Duke Energy complaints rise ahead of company’s decision to extend disconnection ban September 30, 2021 Duke Energy announced Thursday the company will continue to avoid shutting off electricity for the most at-risk families through March of 2022. The announcement came just a day before Duke Energy’s limited disconnection ban was set…
Solar trade woes cast a pall over Biden’s climate goals
Solar trade woes cast a pall over Biden’s climate goals 09/28/2021 President Joe Biden’s climate goals are conflicting with his aim to bolster American manufacturing of solar panels — an industry the U.S. largely lost to China when he was vice president and one that can’t be rebuilt quickly. Read…
PPL Corporation receives FERC approval to acquire The Narragansett Electric Company
PPL Corporation receives FERC approval to acquire The Narragansett Electric Company September 23, 2021 PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) today received unanimous approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to acquire The Narragansett Electric Company from National Grid USA. Read more
Utilities face greatest threat as climate risks intensify
Utilities face greatest threat as climate risks intensify 20 Sep, 2021 Climate change is pushing power, gas and water companies to the frontlines of an intensifying battle against natural disasters that is set to increasingly hit the profits of businesses around the world. Utilities face the highest combined physical risk…
Colorado consumer advocates ask utility commission to reject $130M of Xcel’s February storm surcharge
Colorado consumer advocates ask utility commission to reject $130M of Xcel’s February storm surcharge Sep 14, 2021 Xcel Energy ignored numerous weather warnings when buying natural gas and failed to switch to cheaper fuel oil during the historic deep freeze in mid-February, leaving the utility helpless as spot prices spiked…
Solar could power 45 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050 with multi-billion dollar investment, DOE says
Solar could power 45 percent of U.S. electricity by 2050 with multi-billion dollar investment, DOE says Energize Weekly, September 15, 2021 The U.S. could get 40 percent of its electricity from solar installations by 2035 and 45 percent by 2050 – through $225 to $560 billion in the power grid…
Global EV sales bounce back from the pandemic, set to hit 14 million vehicles by 2025
Global EV sales bounce back from the pandemic, set to hit 14 million vehicles by 2025 Energize Weekly, September 8, 2021 Global electric vehicle sales have rebounded from the pandemic with a forecast of reaching 16 percent of all passenger car purchases by 2025, but the pace remains far short…
Connexus electricity co-op wants a new power deal with Great River Energy
Connexus electricity co-op wants a new power deal with Great River Energy AUGUST 30, 2021 Connexus Energy, the largest owner of Great River Energy, wants to exit the big electricity generating co-op as a member, saying its longtime arrangement has become too costly and inflexible. Read more
New Mexico customers sound alarm over major utility merger
New Mexico customers sound alarm over major utility merger Aug 10, 2021 New Mexico customers are sounding the alarm over a proposed multibillion-dollar merger of the state’s largest electric utility provider with a U.S. subsidiary of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, citing a sordid track record of reliability and customer service.…
Global clean energy technology investment reached a record $500 billion in 2020
Global clean energy technology investment reached a record $500 billion in 2020 Energize Weekly, August 11, 2021 Global investment in clean energy technologies reached a record $501.3 billion in 2020, with renewable energy generation accounting for 60 percent of the total, according to a BloombergNEF analysis. The 2020 figure represents…
Bipartisan $1T Senate infrastructure bill focuses on nuclear, carbon capture, transmission
Bipartisan $1T Senate infrastructure bill focuses on nuclear, carbon capture, transmission Aug. 3, 2021 A bipartisan group of senators on Sunday unveiled its nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, formalized into text following a 67-32 consensus to advance the legislation. The vote to advance the bill included the support of 17 Republicans. Read…
FirstEnergy Federally Charged in Ohio Nuclear Bailout Scheme
FirstEnergy Federally Charged in Ohio Nuclear Bailout Scheme Jul 22, 2021 Facing a federal charge for honest services wire fraud in a corruption case related to the billion-dollar nuclear plant bailout in Ohio, FirstEnergy Corp. has agreed to abide by the terms of a three-year deferred prosecution settlement to get…
Global coal-fired generation rebounds in 2021 with continued expansion in some countries
Global coal-fired generation rebounds in 2021 with continued expansion in some countries Energize Weekly, July 28, 2021 Global coal-fired electricity generation is making a rebound in 2021 as billions of dollars in government support continue to flow to the sector and new coal-fired plants are being built or planned around…
Duke Energy, hedge fund continue battle
Duke Energy, hedge fund continue battle July 19, 2021 Duke Energy and a hedge fund continued a public battle Monday about the financial performance of the utility, including the operations of Duke Energy Florida. The West Palm Beach-based Elliott Investment Management L.P. sent an 11-page letter to the Duke Board…
PG&E wants to propose an 18% rate hike during a heat wave. Here’s why
PG&E wants to propose an 18% rate hike during a heat wave. Here’s why Jul 9, 2021 PG&E is asking the state to raise rates by 18%. The utility presented a proposal to the California Public Utilities Commission saying the money is needed for critical investments- specifically, on work to…
