Initiative to create a consumer-owned electric utility and replace CMP and Versant will appear on Maine 2023 ballot May 9, 2023 An initiative to create a municipal consumer-owned electric transmission and distribution utility, replacing Central Maine Power and Versant Power, will be on the Maine ballot on Nov. 7, 2023.…
Duke Energy’s Impact Report details progress toward ESG, business goals
Duke Energy’s Impact Report details progress toward ESG, business goals May 01, 2023 Duke Energy released a report that outlines its approach to sustainability and its progress on strategic business priorities and goals. Among the key points in Duke’s Impact Report, the company said its planned investment of $145 billion…
California Republicans blast fixed-rate power bill proposal as ‘crazy’
California Republicans blast fixed-rate power bill proposal as ‘crazy’ Apr 24, 2023 California Republicans are asking state regulators to reject a proposal by California’s three largest power companies to create a fixed rate for services based on household income. “The ‘fixed-charge’ proposal is nothing but a shameful attempt to exploit…
$2.8 billion sale of Eastern Kentucky power company will not go forward
$2.8 billion sale of Eastern Kentucky power company will not go forward APRIL 17, 2023 The previously announced sale of Kentucky Power, the utility company that serves a large portion of Eastern Kentucky, has been canceled, the company announced Monday. In December 2021, American Electric Power, the parent company of…
Appalachian Power files to approve use of renewable energy facilities
Appalachian Power files to approve use of renewable energy facilities March 31st 2023 Appalachian Power, along with Wheeling Power, has requested to recover costs connected to renewable energy projects within service areas. The request was filed Friday with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia and includes a wind facility…
Electric prices for Connecticut residents likely to drop dramatically during the second half of 2023
Electric prices for Connecticut residents likely to drop dramatically during the second half of 2023 April 3, 2023 After three months of paying dramatically higher electric rates, there may be some relief coming this summer for a majority of Connecticut electric customers. The state’s two largest electric distribution companies, Eversource…
Power rate hike rebate during winter storms possible, court ruling reveals
Power rate hike rebate during winter storms possible, court ruling reveals March 20, 2023 When the temperatures dropped during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, prices for electricity went up. The bills that followed provided a shock that energy analysts like Ed Hirs, a University of Houston energy fellow, described as…
Minnesota utility proposes $192M EV charging station network
Minnesota utility proposes $192M EV charging station network March 6, 2023 A Minnesota utility’s proposal to deploy around 730 EV charging stations while raising rates has encountered opposition from the state department of commerce, rate payers and other parties, according to a startribune.com report. Opponents of the plan question whether…
Global bank financing for low-carbon energy rose 15 percent to $550 billion in 2022
Global bank financing for low-carbon energy rose 15 percent to $550 billion in 2022 Energize Weekly, March 8, 2023 Investments in low-carbon energy supply rose by 15 percent in 2022 – the fastest growth rate in seven years – to $550 billion, according to BloombergNEF’s (BNEF) annual report on energy…
General Assembly deal sets Dominion profits for two years while overhauling regulatory system
General Assembly deal sets Dominion profits for two years while overhauling regulatory system FEBRUARY 25, 2023 The decision came down to the wire, but on Saturday afternoon Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s office and the General Assembly reached a deal on sweeping legislation to adjust Dominion Energy’s profit margin and reform the…
Judge dismisses lawsuit over TVA’s long-term deals
Judge dismisses lawsuit over TVA’s long-term deals Feb. 7, 2023 A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by environmental groups that challenged how the nation’s largest public utility signs up local power providers for two-decade contracts. A ruling by U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker in Memphis last week sided…
Renewable tax credits and changes on the grid are making most coal-fired plants uneconomical
Renewable tax credits and changes on the grid are making most coal-fired plants uneconomical Energize Weekly, February 8, 2023 A combination of new federal incentives for renewable generation and a shift in the way electric grids are managed has led to a point where it is more expensive to operate…
PUC approves electric market redesign in ‘big step for ERCOT’
