California Legislature approves plan allowing the state to buy power September 14, 2023 The California Legislature voted Thursday to give Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration permission to buy massive amounts of electricity, a move aimed at avoiding blackouts by shoring up the state’s power supply while jumpstarting the West Coast’s…
Losing member co-ops, Tri-State seeks to sell its electricity on the wholesale power market
Losing member co-ops, Tri-State seeks to sell its electricity on the wholesale power market Energize Weekly, September 13, 2023 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a wholesale power supplier for rural electric cooperatives, is seeking to sell excess power on the open market as it loses some of its biggest members.…
FirstEnergy subsidiaries file settlement with the Pennsylvania PUC
FirstEnergy subsidiaries file settlement with the Pennsylvania PUC September 05, 2023 FirstEnergy Corporation’s announced Thursday its subsidiaries – Met Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power, Keystone Appalachian Transmission Company (KATCO), and Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission, LLC (MAIT) – had filed settlement agreements with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (Pa PUC)…
First US offshore wind auction in Gulf of Mexico attracts paltry interest
First US offshore wind auction in Gulf of Mexico attracts paltry interest August 29, 2023 The Biden administration’s first ever auction of offshore wind development rights in the Gulf of Mexico ended with a single $5.6 million winning bid on Tuesday, reflecting meager demand for the clean energy source in…
Wind and solar are propping up the Texas power grid amid a brutally long heat wave
Wind and solar are propping up the Texas power grid amid a brutally long heat wave July 28, 2023 As Texas bakes under a sweltering heat dome this summer and people crank their air conditioners, the state’s energy demand has smashed records. But the power has stayed on and prices…
PPL outlines first-of-its-kind technology
PPL outlines first-of-its-kind technology Jul 16, 2023 PPL Electric Utilities is bolstering the reliability of the power it delivers to its more than 1.4 million customers with the use of Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) technology, a first-of-its-kind technology that is garnering national recognition. In 2022, PPL Electric became the first…
Maine’s electric rates expected to rise through 2024 until solar subsidies ease
Maine’s electric rates expected to rise through 2024 until solar subsidies ease July 13, 2023 Mainers can expect more rate hikes for electricity through the end of next year until the solar subsidies that have driven up rates for consumers wind down. The Legislature is reining in its costly net…
Avangrid agrees to pay $48m to terminate offshore wind deal
Avangrid agrees to pay $48m to terminate offshore wind deal Jul 17, 2023 Avangrid and the State’s three major utilities on Monday agreed to terminate a power purchase agreement they signed just last year, with the offshore wind developer agreeing to pay a total of $48 million to put the…
U.S. solar industry sets record in the first quarter of 2023 but faces a host of challenges
U.S. solar industry sets record in the first quarter of 2023 but faces a host of challenges Energize Weekly, June 28, 2023 After a record-setting first quarter in 2023, the U.S. solar industry is poised for rapid growth while facing a spate of challenges including system underperformance, labor shortages and…
Duke Energy to sell utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield for $2.8 billion
Duke Energy to sell utility-scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield for $2.8 billion June 12, 2023 Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) today announced it has reached an agreement to sell its unregulated utility scale Commercial Renewables business to Brookfield Renewable (“Brookfield”), one of the world’s largest owners and operators of renewable…
Kentucky’s largest utility tests new law creating barrier to retire fossil fuel plants
Kentucky’s largest utility tests new law creating barrier to retire fossil fuel plants May 30, 2023 Republican lawmakers in Kentucky, raising concerns that planned and ongoing retirements of coal-fired power plants could affect the reliability and resilience of the electric grid, passed a new law that creates an extra barrier…
FPL proposes another rate reduction beginning in July
FPL proposes another rate reduction beginning in July May 19, 2023 After an initial rate reduction early on in May, Florida Power & Light is proposing another rate decrease, this time a $256 million cut to take effect in July. “This is more positive news for our customers,” said Armando…
U.S. grid facing blackout risks this summer and next winter, reliability agency warns
U.S. grid facing blackout risks this summer and next winter, reliability agency warns Energize Weekly, May 24, 2023 U.S. power grids are facing a risky summer and an even riskier winter, according to analyses by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), the agency that oversees grid reliability and security.…
Three Wisconsin utilities apply for rate hikes in 2024, citing renewable energy construction costs
Three Wisconsin utilities apply for rate hikes in 2024, citing renewable energy construction costs May 15, 2023 Three utilities have submitted proposals to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to increase rates in 2024, and consumer advocates worry about how rate hikes could affect customers. Those utilities are Alliant Energy,…
Winter rains lift California hydropower outlook, easing regional demand for natural gas
Winter rains lift California hydropower outlook, easing regional demand for natural gas Energize Weekly, May 17, 2023 Heavy rains have filled California reservoirs and boosted the prospect for hydropower – welcomed news to the rest of the West, which saw natural gas prices soar last winter as California utilities scrambled…
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…
Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids
Surge in clean generation and storage projects creating a backlog on U.S. electric grids Energize Weekly, April 26, 2023 A surge in clean energy projects – a 40 percent year-over-year increase in 2022 – is creating a traffic jam in getting onto the U.S. electric grid, according to a Lawrence…
PNM joins WPP’s reliability planning and compliance program in western US
PNM joins WPP’s reliability planning and compliance program in western US 10 Apr 2023 The Public Service Company of New Mexico has joined the first region-wide reliability planning and compliance program in the Western US, known as the Western Resources Adequacy Program. Seattle City Light and Snohomish County Public Utility…
