The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is scheduled to receive applications for the state’s zero emission credit program established under legislation enacted in May to compensate the fuel diversity and zero-carbon attributes of nuclear power. Nuclear plant operators applying for the credits must meet specific criteria including their contribution to air quality and anticipated closure within three years due to financial distress. The board recently approved the application process and tariff revisions for electric utilities to implement rates for collection from their retail customers to fund the program. The law established a $300 million annual subsidy and set a rate of $0.004 per kilowatt-hour for qualifying plants. Nuclear power accounts for 39 percent of the state’s electricity generation. A rank-ordered list of selected plants will be presented for approval at the board’s April 19, 2019 meeting.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will discuss its Dec. 5 interim decision that Dominion Energy Inc.’s 2,100-megawatt Millstone nuclear plant is at risk of retirement, allowing it to compete for long-term contracts with zero-carbon resources such as wind and solar. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on July 31 issued a request for proposals for zero carbon resources setting an “at risk” time period of June 1, 2022 to account for capacity obligations for existing resources participating in the ISO New England Inc.’s forward capacity market. Connecticut enacted legislation last year allowing the state’s only nuclear power plant to compete with other zero-carbon electric generators. Regulators concluded that Millstone is critical for the region’s fuel security and emission reduction goals, but said that resources seeking evaluation of attributes other than price should prove that they are at risk of retirement. (18-05-04)

The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment will receive comments on Invenergy LLC’s 105-megawatt Number Three wind project. The wind farm, consisting of about 40 turbines and an overhead 115-kilovolt interconnection line approximately 4 miles in length, would occupy approximately 8,000 acres of private land leased in the towns of Lowville and Harrisburg in northern New York. The project is planned to begin construction in early 2019.

The Missouri Public Service Commission will consider Clean Line Energy Partners LLC’s $2.3-Billion Grain Belt Express transmission project, after the Supreme Court ruled on July 17 that the commission erroneously concluded it could not approve the project without the utility first receiving consent from the affected counties. The Supreme Court said that, although Clean Line Partners will still need to obtain county approvals, those authorizations are not relevant to the commission’s issuance of a certificate of convenience and necessity. The 780-mile interstate electrical transmission line is designed to deliver about 4,000 megawatts of wind-generated energy from western Kansas to Missouri and other states farther east. The overhead, multi-terminal line would cross 206 miles through eight Missouri counties. In November, Invenergy Transmission LLC applied to buy the project and is waiting for commission approval. (EA-2016-0358)