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Oil and natural gas production poised to set records in 2018, says EIA

Energize Weekly, January 24, 2018 Oil and natural gas production for 2018 is projected to break records as oil prices move higher and as gas prices remain firm, according to the federal Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) short-term energy outlook. U.S. crude oil production is forecast to average 10.3 billion barrels a day in 2018, which…

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Wind, solar and hydro generation are becoming cost competitive worldwide

Energize Weekly, January 24, 2018 Renewable energy projects are becoming cost-competitive with fossil fuel generation around the world, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). “Bioenergy-for-power, hydropower, geothermal and onshore wind projects commissioned in 2017 largely fell within the range of generation costs for fossil-based electricity . . . Some projects undercut fossil fuels,”…

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Heating fuel stocks hold up as arctic temperatures punish the Midwest and Northeast

Energize Weekly, January 17, 2018 Although much of the nation—from Florida to Michigan to Maine—was punished with frigid temperatures in December and January, heating fuel supplies held up well, according the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). “Current cold weather in the Midwest and Northeast United States has put some pressure on winter heating fuel stocks,…

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FERC asked by officials in 18 states to ensure that utility tax savings go to customers

Energize Weekly, January 17, 2018 Consumer advocates and attorneys general from 18 states are calling for federal energy regulators to ensure that hundreds of millions of dollars in tax savings utilities are likely to gain from the new federal tax law are passed on to consumers. In letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC),…

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Xcel gets an unprecedented response to a call for new electricity generation projects

Energize Weekly, January 10, 2018 Xcel Energy received an “unprecedented” response to a call for new generation projects for its Colorado subsidiary with more than 430 proposals, according to a report filed by the utility with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. “For comparison, the Company received 55 bids in the 2013 All-Source Solicitation,” Xcel said…

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California to go it alone on electric reliability, but may try to lure other Western states to join it

Energize Weekly, January 10, 2018 In a move further fragmenting the Western power sector, the California grid operator last week announced it would become its own reliability coordinator, leaving the 14-state regional system. The move was prompted by the prospect of seven utilities and transmission operators in the Rocky Mountain region leaving the regional system,…

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Regulators eye customer rate cuts as utilities get a revenue boost from new federal tax law

Energize Weekly, January 10, 2018 The federal tax overhaul may provide a windfall in tax cuts and write-offs for utilities. Now, utility commissions and state officials around the country are looking to see if some of that money ought to flow back to customers. On Jan. 4, Oklahoma Corporation Commission administrative judges recommended that five Oklahoma…

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Renewables briefly overtake nuclear and may be a sign of the future

Energize Weekly, January 3, 2018 Utility-scale renewable energy generation surpassed nuclear generation for the first time in three decades in March and April of 2017, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). While the phenomenon appears to be temporary, in 2017, it is marked by a series of trends that may realign generation sources…

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2017 saw upending events in the utility sector as long-term trends showed staying power

Energize Weekly, January 3, 2018 The utility industry faced a tumultuous 2017 with big policy initiatives from Washington and strong underlying trends continuing to challenge the sector. Many of the year’s big stories came from the Trump administration, but markets and corporate decisions also played a big role in defining 2017. And despite the high-profile…

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