Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corp., announced an agreement to buy a 157-MW wind generation facility to be built in northern Missouri, according to the company’s Oct. 22 press release. The proposed Brickyard Hill wind project, to be developed by EDF Renewable Energy Inc., is expected to come online in 2020. The acquisition is subject…
Virginia is striding towards a clean energy future by paving the way for faster and larger deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Grid Transformation and Security Act of 2018 declares that 5,000 megawatts of solar and wind energy are in the public interest, making it easier for these projects get regulatory approval. The state’s 10-year energy plan emphasizes grid modernization and innovative technologies, setting goals for renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. on Dec. 3 proposed revisions to facilitate deeper integration of energy storage resources across its region. The grid operator proposed a new electric storage resource category providing unique modeling, offer parameters, operating limitations, and settlement provisions that recognize the characteristics of energy storage resources. MISO said that the filing…
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources released the state’s first energy plan on Dec. 12 that recommends a policy strategy that continues to bolster renewable energy, prioritizes energy efficiency and peak demand reductions, and support grid modernization and advanced technologies to meet the state’s energy and emission goals. The plan, required by a 2016 executive…
The New York Public Service Commission alleged that National Grid plc’s violation of the agency’s gas safety regulations resulted in an explosion that damaged several homes in Little Falls, Herkimer County, and caused injuries, according to a Dec. 13 press release. The department staff’s investigation found that a buried gas service line pulled away from the…
The California Public Utilities Commission launched a proceeding to explore how de-energization has affected the state and examine ways to refine the practice to ensure safety and minimize unintended consequences, according to a Dec. 13 press release. The agency aims to study the conditions in which proactive and planned de-energization takes place and also examine whether…
The New York Public Service Commission on Dec. 13 set an energy storage target of 3,000 megawatts by 2030 pursuant to legislation enacted last year, with an interim goal of 1,500 megawatt by 2025. The new storage target is the most ambitious nationwide compared to California’s goal of 1,300 megawatts by 2020 and New Jersey’s recently adopted target of…
The South Carolina Public Service Commission on Dec. 14 voted unanimously to approve Dominion Energy Inc.’s proposed purchase of SCANA Corporation, settling a 17-month legal battle that began in July last year when SCANA subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas Company and state-owned Santee Cooper decided to abandon a $9 billion project to build two…
The United Nations twenty-fourth annual climate conference concluded on Dec. 15, following a week of intense discussions culminating in the adoption of rules for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which aims to prevent the worst impacts of climate change by keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius. The deal establishes uniform standards that will be used by…
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management auctioned three leases off Massachusetts’ coast earmarked for the development of offshore wind farms, reaping a record-breaking $405-million, according to a Dec. 14 press release. The bureau sold commercial wind energy leases comprising nearly 390,000 acres, which are expected to support about 4.1 gigawatts of power. Out of 11 bidders,…
The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, in a Dec. 12 decision, found that the state’s local distribution companies took a prudent approach to managing their gas supply portfolio during the 2013 to 2016 winter seasons and properly met their “supplier-of-last-resort” or SOLR obligations. The agency analyzed data for the peak demand days from the three…
The Kansas State Corporation Commission on Dec. 6 extended the date for Clean Line Energy Partners LLC to begin construction of its multi-state Grain Belt Express transmission line to Dec. 2, 2019 to allow the agency to rule on Invenergy Transmission LLC’s anticipated application to buy the project. The commission granted a siting permit on Nov.…
