The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on June 12 authorized a $210 million investment toward Xcel Energy Inc.’s wind repower portfolio. This investment is an effort to support Minnesota’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce carbon emissions by displacing fossil energy sources. The repowering project, Northern Wind, is a build-operate-transfer proposal between the…...
The Michigan Public Service Commission on June 9 approved a partial settlement allowing DTE Electric Co. to increase its voluntary green pricing program by 797 megawatts from 2022-2025 and provide new program offerings to expand access for low-income customers. The voluntary program allows customers to meet a portion of their electricity needs from renewable energy…...
Natural gas exports rose by 13 percent from 2019 to 2020, reaching 5.3 trillion cubic feet, according to a June 7 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Consumption also grew in the U.S. electric power sector, increasing by 3 percent over the same period. Since 2011, 100 coal plants across the U.S. have been…...
The Mississippi Public Service Commission approved the construction of a 200-megawatt wind turbine electric generation facility in Tunica County. The project will be developed by Tunica Wind Power LLC, whose parent company is Vestas—a company based in Denmark, that designs, installs, and services wind turbines having more than 132 GW of wind turbines in 83…...
The U.S. Energy Department on June 9 announced $54 million in critical seed funding for 266 clean energy and climate related projects headed up by small businesses. The awardees encompass 235 small businesses across 42 states for projects focused on proof-of-concept prototypes for technological solutions that could help achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by…
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approved performance incentive mechanisms, scorecards, and metrics as part of its performance-based regulatory framework for the Hawaiian Electric Companies. The framework was created on Dec. 23, 2020, aiming at becoming a system that rewards “utility for exemplary performance,” while reducing utility costs for customers, and moving towards more renewable energy…....
U.S.energy consumption totaled 92.9 quadrillion British thermal units in 2020, a record 7 percent decrease from 2019, according to a June 4 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Renewable energy consumption increased by 2 percent, whereas all other fuels decreased: coal by 19 percent, petroleum by 13 percent, natural gas by 2 percent, and…...
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed legislation on June 8, calling for comprehensive reforms aimed to prevent the recurrence of the mid-February winter storm event that caused widespread power outages across the state. Among the key provisions, the bill addresses winterization of power and gas facilities, establishes a power outage alert system, and establishes…...
The District of Columbia Public Service Commission on June 4 approved a multi-year rate plan for Potomac Electric Power Company, authorizing a revenue increase of $108.6 million spread over three years through 2023. The approval represents a 33 percent reduction from the company’s initial request and includes $11.4 million of shareholder-funded benefits. The rate plan,…...
The U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on May 9 declared a regional emergency in 17 states and the District of Columbia in response to the unexpected shutdown of the Colonial pipeline system, which transports about 45 percent of fuel consumed on the East Coast. On May 7, the pipeline operator said that…...
Dominion Energy Inc. on April 29 announced a solicitation seeking proposals to develop up to 1,000 megawatts of utility-scale solar and onshore wind generation facilities and 100 megawatts of energy storage projects in Virginia. The company issues solicitations annually to procure the resources needed to meet the targets of the 2020 Clean Economy Act, which…...
The Washington legislature on April 24 passed legislation aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by implementing an economy-wide cap-and-invest system. Upon enactment, Washington will become the second state – next to California – to have a comprehensive carbon-pricing program. The state would auction carbon allowances starting in 2023, aligned with the 2030, 2040, and 2050…...