The New York Public Service Commission on May 14 authorized an additional $573 million in funding for the NY-Sun initiative and extended the term of the program to support the state’s goal of achieving 6 gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025. The state is approaching the attainment of the initiative’s original goal of 3 gigawatts…...
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on May 14 issued a final rule to update regulations for oil and gas operations in the central and western Gulf of Mexico and the area off the North Slope Borough of Alaska. The changes do not relax any air pollution standards, but make technical and…...
Oil and gas regulators across U.S. states are weighing measures to address the sudden oversupply of oil under the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in an unprecedented drop in demand for oil.
The U.S. Energy Department on May 14 announced the launch of the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which will provide $160 million initial funding for two reactors to be operational in the next five to seven years. The program will establish cost-shared partnerships with U.S. industry to expedite the demonstration of advanced nuclear reactors. The funding…...
U.S. coal shipments to the power sector declined for their fifth straight year in 2019, down to the lowest value, according to a May 12 report from the Energy Information Administration. Nearly 70 percent of coal delivered to the U.S. electricity sector last year was transported completely or in part by rail. Coal delivery costs, which…...
The New York Public Service Commission on May 14 opened a proceeding to implement the provisions of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act with regard to distribution and transmission upgrades and capital expenditures needed to meet the state’s clean energy goals. The law established a new siting office to streamline permitting for…...
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection on May 11 granted a permit allowing Central Maine Power Company to build its New England Clean Energy Connect, a transmission project designed to deliver up to 1.2 gigawatts of Canadian hydropower into the Northeast. The proposed 145-mile high-voltage power line would cross western Maine to supply Massachusetts with…...
The U.S. Energy Department on May 14 released a request for proposals to buy up to one million barrels of sweet crude oil produced by domestic producers amid an unprecedented drop in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The oil will be delivered to Strategic Petroleum Reserve sites located in Bayou Choctaw, Big Hill, and…...
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on May 11 approved the Gemini Solar Project, a proposed 690-megawatt facility, located about 33 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The $1 billion project, which includes 380 megawatts of battery storage, is expected to be the eighth largest in the world. The project will serve NV Energy…...
The U.S. Agriculture Department on May 5 issued a notice of funding of up to $100 million in competitive grants for projects designed to boost the sale and use of renewable fuels under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program, or HBIIP. The initiative will offer cost-share grants of up to 50 percent of project costs,…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on May 8 issued a policy statement providing guidance on the agency’s response to the effects of the COVID-19 mitigation measures on oil pipelines. The commission said it will act expeditiously on requests for certain temporary waivers or extensions of time for compliance with certain regulations. The commission said it…...
U.S. coal-fired generation dropped by 16 percent last year, reaching 966,000 gigawatt-hours, the lowest since 1976, according to a May 11 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The decrease was largely driven by increased output from natural gas-fired plants and wind generation facilities. Lower power demand in 2019 also contributed to the fall in…...
