The spread of advanced meters across the U.S. has come a long way, with over half of the nation's 152 million electricity consumers now hooked up to the devices. But further deployment of the technology, seen critical for a more responsive and reliable grid, is at risk amid heightened scrutiny from regulators, who are increasingly bowing to concerns over the costs to consumers.
The Retail Energy Supply Association expressed support for a market-determined price for solar renewable energy certificates, or SRECs, in New Jersey’s successor program, as the state transitions to a new distributed solar regime. In its comments filed with the the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on March 5, the group said that the alternative…...
Dominion Energy Inc. is due to make a decision by March 15 on whether or not to retire the 2,100-megawatt Millstone nuclear plant. Despite securing the ability to compete for long-term contracts with other zero-carbon resources such as wind and solar, the biggest zero-emission power plant in the region may be forced to close if…
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…...
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…
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 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Feb. 26 that it will not revise the existing standard for sulfur dioxide, a harmful pollutant emitted from coal-fired power plants and industrial sources, citing scientific evidence that found the current limits sufficient to protect public health. The existing standard, established in 2010 under the Obama administration, is 75…
The eighteenth quarterly carbon auction held by California and Quebec sold all 80,847,404 carbon permits offered for current emissions at $15.73, above the floor price of $15.62, according to the results released on Feb. 27 by the California Air Resources Board. The auction sold about 66 percent of the permits offered for 2022 emissions at…...
Southern California Gas Company will pay $119.5 million to compensate for the methane emissions from a major gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility in October 2015, according to a Feb. 25 press release from the California Air Resources Board. The settlement, approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court, will fully mitigate the 109,000 metric…
The Connecticut Light and Power Company submitted its final procurement plan for the approval of 15-year contracts to purchase class I renewable energy credits from renewable energy projects in the state, totaling $2.83 million per year in contract commitments from low emissions renewable energy projects and $5.6million per year for medium and large zero emission projects. The company’s Year…
The Georgia Public Service Commission on Feb. 19 announced its approval of $526.4 million in construction expenses incurred by Georgia Power Company in the first half of 2018 for the Vogtle expansion project. The agency said the authorization does not deem the expenditure to be prudent, and is only an acknowledgement that the company has…...