Western drought hurts hydropower production, California among the hardest hit states
Western drought hurts hydropower production, California among the hardest hit states Energize Weekly, July 14, 2021 The drought conditions smothering the West are crippling hydropower production with hydro-generation’s share of energy production forecast to be 6.5 percent this year – the lowest it has been since 2015, according to the…
NJ Board of Public Utilities awards 2,658 MW of offshore wind
NJ Board of Public Utilities awards 2,658 MW of offshore wind July 02, 2021 The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) awarded 2,658 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity this week, bringing the state closer to Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of 7,500 MW of offshore wind by 2035. Read…
More than half the U.S. faces electricity supply problems in the face of a long, hot summer
More than half the U.S. faces electricity supply problems in the face of a long, hot summer Energize Weekly, July 7, 2021 More than half the U.S. – primarily in the West, Texas, Midwest and to a lesser extent, New England – is at risk of energy emergencies this summer,…
Texas power grid overcomes problems to meet record June demand
Texas power grid overcomes problems to meet record June demand June 25, 2021 Peak electricity demand in Texas broke June’s record on Thursday and was expected to do so again on Friday, the power grid operator said, but there was no repeat of last week’s problems when a significant amount…
Utility regulators consider FPL request for biggest rate increase in state history
Utility regulators consider FPL request for biggest rate increase in state history JUN. 21, 2021 The Florida Public Service Commission on Monday convened the first of several public hearings regarding a $2 billion rate increase request by Florida Power & Light, the state’s largest utility company. Read more
Texas Legislature close to approving billions to pay for winter storm financial fallout
Texas Legislature close to approving billions to pay for winter storm financial fallout MAY 25, 2021 Several billions of dollars in state-approved financing will be necessary to stabilize the state’s distressed energy market after the winter storm. Texas approves more in finance bailouts for its utilities than any other state.…
Pandemic leads to solar industry job losses, as installations set a record
Pandemic leads to solar industry job losses, as installations set a record Energize Weekly, May 12, 2021 Solar industry employment dropped 6.7 percent last year to 231,474, despite a record-setting year for installations, according to the 2020 National Solar Jobs Census. The cross trends are explained by increases in labor productivity…
Texas Storm Cost NextEra $180 Million in Uncollected Revenue
Texas Storm Cost NextEra $180 Million in Uncollected Revenue Josh Saul and Mark Chediak; Fri, April 23, 2021 NextEra Energy Inc., the world’s biggest investor-owned generator of wind and solar power, said it wasn’t able to collect $180 million in revenue following the Texas energy crisis that left the state’s…
Global energy demand is forecast to rebound in 2021, IEA says
Global energy demand is forecast to rebound in 2021, IEA says Energize Weekly, April 28, 2021 Global energy production and demand is set to rebound from their pandemic doldrums in 2021with energy consumption up 4.6 percent, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The agency said in its annual Global…
Maine Lawmakers Unveil Effort To Purchase CMP, Versant To Create Consumer-Owned Utility
Maine Lawmakers Unveil Effort To Purchase CMP, Versant To Create Consumer-Owned Utility Maine Public | By Mal Leary Published April 19, 2021 A group of Maine lawmakers has unveiled an effort to buy Maine’s two largest utilities and operate them as a consumer-owned corporation. At a news conference outside the State House…
U.S. cities and towns made deals for a record 3.7 gigawatts of renewables in 2020
Energize Weekly, April 7, 2021 Cities and towns across the U.S. installed or purchased a record 3.7 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity in 2020, a 23 percent increase over 2019, according to the clean energy consultant, RMI. The RMI analysis was based on data from the Local Government Renewables Action…
U.S. set a record for solar installations in 2020, a record poised to fall in 2021
Energize Weekly, March 24, 2021 Solar installations in the U.S., even in the face of the pandemic economy, set a record in 2020 with 19.2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity – a 43 percent increase over 2019, according to an industry market report. “The year 2020 was a record-setting year for…
The cost of power grid independence
Jim Redden, March 15, 2021 Being a leading producer of any commodity means little if you’re unable to faithfully distribute it to your customers. The state of Texas failed that elementary business principle in spectacular fashion during February’s historic deep freeze. Read more
House E&C Democrats question ERCOT CEO over response to Texas winter storm, outages
Published on March 08, 2021 by Chris Galford Leaders from the House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) have written to Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) President and CEO Bill Magness seeking answers about the organization’s failures during the recent deadly winter storm. Read more
Georgia Power Issues Sustainability Bond: First for a US Utility
MARCH 1, 2021 BY EMILY HOLBROOK Georgia Power has announced its first sustainability bond, and the first sustainability bond for a domestic utility in the United States. Bond proceeds will be allocated to fund the company’s environmental, renewable, and social initiatives. The 3.25% coupon represents the lowest 30-year coupon for a publicly traded bond ever…
