill, season, which goes from April 1 to…
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. expects more than 82,000 megawatts of resource capacity to be available to meet the system-wide projected peak demand of 62,257 megawatts for the upcoming winter season from December through February 2020, according to a Nov. 7 announcement. The final resource adequacy assessment for winter season 2019-20 includes 136…
East Bay Community Energy, Peninsula Clean Energy, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, and municipal utility Silicon Valley Power on Nov. 5 issued a request for proposals for about 33 megawatts of behind-the-meter battery projects to protect their customers and communities from Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s massive fire-prevention power outages. The entities noted that the growing threat…
A coalition of 16 attorneys general and the City of New York on Nov. 4 filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Energy Department’s final rule that reversed the 2017 expansion of energy efficiency standards for certain light bulbs. The group, led by California and New York, argues that the reversal enacts a less stringent standard…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 5 voted to authorize a contract for the 12-megawatt Maine Aqua Ventus project, the first deep-water offshore wind facility in the U.S. to feature a floating platform. A measure enacted in June directed regulators to approve a long-term power purchase agreement between the University of Maine-led initiative and…
The California Air Resources Board on Nov. 4 announced that all entities subject to the cap-trade emissions reduction system met their compliance requirements in 2018, which marks the first year of the program’s final three-year compliance period. Businesses covered by the program account for about 80 percent of the state’s emissions. The agency also reported…
