The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $1.4 billion through its electric loan program that will help build and improve nearly 7,000 miles of line to strengthen reliability in rural areas across 21 states, according to a Nov. 1 news release.The spending includes about $256 million for smart grid technologies that use digital communications to…
ISO New England has issued its 10-year power system strategy for the region laying the foundation for long-term power system planning in New England, according to an Oct. 31 filing. The report details power system needs through 2028, and how these can be addressed, discussing three key issues currently affecting the New England grid, namely…
The Virginia State Corporation Commission on Oct. 31 approved Virginia Electric and Power Company’s rate option that allows customers to voluntarily buy renewable energy certificates, or RECs, sourced from a broad range of generation facilities to match all or a portion of their usage. The company proposed to offer the new rate, called “Rider REC,”…
The share of U.S. electricity sales by competitive suppliers increased slightly since 2013 following over a decade of steady growth, according to a Nov. 1 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While customer choice programs use competition to lower power prices and introduce new service products, not all customers pay less for purchasing power through…
The U.S. Energy Department awarded a 20-year contract to ExxonMobil Pipeline Company to operate the Strategic Petroleum Reserve’s two-million-barrel capacity St. James marine terminal and Bayou Choctaw 36-Inch Pipeline, according to an Oct. 28 news release. The new lease, effective Jan. 1, 2020, ends Shell Pipeline Company LP’s 22-year control of the facilities. The St.…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Nov. 1 approved an agreement resolving claims that Calpine Corp. violated the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s reliability standards concerning maintenance and testing of protection systems, which contains certain battery testing requirements, as well as California power market rules relating to forced outages. Texas-based Calpine agreed to the terms…
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on Oct. 30 announced the selection of Mayflower Wind Energy LLC’s 804-megawatt project to negotiate contracts with the state’s electric distribution companies as part of the competitive solicitations required under 2016 legislation, which requires the state to secure 1.6 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2027. Mayflower anticipates long term…
The Rhode Island Distributed-Generation Board submitted its recommendations for the 2020 Renewable Energy Growth Program Year to the Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 23, with proposed changes to classes, tariff term lengths, ceiling prices and the state allocation plan affecting mostly solar and wind generation. Regarding classes, the board proposes to combine the small and…
The California Public Utilities Commission is launching a formal investigation into the recent Public Safety Power Shut-offs (PSPS), utility compliance with CPUC regulations and requirements, as well as series of immediate measures to protect consumers and overhaul the rules governing the mass safety measure, according to an Oct. 28 press release. The regulator is tackling the…
The California Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 28 approved Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s proposal to create a rate class for commercial electric vehicle charging with two new rate schedules for small and large customers. The new rates feature a monthly subscription charge and a time-of-use volumetric rate intended to encourage charging during times of…
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam announced that Virginia entered into a contract with Dominion Energy Inc. to buy 420 megawatts of renewable energy to power state government facilities, according to an Oct. 18 news release. The agreement, which includes four new solar projects and Virginia’s first onshore wind facility, will ensure that state agencies and institutions…
The U.S. Department of Justice on Oct. 23 filed a lawsuit against California for unlawfully entering into a cap-and-trade agreement with the Canadian Province of Quebec in 2013. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, claims that the agreement interferes with foreign policy and the federal government’s full and…