PUC approves electric market redesign in ‘big step for ERCOT’ Jan 19, 2023 The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Thursday approved a redesign of the state’s electric market, recommending a new model they said will improve grid reliability, but critics said could pass more costs onto the consumer. The…
Puerto Rico to privatize power generation amid outages
Puerto Rico to privatize power generation amid outages January 15, 2023 Puerto Rico announced Sunday that it plans to privatize electricity generation, a first for a U.S. territory facing chronic power outages as it struggles to rebuild a crumbling electric grid. The move marks the beginning of the end for…
AEP Ohio asking for rate increase to boost system reliability after last summer’s storms
AEP Ohio asking for rate increase to boost system reliability after last summer’s storms Jan. 6, 2023 Several months after powerful storms whacked AEP Ohio’s transmission system and forced the power company to turn off electricity to some Columbus-area neighborhoods to avoid a larger power loss, AEP is now asking…
Colorado co-ops say Xcel Energy mismanaged natural gas supplies during 2021 storm
Colorado co-ops say Xcel Energy mismanaged natural gas supplies during 2021 storm Energize Weekly, January 11, 2023 The fallout from the soaring natural gas prices created by Winter Storm Uri in 2021 continues as four rural Colorado electric cooperatives have filed a complaint with federal regulators saying they were overcharged…
Pleasants Power Purchase Under Consideration in West Virginia PSC Order
Pleasants Power Purchase Under Consideration in West Virginia PSC Order JAN 3, 2023 An order from the West Virginia Public Service Commission last week approving rate increases for two power companies also included a provision for those companies to evaluate the possible purchase of the Pleasants Power plant. In an…
PG&E wildfire and catastrophe proposal may trigger higher monthly bills
PG&E wildfire and catastrophe proposal may trigger higher monthly bills December 19, 2022 Higher monthly bills might jolt PG&E customers due to the utility’s request that state regulators allow the company to collect more revenue for its spending linked to wildfires and catastrophes. PG&E wants to recover costs that arose…
Wholesale on-peak electricity rates set to jump this winter by as much as 60 percent, EIA says
Wholesale on-peak electricity rates set to jump this winter by as much as 60 percent, EIA says Energize Weekly, December 14, 2022 On-peak wholesale and retail electricity prices are set to rise across the country this winter, with some regional wholesale rates jumping as much as 60 percent compared to…
Duke Energy Kentucky files request for rate adjustment with public service commission
Duke Energy Kentucky files request for rate adjustment with public service commission December 05, 2022 Duke Energy Kentucky recently filed a request with the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) to review its electric distribution rates and approve a rate adjustment. Overall, the company has proposed an adjustment that includes a…
Georgia Power’s long campaign for state approval to sign off on a 12% rate hike nears final showdown
Georgia Power’s long campaign for state approval to sign off on a 12% rate hike nears final showdown November 28, 2022 The final several weeks of Georgia Power’s $2.9 billion rate case will determine whether state regulators sign off on plans for customers to pay hundreds of dollars more per…
Eversource, UI will cut electric rates for some, but not until 2024
Eversource, UI will cut electric rates for some, but not until 2024 November 21, 2022 The electric bills for roughly 1.5 million power customers in Connecticut are expected to spike dramatically come January, but a long-awaited initiative that would ease monthly energy costs for the state’s lowest-income residents is still…
Big Utilities See Inflation Reduction Act Helping Reduce Customers’ Energy Bills
Big Utilities See Inflation Reduction Act Helping Reduce Customers’ Energy Bills November 14, 2022 Utility giants planning to spend billions of dollars to move away from fossil fuels see the Inflation Reduction Act helping to reduce the cost of that transition as its customers grapple with high energy bills. Executives…
ComEd to file multi-year grid plan, rate plan
ComEd to file multi-year grid plan, rate plan November 07, 2022 ComEd, a Chicago-based energy company, will file a multi-year grid plan along with a four-year rate plan in line with the requirements of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). The plan will align closely with the state of…
PNM customers continue to pay for San Juan coal plant that’s no longer operating
PNM customers continue to pay for San Juan coal plant that’s no longer operating Nov 7, 2022 In the two months since the San Juan Generating Station shut down in New Mexico, the region’s customers have been paying the same rate for a facility that’s no longer giving them energy.…
