The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement reducing Ameren Missouri’s revenues for electric service by $32 million, starting April 1, according to a March 23 news release. The change will lower residential electric rates by about 1.15 percent. Ameren’s previous rate decrease in 2018 resulted in a six percent rate cut as part of…
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities issued a report on March 20 showing that 447 megawatts of solar capacity came online in 2019, setting a new record for solar installation in a single year. This brings the state’s total capacity to 3,190 megawatts, which represents five percent of its energy needs. The previous record…
The Bureau of Land Management on March 20 released a draft environmental assessment for Yellow Pine Solar LLC‘s 500-megawatt solar generating project spanning about 3,000 acres of public land in Nevada. The review includes analysis of the proposed photovoltaic generation station and ancillary facilities including battery storage, as well as an associated substation and transmission…
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) expanded from nine to ten member states with New Jersey’s re-entry after almost a decade. Virginia’s Clean Economy Act sets the state to link with the compact in 2021, and Pennsylvania is drafting regulations in accordance with a 2019 executive order that commits the state to join the compact.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on March 20 rejected a request by Avista Corp., PacifiCorp, and Puget Sound Energy to recover $15.4 million in replacement power costs associated with the 2018 outage of the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in Montana. The commission found that the companies failed to prove that the costs for obtaining…...
Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced new commitments that resolve California Governor Gavin Newsom’s concerns about the utility’s reorganization to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to a March 20 press release. The commitments, concerning governance, operations, and financial structure, are designed to exit bankruptcy in a timely manner and participate in the state’s wildfire…...
The New York Public Service Commission on March 19 adopted changes to its direct current fast-charging, or DCFC, infrastructure program to allow brand-specific proprietary plugs to qualify for incentives if the charging station also has commonly accepted standardized plug types. The program aims to provide an economic incentive to private sector actors to build out…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on March 20 proposed revisions to its electric transmission incentive policy to spur investment in the infrastructure needed to support the evolving generation mix, increasing number of new resources seeking transmission service, and changes in load patterns. The commission proposes a shift in its incentive analysis to grant incentives based…...
U.S. coal exports dropped to 93 million short tons last year, a 20 percent decline from 2018, according to a March 18 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Exports of steam coal fell by 30 percent while metallurgical coal saw a moderate decline of 12 percent. In 2019, the biggest importers were India, Japan,…...
U.S. biofuel production is projected to grow by 18 percent in 2050, relative to 2019 levels, under the reference case, which reflects current laws and regulations in the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook. The growth is driven largely by economic and policy factors, according to the agency’s March 9 report. In a scenario…...
Solar and wind developers are faced with tough challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts the global supply chain, affecting project timelines. Delays have the potential to threaten power purchase contracts and federal tax credits that are crucial for project economics. The crisis has triggered an economic slowdown as governments take measures to curb the advance of…
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission issued a permit allowing Crowned Ridge Wind II LLC to build a 301-megawatt wind energy facility in Codington, Deuel, and Grant counties, according to a March 18 press release. The $425 million project consists of 132 wind turbines spanning about 70,000 acres east of Watertown. The developer has entered…...
