The Virginia State Corporations Commission on Jan. 7 approved the second phase of the Grid Transformation Plan proposed by Dominion Energy Inc. for the years 2022 and 2023. The approved phase II is focused on a set of projects aimed at accommodating the growing participation of distributed energy resources promoted by recent policy developments. Virginia’s Clean…...
U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Nov.15, unlocking $62 billion for U.S. Energy Department initiatives, including revitalizing domestic manufacturing, expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy, modernizing the power grid, and advancing next-generation technologies. Among the major provisions, the legislation allocates $6 billion for a Civilian…...
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Aug 4 approved new rules for advanced meter infrastructure, following a two-year rulemaking process. The regulations require investor-owned utilities employing residential smart meters to focus on customer data privacy and service continuity. Customers are allowed to opt-out of smart meters. Smart meters are critical to grid modernization as…...
U.S. President Donald Trump on May 1 issued an executive order prohibiting the acquisition or installation of bulk-power system equipment in which a foreign country has an interest if the transaction raises national security concerns. The move aims to protect the system from foreign adversaries that are increasingly creating and exploiting the vulnerabilities of the…...
The Virginia State Corporation Commission on March 26 rejected portions of Dominion Energy Inc.’s grid transformation plan including a $752 million proposal to deploy smart meters over the next decade. The agency found that Dominion failed to justify its smart meter proposal with a well-crafted plan including rate design that would maximize the potential for…...
Senators Lisa Murkowski, a Republican representing Alaska, and Joe Manchin, a Democrat representing West Virginia, unveiled a bipartisan legislative package on Feb. 27 that compiles more than 50 energy-related measures reported by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. The comprehensive bill supports innovative energy technologies covering a range of topics including energy efficiency,…
The U.S. Energy Department has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense on a new Energy Sector Pathfinder initiative to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation in proactively addressing cyber threats to critical energy infrastructure, according to a Feb. 3 news release. The initiative aims to advance information sharing, enhance training and education regarding…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved two reliability standards developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to enhance transmission planning and cybersecurity, according to a Jan. 23 news release. The commission also accepted NERC’s performance assessment, endorsing the continued work of the corporation, now in its 13th year as the Electric Reliability Organization. In…
The New York State Public Service Commission adopted new cybersecurity and data privacy requirements for third-party energy suppliers and companies that electronically receive and exchange utility housed customer data, according to an Oct. 17 press release. The commission’s decision is directed at the state’s utilities and third-party energy suppliers with standards that ensure customer data remains…
The Michigan Public Service Commission is proposing to amend rules governing the technical standards for gas service for utilities under the Commission’s jurisdiction, including cybersecurity measures, according to an Oct. 17 press release. The proposed rules reflect new technologies in the area of metering, equipment inspections and tests as well as removing references to obsolete…
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 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…