The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments regarding Hemlock Ridge Solar LLC’s proposal to construct a 200-megawatt solar project in Orleans County. The AES Corporation subsidiary was issued a siting permit for the construction of the project in September 2022. The company filed a petition, this April, for a lightened regulatory regime as a wholesale electric market participant as well as a new certificate of public convenience and necessity. The project is anticipated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 282,000 metric tons each year.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority seeks comments on its statewide electric storage program established in July 2021 and later re-named the Energy Storage Solutions Program. The agency conducts an annual proceeding to review key metrics and to make strategic adjustments to ensure that the program aligns with its objectives and is on track to meet its deployment targets. The program is administered by the state’s electric distribution companies – Eversource Energy and United Illuminating Company – and the Connecticut Green Bank. The agency seeks comments on the program administrators’ annual report and recommended programmatic changes, among others. The incentive program is designed to help the distribution companies’ customers install energy storage for their commercial, industrial and institutional properties.

The California Energy Commission seeks comments on a preliminary assessment of BHE Renewable LLC’s proposed Black Rock Geothermal project to be located in Imperial County. The facility would have a maximum continuous rating of about 87 megawatts gross output, with an expected net output of 77 megawatts. The project is one of three geothermal projects that the company proposes to construct southeast of the Salton Sea, and northwest of the city of Calipatria, in unincorporated Imperial County. The other two proposals – Morton Bay and Elmore North – would each have a gross output of about 157 megawatts with an expected net output of roughly 140 megawatts.

The California Public Utilities Commission and the Office of Energy Safety Infrastructure will hold their fourth annual briefing to hear from utilities regarding their safety performance and related safety efforts. The purpose of the meetings is to provide the agencies and the public with information from Bear Valley Electric Service, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and Southern California Gas Company on their safety updates including corporate safety governance and culture, wildfire prevention actions of electric utilities, and management of utility safety. The office assesses utilities’ wildfire mitigation plans and annual wildfire-specific safety culture assessments, issues safety certifications, and evaluates executive compensation structures.

The Texas Public Utilities Commission seeks information from retail electric providers, or REPs, regarding the effects of a May 2024 derecho and Hurricane Beryl that struck the Texas Gulf Coast on July 8. Commission staff requests details about how REPs were affected by electric, water, sewer, or telecommunications utility outages during those events in order to bolster its understanding of the experiences of the entities most directly impacted by these kinds of weather events. Participation of REPs in this investigation is voluntary. READ MORE