The Electric Reliability Council of Texas forecasts the reserve margin for summer 2020 to be 10.6 percent, based on resource updates provided to the grid operator from generation developers and an updated peak demand forecast, according to a Dec. 5 press release. The grid operator released its December Capacity, Demand and Reserves (CDR) Report which includes planning reserve…
The Michigan Public Service Commission accepted portions of Upper Peninsula Power Company’s integrated resource plan, including a 125-megawatt solar power contract as the lowest-cost energy supply option, according to a Dec. 6 news release. The agency recommended removal of the company’s proposal to build a 20-megawatt natural gas-fired unit, and called for a more robust…
Venting and flaring of U.S. natural gas reached its highest average annual level of 1.28 billion cubic feet per day in 2018, with North Dakota and Texas accounting for 82 percent of the amount, according to a Dec. 6 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As crude oil production has outpaced the buildout of…
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 5 approved NV Energy’s integrated resource plan, which will add 1,190 megawatts of new solar energy projects and 590 megawatts of energy storage. The new capacity will come from three projects located in Clark County, southern Nevada, and are scheduled to be operational by Jan. 1, 2024. The…
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection selected Vineyard Wind LLC’s 804-megawatt Park City Wind Project as the winner in its offshore wind solicitation, according to a Dec. 5 news release. The project represents Connecticut’s largest renewable energy purchase, and will provide the equivalent of 14 percent of the state’s electricity. Vineyard will now…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 3 granted Xcel Energy Inc.’s proposal to modify the value of solar, or VOS, methodology to arrive at a more stable and reasonable rate. The commission agreed that the avoided distribution cost component is the cause for the volatility in the VOS rate, which is used to calculate…
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission opened a docket to develop rules requiring investor-owned utilities to file distribution system plans, according to a Dec. 3 news release. Distribution planning would help ensure that grid modernization allows for continued safe, reliable and cost-effective utility operations, according to the agency. The move stems from legislation enacted in June…
More U.S. states are exploring programs and policies to leverage the application of battery storage for the benefit of the power grid and to examine how the technology may provide value to consumers. Studies and investigations are intended to help craft initiatives that can tap the resource for multiple applications ranging from offsetting peak loads, supporting renewable integration and stabilizing the distribution system, to providing peaking capacity and replacing fossil generation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced changes to the New Source Review (NSR) permitting rules, simplifying the pollution control requirements for companies that build or modify a power plant, according to a Dec. 3 press release. Among the changes, the guidance document revising the EPA’s definition of “ambient air” under the Clean Air Act is…
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has approved a proposed settlement with Avista Utilities that reduces annual base electric revenues by $7.18 million, or 2.84 percent, according to a Dec. 2 press release. According to the settlement, which takes effect Dec. 1, 2019, a residential electric customer who uses an average of 900 kilowatt-hours per month…
Coal-fired power plants with higher operating and maintenance costs are more likely to retire, with about 66 percent of units in the highest operating cost group expected to close between 2019 and 2030, compared to 36 percent in the lowest cost group, according to a Dec. 3 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The…
The Southwest Power Pool Inc., the grid operator for 14 states in the central U.S., launched its western reliability coordination service for almost a dozen western entities, according to a Dec. 3 news release. The launch makes SPP the first regional transmission organization to provide the service in both the Eastern and Western Interconnections. The…