American Electric Power hit with second subpoena tied to nuclear bailout bill
American Electric Power hit with second subpoena tied to nuclear bailout bill Oct. 28, 2022 American Electric Power has been hit with a second subpoena from federal regulators looking for information tied to the power company’s involvement in the scandal-ridden House Bill 6 legislation enacted three years ago to bail…
FirstEnergy cuts off its ‘dark money’ spigot in Ohio, disclosures show
FirstEnergy cuts off its ‘dark money’ spigot in Ohio, disclosures show Oct. 24, 2022 Akron-based utility FirstEnergy has stopped using “dark money” in Ohio after agreeing to disclose future contributions, temporarily abandoning a controversial political spending tactic that was a critical cog in the largest bribery scandal in state history.…
Xcel Energy-Colorado positioned to lead clean energy transition, new president says
Xcel Energy-Colorado positioned to lead clean energy transition, new president says October 16, 2022 Robert Kenney took over as President of Xcel Energy-Colorado as the utility sought approval from state regulators for rate increases, a new clean energy plan and a proposal to reduce emissions from its natural gas system.…
As electric vehicles shrink gas tax revenue, more states may tax mileage
As electric vehicles shrink gas tax revenue, more states may tax mileage OCTOBER 11, 2022 The increasing popularity of hybrid and electric vehicles is shrinking revenue from gas taxes, prompting more states to consider charging fees based on miles driven to help pay for roads and bridges. This year at…
PG&E Lays Out Plan to Sell Stake in Generation Capacity
PG&E Lays Out Plan to Sell Stake in Generation Capacity Sept. 29, 2022 PG&E Corp. executives have sketched out a plan to house the company’s non-nuclear generation assets in a new subsidiary, stakes in which could be sold to fund future safety and reliability investments. Representatives of the company’s Pacific…
AEP, Liberty reach amended agreement
AEP, Liberty reach amended agreement September 30, 2022 American Electric Power has signed an amended agreement on the sale of its Kentucky operations to Liberty, according to a press release. AEP expects to close the sale in January 2023 after approval of the transaction from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,…
Rhode Island Communities Announce Launch of First-Ever Electricity Aggregation Programs
Rhode Island Communities Announce Launch of First-Ever Electricity Aggregation Programs September 22, 2022 Six Rhode Island cities and towns have joined together to launch aggregation programs that leverage community-wide buying power to provide their residents and businesses with new options for electricity supply. These Community Electricity Aggregation (CEA) programs will…
Duke Energy wins SEPA utility transformation program award for Florida subscription pilot program
Duke Energy wins SEPA utility transformation program award for Florida subscription pilot program September 19, 2022 The nonprofit Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) offered its 2022 Utility Transformation Program of the Year award to a Duke Energy subscription pilot program last week for its efforts to provide Florida customers with…
San Diego To Explore Full Public Power Takeover
San Diego To Explore Full Public Power Takeover September 16, 2022 The city of San Diego took one step closer toward full government takeover of its privately-owned power utility Thursday. The San Diego City Council’s Environment Committee approved a $3 million contract to NewGen Strategies & Solutions LLC to study…
Xcel property in Becker eyed for another big data center project
Xcel property in Becker eyed for another big data center project Sep 9, 2022 Xcel Energy Inc. plans to sell 348 acres of land at its Sherco location in Becker to an unknown company that could build a $1 billion data center project there. The utility said the new center…
TVA Board holds base rates steady, increases customer credits for 2023 fiscal year
TVA Board holds base rates steady, increases customer credits for 2023 fiscal year Sep 1, 2022 Despite high inflation and fuel prices, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) says it is maintaining strong, steady electric rates for the next decade. Over the past 10 years, the TVA says their wholesale power…
Shelby County suburbs want Memphis, Light, Gas and Water to stay with the TVA
Shelby County suburbs want Memphis, Light, Gas and Water to stay with the TVA Aug. 25, 2022 The six Shelby County suburbs want Memphis, Light Gas and Water to stay with the Tennessee Valley Authority and not switch electricity suppliers. The six suburbs have written a joint resolution that urges…
SoCalGas to provide water, energy conservation solutions to reach carbon emissions goals by 2045