Southwest Power Pool takes a first step in creating a western wholesale electricity market
Southwest Power Pool takes a first step in creating a western wholesale electricity market Energize Weekly, April 12, 2023 A group of 26 utilities and organizations representing power producers – ranging from the Rockies to the Southwest to the Pacific Northwest – agreed to join the initial phase of the…
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…
US Power Plant Firm Goes Bankrupt After Winter Storm Penalties
US Power Plant Firm Goes Bankrupt After Winter Storm Penalties March 31, 2023 Lincoln Power LLC, the owner of two Illinois power plants, filed for bankruptcy after its financial strain was exacerbated by nearly $39 million in penalties levied by the biggest US electric-grid operator. The Chapter 11 filing allows…
Deep freeze and data concerns test Southeast power market
Deep freeze and data concerns test Southeast power market 03/28/2023 When several large electric utilities launched a first-of-its-kind energy trading platform in the Southeast last fall, the pitch was simple: Lower energy bills and deliver more solar power to customers. Now, more than four months after the Southeast Energy Exchange…
Appalachian Power updates clean energy plan, requesting solar power purchase, purchase of Ohio wind facility
Appalachian Power updates clean energy plan, requesting solar power purchase, purchase of Ohio wind facility March 20, 2023 In its annual update to its clean energy plan, Appalachian Power last week requested to purchase a 143 MW wind facility in Ohio and the ability to purchase 204 MW of solar…
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…
The United States Is Facing Electricity Famine
The United States Is Facing Electricity Famine Feb. 7, 2023 There are signs that we are heading towards an electricity famine; a life-threatening energy Holodomor throughout many areas of the United States caused by political decisions. The system is being set up to fail. This problem this time is not…
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…
US solar PPA prices keep rising with demand set to grow further – LevelTen
US solar PPA prices keep rising with demand set to grow further – LevelTen January 31, 2023 US solar power purchase agreement (PPA) prices continued to climb in Q4 2022, as supply chain blockages and uncertain legislation increased costs for developers, according to renewables transaction infrastructure provider LevelTen Energy. Its…
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…
Electricity generation global demand for fossil fuels is about to peak, RMI says
Electricity generation global demand for fossil fuels is about to peak, RMI says Energize Weekly, January 25, 2023 The world has reached – or is close to reaching – peak demand for fossil fuels for generating electricity as the installation of cheaper renewable generation continues to grow, according to an…
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…
Winter Storm Elliott stressed regional electric grids across the U.S. in different ways
Winter Storm Elliott stressed regional electric grids across the U.S. in different ways Energize Weekly, January 18, 2023 Winter Storm Elliott, the bomb cyclone with freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions that swept across the U.S. east of the Rockies, sparked a wave of outages with its impacts varying from regional…
US to Help Mexico Pay for Ambitious Solar Plan, Official Says
US to Help Mexico Pay for Ambitious Solar Plan, Official Says January 10, 2023 The US wants to help Mexico bankroll its ambitious plan for a slew of solar parks along their border, which is likely to require private funds and development bank loans, according to top diplomat focused on…
Holtec seeks $7.4 billion loan for expansion tied to new reactor
Holtec seeks $7.4 billion loan for expansion tied to new reactor Jan. 9, 2023 Holtec International Inc. has applied for a $7.4 billion federal loan to fund expansion expected from future sales of a company-designed nuclear reactor. Holtec would tap the loan to boost capacity to make parts at its…
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…
Energy efficiency investments jump in 2022 spurred by energy security concerns
Energy efficiency investments jump in 2022 spurred by energy security concerns Energize Weekly, December 28, 2022 Global investment in energy efficiency – from building renovations to public transport to electric vehicle infrastructure – increased 16 percent in 2022, reaching $560 billion as efficiency gains grew fourfold, according to the International…
Entergy Louisiana files proposed 10-year Entergy Future Ready resilience plan
Entergy Louisiana files proposed 10-year Entergy Future Ready resilience plan 12/19/2022 Today, Entergy Louisiana filed its proposed Phase I Entergy Future Ready resilience plan with the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Phase I seeks approval of the first five years of a 10-year resilience plan that would aim to accelerate the…
Global coal use is on course to hit all-time high this year, IEA says
Global coal use is on course to hit all-time high this year, IEA says DEC 19 2022 Global coal use is on course to increase by 1.2% to hit a record high this year, according to a report from the International Energy Agency. It comes at a time of significant…
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…
NYISO reports sufficient electricity supplies expected to meet winter demands
NYISO reports sufficient electricity supplies expected to meet winter demands 11/28/22 The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) reported Monday, that they expect sufficient electricity supplies in the state are expected to meet demands this winter. “The New York State bulk electric system is well positioned to meet this winter’s…
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…
Highway charging stations for EVs may need as much electricity as a small town
Highway charging stations for EVs may need as much electricity as a small town Energize Weekly, November 30, 2022 A growing number of electric cars and trucks on highways will by 2035 require charging stations demanding the same power as an outdoor sports arena or even a small town, according…
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…
U.S. grid faces “unprecedented” risk of electricity shortfalls this winter, NERC warns
U.S. grid faces “unprecedented” risk of electricity shortfalls this winter, NERC warns Energize Weekly, November 23, 2022 A large swatch of the U.S. electricity grid – in Texas, the Midwest, Southeast and New England – is at risk of being unable to provide adequate power in the face of extreme…
