The Florida Public Service Commission on March 5 accepted Tampa Electric Company’s opt-out tariff for customers who wish to retain their existing analog meter instead of a smart meter. The company anticipates about 0.2 percent of customers to opt out of the initiative, after reviewing experiences with other utilities that have implemented advanced metering programs…....
The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement allowing Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, to own and operate a 157-megawatt wind generation project to be built in Atchison County, according to a March 6 press release. The proposed Brickyard Hills Wind Facility, to be developed by EDF Renewables North America, is expected to come…...
The U.S. Energy Department authorized Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LLC to export liquefied natural gas equivalent to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day from its proposed export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana to non-free trade agreement countries for a term of 20 years, according to a March 5 order. With this project, the agency has…...
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio accepted the results of AEP Ohio’s wholesale power auction which resulted in six winning bidders and an average clearing price of $46.63 per megawatt hour (MWh), according to a March 6 press release. The auction, held on March 5, 2019, will be combined with previous results to set the…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 26 approved terms for a 10-year contract for Three Rivers Solar Power LLC’s project, the winning proposal among seven bids submitted in response to the agency’s solicitation last July. The commission also directed its staff and Emera Inc. subsidiary Emera Maine to finalize a contract with the project…...
Wyoming lawmakers on Feb. 27 approved legislation that would establish a process for the sale coal-fired power plants, which would otherwise be retired. The bill would require utilities to look for buyers before attempting to close coal generators, and buy back power from the plants if they are sold. (SF 159) Under the bill, utilities…
The U.S. Energy Department on March 4 announced funding for its H2@Scale Initiative, which is focused on wide-scale hydrogen production and utilization across multiple energy sectors to support resilience in power generation and transmission. The agency identified affordability, reliability, and performance of emerging hydrogen and fuel cell technologies as the main challenges to the concept. The…
Democratic Governor Tim Walz announced a proposal that would require the state’s utilities to source all of their electricity from carbon-free resources by 2050, allowing them to set their own pace to meet the goal, according to a March 4 press release from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Under the plan, titled “One Minnesota Path…
Pacific Gas & Electric is including an $11.5 billion pre-tax charge related to third-party claims in connection with devastating wildfires that hit the state in the last two years, according to financial data released on Feb. 28. The battered utility admits that based on information currently available, it is “probable” that its equipment will ultimately be determined to have…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 26 issued a final rule amending its regulations governing public utility mergers and consolidations. The rule requires transactions with a value above $10 million to be first authorized by the commission before consummation. For transactions valued below that threshold but above $1 million, utilities do not have to…
The Public Service Company of Oklahoma reached a proposed settlement seeking a revenue increase of $46 million, down from the originally requested $88 million, according to a Feb. 27 press release by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The settlement would raise monthly residential electric bills by about $2.38 compared to an increase of $7 that would…...
Exports of fuel ethanol, the most common biofuel consumed both domestically and globally, will fall to an average of 90,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2019 and 2020 after they peaked at nearly 110,000 b/d in 2018 driven by record exports to Brazil, according to the Energy Information Administration’s February 2019 Shot-Term Energy Outlook. The agency expects that several…