Collapse of the natural gas system from wellhead to turbine fueled Texas’ blackout
Energize Weekly, February 24, 2021 The near collapse of Texas’ electric grid was caused in the main by a failure of the natural gas system from the wellhead to pipeline to gas turbine, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA). “Texas has a power shortage because it…
California Utilities Will Buy More Energy, Hike Rates to Avoid Blackouts: CPUC
By Olga R. Rodriguez • Published February 12, 2021 Utilities will be allowed to buy extra energy and pass on the costs to customers in order to avoid a repeat of rolling blackouts that kicked in last summer when demand outpaced supply, California regulators said Thursday. Read more
U.S. energy consumption will take years to rebound from pandemic, EIA says
Energize Weekly, February 10, 2021 It will take years for U.S. energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions to return to 2019 levels after the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s economy and the global energy sector, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Energy consumption in…
Coal continues its decline in the U.S. and Europe and its rise in Southeast Asia and India
Energize Weekly, December 9, 2020 Coal mining and coal-fired electricity generation in the U.S. and Europe continues to decline, but in Asia, coal-fired demand is projected to increase through 2030 thanks to national policies and Chinese financing. In the U.S., coal mine production capacity fell in 2019 to 590 million…
Voters weigh in on local and state energy issues from renewable energy to oil and gas taxes
Energize Weekly, November 11, 2020 Election returns on state and local energy issues were both literally and figuratively all over the map last week on issues ranging from renewable energy to oil and gas taxes. Voters in Alaska rejected a tax on oil operations while the industry was denied a…
Tri-State and United Power fighting in court and before state and federal regulators
Energize Weekly, May 13, 2020 A new front was opened last week in the battle between Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and some of its electric cooperatives, as United Power, its largest member, filed a complaint in a Colorado district court charging subterfuge and breach of contract. Meanwhile on May…
Xcel Energy proposes TOU rates for all Colorado residential customers
Energize Weekly, March 4, 2020 Time-of-use electricity rates are increasingly being seen as a valuable tool in reducing peak demand and managing renewable energy generation – but concerns are being voiced over their impact on low-income and elderly customers. Xcel Energy is seeking to shift all of its 1.2 million…
Corporate clean energy purchases soared in 2019 to a record 19.5 GW, Bloomberg says
Energize Weekly, February 5, 2020 Corporations purchased a record 19.5 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy contracts in 2019, a 40 percent increase over 2019, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Contracts, primarily power purchase agreements (PPAs), were signed by more than 100 companies in 23 different countries, marking a…
IEA forecasts stable global coal demand despite sharp drops in the U.S. and Europe
Energize Weekly, January 8, 2020 Global coal demand in 2019 dropped, driven by coal-fired plant retirements in Europe and the U.S., but should be stable over the next five years due to growth in China and Asia, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The outlook for coal in the…
Clean energy investment in the developing world dropped in 2018, led by China downturn
Energize Weekly, December 4, 2019 Clean energy investment in developing countries dropped by more than 20 percent in 2018 to $133 billion, while coal-fired generation surged, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) survey. “Both suggest that despite considerable recent progress, developing countries’ power sector CO2 emissions are rising…
Five states with open electricity retail markets now have financial aid programs for nuclear plants
Energize Weekly, October 16, 2019 Five states have now moved to provide financial aid to their economically challenged nuclear power plants, according to a federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) report. In July, Ohio joined Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Illinois in offering financial relief or other assistance to their…
EIA forecasts a 50 percent increase in energy demand by 2050 driven by Asian economies
Energize Weekly, October 2, 2019 World energy consumption is projected to grow by 50 percent by 2050, with most of that demand coming from growing Asian economies, according to the federal Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Outlook. “Energy consumption was greater in Asia than in any other region in…
Texas, California and U.S. West may face electricity reliability challenges this summer
Energize Weekly, June 26, 2019 There is adequate generating reverse to meet summer electricity demands in most of the U.S., while Texas, California and the West may face challenges, according to the North American Reliability Corp. (NERC) 2019 summer assessment. NERC, a nonprofit corporation overseeing regional electricity reliability in the…
Electricity demand to be down this summer, coal’s share expected to drop, EIA says
Energize Weekly, May 15, 2019 Summer electricity generation in 2019 is forecast to be down 2 percent from last summer to 1,168 million megawatt-hours (MWh) with a sharp drop in how much of that power is provided by coal-fired plants. The energy mix for the summer highlights the ongoing shift…
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…
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…
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…
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…