SoCalGas to provide water, energy conservation solutions to reach carbon emissions goals by 2045 August 19, 2022 SoCal Gas announced Tuesday that it would implement several measures to conserve water and energy as part of its plan to meet net-zero carbon emission goals by 2045. The company said it recently…
Pennsylvania energy companies increasing prices next month
Pennsylvania energy companies increasing prices next month Aug 10, 2022 The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is notifying residents and businesses that electric generation prices for some customers are expected to rise on Sept. 1, 2022. According to PUC, approximately half of Pennsylvania’s major electric distribution companies (EDCs) will reset their…
Sen. Rubio pushes bill to create loan program for electric grid-affiliated manufacturers
Sen. Rubio pushes bill to create loan program for electric grid-affiliated manufacturers August 04, 2022 Responding to ongoing issues in the international supply chain, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill this week that would compel the U.S. Secretary of Energy to create a loan program for manufacturers of…
Climate bill cuts carbon emissions and inflation while boosting economy, studies say
Climate bill cuts carbon emissions and inflation while boosting economy, studies say Energize Weekly, August 10, 2022 The climate, healthcare and budget bill passed by the U.S. Senate Aug. 7 will help curb both greenhouse gas emissions and inflation while providing a modest boost to the economy, according to three…
NV Energy seeks right to stick ratepayers with Greenlink bill
NV Energy seeks right to stick ratepayers with Greenlink bill AUGUST 2, 2022 When NV Energy turned to Nevada lawmakers last year to salvage a massive transmission line project that state utility regulators had already partially denied because of the potential cost to ratepayers, the utility’s CEO testified any increase…
3 reasons US coal power is disappearing – and a Supreme Court ruling won’t save it
3 reasons US coal power is disappearing – and a Supreme Court ruling won’t save it July 26, 2022 The U.S. coal industry chalked up a couple of rare wins this summer. First the Supreme Court issued a ruling limiting the government’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power…
Firm working for FPL took control of news site, let execs influence coverage, records show
Firm working for FPL took control of news site, let execs influence coverage, records show Jul 25, 2022 Operatives working for Florida Power & Light in the lead-up to the 2020 elections gained control over a Tallahassee-based political news website, making editorial decisions about its content – and allowing executives…
Dominion Energy rolls out various energy efficiency programs
Dominion Energy rolls out various energy efficiency programs July 18, 2022 Dominion Energy is expanding energy efficiency and conservation programs, offering various voluntary programs from weatherization assistance for low-income customers to incentives for builders. Read more
DOE to award over $40M for energy efficiency improvements
DOE to award over $40M for energy efficiency improvements July 12, 2022 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded over $40 million to 21 organizations and five state agencies for energy efficiency improvements. The funding comes from the $3.2 billion Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which was created to help repair,…
New South Carolina law could help electric customers save millions
New South Carolina law could help electric customers save millions July 01, 2022 A new law recently passed in South Carolina could save electric customers in that state millions of dollars in costs to restore service after weather events, Duke Energy said Wednesday. The legislation – Senate Bill 1077 –…
DOE launches $500 million effort to turn mines into clean energy hubs
DOE launches $500 million effort to turn mines into clean energy hubs 7.1.2022 A $500 million program funded by the bipartisan infrastructure package aims to transform current and former mines into clean energy hubs. The Dept. of Energy (DOE) issued a Request For Information (RFI) to inform how the program…
US launches new federal-state partnership to grow domestic offshore wind supply chain
US launches new federal-state partnership to grow domestic offshore wind supply chain June 27, 2022 The White House has announced that it is joining with 11 governors from East Coast states to launch the Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership, which is intended to accelerate America’s growing offshore wind industry. Read…
Ameren aims to charge customers for closure of Rush Island coal plant
Ameren aims to charge customers for closure of Rush Island coal plant June 21, 2022 The costs to close the region’s second-largest power plant, after decades of Clean Air Act violations, are rising. Electric utility Ameren has proposed the construction of $244 million in electric lines and other upgrades before…
