The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Oct. 17 largely approved plans filed by PJM Interconnection LLC and Southwest Power Pool Inc. addressing electric storage participation in their wholesale markets. The orders mark the agency’s first move to implement the landmark Order No. 841, which directed grid operators to establish a market model that recognizes the…
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced his resignation on Oct. 17 amid a Democratic-led impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s actions to pressure the Ukraine government to investigate his political opponent Joe Biden. The Energy Department wrote to House Committees that it would not comply with a subpoena demanding Ukraine-related documents, arguing that the House…
The West Virginia Public Service Commission on Oct. 16 issued final revisions to regulations governing net metering, ruling that customer generators will receive retail rate credit for grid-exported energy, provided that the rate credits do not reduce the bill below the fixed monthly minimum plus any separate charge for the incremental cost of connection. The commission…
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Oct. 15 proposed to calculate the small refinery exemptions for 2020 under the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, program based on a three-year average of the relief recommended by the Energy Department. The biofuel industry criticized the proposal for failing to meet the Oct. 4 agreement with the Trump…
The U.S. Energy Department authorized Venture Global Plaquemines LNG LLC to export liquefied natural gas equivalent to 3.4 billion cubic feet per day from its proposed export facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana to countries with non-free trade agreement for a term of 20 years, according to an Oct. 16 order. With this project, the agency…
The Northern Indiana Public Service Company LLC on Oct. 1 issued a request for proposals for 2,600 megawatts of solar, wind, and storage to satisfy a 2023 capacity need identified in its integrated resource plan, which proposes to phase out coal-fired generation by 2028. The company is requesting proposals in three areas: 300 megawatts of…
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority released the the NYStretch Energy Code 2020 toolkit, which aims to aid municipalities interested in voluntarily adopting higher efficiency standards for new and renovated building construction projects, according to an October 10 press release. The toolkit includes one-page fact sheets describing NYStretch and its benefits, a step-by-step adoption guide…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Oct. 11 issued a stay of permits issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Mountain Valley Gas pipeline. The order comes on the heels of the company’s agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia to pay over $2 million in penalty and submit…
Dominion Energy is seeking state approval in Virginia to deploy the nation’s largest electric school bus program, starting with 50 buses in 2020, then adding 200 per year for the next 5 years, according to an October 10 press release from PJM Interconnection LLC, the grid operator. Dominion expects to spend $13.5 million replacing the first 50…
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued a final order on Oct. 7 approving National Grid’s electric rate request, with a $41.8 million or 32 percent cut to the company’s original application for a $132.2 million hike. Regulators also approved performance-based ratemaking proposals, storm cost recovery and a limited part of the company’s aggressive electric vehicle…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a report on Oct. 4 finding that most of the cyber security protection processes and procedures adopted by registered entities of the bulk power system met the mandatory requirements of the Critical Infrastructure Protection, or CIP, Reliability Standards during fiscal year 2019. The report, based on audits of registered…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 7 approved Xcel Energy Inc.’s subscription pilot for electric vehicle charging services for residential ratepayers. The program, which intends to make the energy-related costs of operating electric cars more predictable, allows customers to charge the vehicle for a flat monthly fee for a two-year period, instead of paying for…
