The Virginia State Corporation Commission will conduct a hearing on Virginia Electric and Power Company’s proposed energy efficiency savings targets. In January, the commission directed the state’s electric utilities to establish new targets for 2026 through 2028. The Dominion Energy Inc. subsidiary proposed a net DSM proposed target of 2.72 percent for 2028, measured as a percentage of the average annual energy jurisdictional retail sales in 2019. PUR-2023-00227

The District of Columbia Public Service Commission is due to receive petitions to intervene on Washington Gas Light Company’s application for approval of its District Strategic Accelerated Facility Enhancement, or SAFE, Plan, a revised replacement of its PROJECTpipes plan. Through the plan, the company will continue to address the highest-risk segments of aging, leak-prone mains and services while ensuring safe, reliable gas delivery and considering environmental impacts in the district. Covering March 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2027, activities under the plan with a total estimated cost of $215 million include replacing 12 miles of main and remediating approximately 2,612 services.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission will hold a workshop to explore issues related to improving resiliency in the near-term and addressing rising storm costs. In light of increasing storm frequency and severity, the commision opened a docket in July to to consider shorter-term efforts to lower the impacts of storm damage while utilities are in the process of developing grid plans, conducting vulnerability assessments, and preparing resiliency/mitigation plans. The commission has received initial comments addressing several areas including targeted undergrounding or overgrounding of transmission and/or distribution lines, innovative customer-oriented programs in other states that could potentially be explored in Maine, and how utilities can leverage data systems to prioritize areas that are most susceptible to repeated storm damage.

The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on Cypress Creek Renewables LLC’s proposal to construct a 100-megawatt solar project in Niagara County. The proposed Bear Ridge Solar project would be sited on a total of 900 acres and is expected to produce sufficient power to supply 15,000 to 20,000 homes and offset 160,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. 24-E-0138

The California Energy Commission is due to receive comments on funding allocations in a revised draft version of the 2024-2025 Investment Plan Update for the program. The commission recently held a meeting with the Clean Transportation Program Investment Plan Advisory Committee which included presentations on the implementation of the program and related zero-emission vehicle infrastructure analysis. A 2007 law established the program and authorized the commission to develop and deploy zero-emission and other advanced fuels and transportation technologies to help attain the state’s climate policies. Legislation enacted last year reauthorized the program until July 1, 2035 with some additions and revisions. The program has a base annual budget of about $100 million to support projects including electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure and workforce training programs. In recent years, the commission has also received state General Funds and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds.

The California Energy Commission will hold a meeting to discuss the proposed Darden Clean Energy Project in Fresno County. The project, proposed by IP Darden I LLC and Affiliates, consists of a 1,150-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility and an up to 4,600 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system. The solar PV facility would be located on about 9,100 acres of agricultural land, which the company plans to purchase from Westlands Water District. The project would interconnect to Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Los Banos-Midway #2 500 kV transmission line.