New York Governor Kathy Hochul on July 28 announced the rollout of a $567 million COVID-19 bill credit program to help low-income electric and gas utility customers settle accrued bills incurred during the recent pandemic. The credit will reflect on customers’ August bills. Over 327,000 low-income customers are expected to directly benefit from the program…....
The U.S. Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office has closed a $102.1 million loan to Syrah Technologies LLC for the development of its Syrah Vidalia Facility. This marks the first loan from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing, or ATVM, Loan program in over a decade, and the first such loan entirely for a supply chain manufacturing…...
U.S. utility-scale battery capacity grew by 229 percent between 2020 and 2021, reaching 4.6 gigawatts, according to a July 27 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Battery power capacity more than tripled during 2021, with more than 93 percent of the installations co-located with solar power plants. U.S. Utility Battery System Application: To better…...
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority on July 27 issued its third offshore wind solicitation seeking at least 2,000 megawatts of the new generation capable of powering about 1.5 million homes and associated offshore renewable energy certificates. The solicitation includes the first phase of a $500 million investment in offshore wind ports,…...
U.S. Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office has announced a provisional pledge to Ultium Cells LLC for a $2.5 billion loan to aid the financing of new-found lithium-ion battery cell production plants in Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan. The three plants are expected to bring economic prosperity into their respective states and are likely to create 6,000…...
The Iowa Utilities Board on July 26 granted certificates for Duane Arnold Solar Projects, pending approval from the Linn County Board of Supervisors. The certificates authorize Duane Arnold Solar LLC and Duane Arnold Solar II LLC to use a public resource within an area. On the back of this, the project proposes to use photovoltaic…...
The U.S. produced 21,000 pounds of uranium concentrate last year, which is less than one percent of the 2014 production of 4.9 million pounds, the highest since 2000, according to a July 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Uranium is the fuel that is widely used by nuclear power plants for nuclear fission…....
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) board of directors on July 25 approved the largest portfolio of transmission projects in the grid operator’s footprint, authorizing $10.3 billion worth of long-range transmission plan, or LRTP, projects to ensure grid reliability during the clean energy transition. The LRTP transmission projects are expected to enhance system performance to…...
The Oregon Public Utility Commission has announced that the state’s electric utilities have filed plans to mitigate and prevent wildfire risk in the region. The plans are the first to be filed in response to legislation enacted in August 2021 requiring utilities to identify high-risk areas within their service territory and reduce those risks. The…
The evolving retail electricity marketplace has prompted reforms to strengthen customer protections and expand options to access clean energy while addressing reliability concerns.
The Illinois Commerce Commission on July 22 directed Ameren to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the company’s continued membership in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) versus joining the PJM Interconnection. MISO’s failure to fulfil resource demand in a capacity auction for the period June 2022-May 2023 triggered rising wholesale prices and utility bills…...