Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own May 17, 2021 The shift to cleaner energy forebodes greater cybersecurity challenges as the economy adds new technologies and relies increasingly on electricity to fuel vehicles and heat homes. Read more
New England grid expects 1 million electric vehicles, 1 million electric heat pumps by 2030
New England grid expects 1 million electric vehicles, 1 million electric heat pumps by 2030 5/11/2021 The organization that oversees the six-state power grid predicts New England will see one million electric cars and trucks on its roads and more than one million electric heat pumps in homes and businesses…
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…
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
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
European oil companies changing names and shifting their focus to alternative energy
Energize Weekly, February 17, 2021 European oil companies are continuing their push to reorient and rebrand themselves as comprehensive energy companies and not just producers of oil and natural gas. On Feb. 9, French oil company Total announced it was changing its name to TotalEnergies to reflect a broader strategy…
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…
SPP launches Western Energy Imbalance Service real-time balancing market
Energize Weekly, February 3, 2021 Regional transmission organization (RTO) Southwest Power Pool (SPP) launched its Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) on Monday, Feb. 1. The WEIS includes parts of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The real-time balancing market is expected to decrease wholesale electricity costs, increase price…
Longmont electric, water utility rate increases take effect in January
By JOHN FRYAR, December 30, 2020 Longmont’s electric and water rates are increasing in January. The 2021 municipal water and electric charges are the second year of rate hikes in a multiple-year rate hikes schedule City Council members approved in a unanimous December 2019 vote. Read more
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…
Nearly all U.S. coal-fired power plants will be more expensive than wind and solar by 2025
Energize Weekly, August 5, 2020 The economic pressure on coal-fired power plants in the U.S. continues to grow with virtually the entire fleet out of the money compared to wind and solar generation by 2025, according to an analysis by Energy Innovation, a clean energy think tank. The study, done…
COVID-19 drives down electricity demand, puts renewable projects and balance sheets at risk
Energize Weekly, April 15, 2020 The impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on electricity demand in the U.S. and on the utility industry is becoming clearer with lower loads, changing peak demands, more emphasis on renewable generation and emerging financial risks. U.S. power usage is set to drop more steeply…
Electricity demand drops as utilities enact plans to keep lights on during the pandemic
Energize Weekly, April 1, 2020 The closing of businesses and sheltering-in-place of millions of citizens to tamp down the novel coronavirus pandemic is dampening demand for electricity, even as utilities across the country put in place emergency plans to keep electrons flowing through the grid. Between March 14 and March…
Utilities running inefficient coal plants in wholesale power markets cost ratepayers
Energize Weekly, October 30, 2019 Electric customers of regulated utilities in four of the biggest U.S. wholesale electric markets shouldered a $3.8 billion burden for inefficient coal plants between 2015 and 2017, according to a Sierra Club analysis. The Sierra Club report focused on the “shelf-scheduling” of coal plants by…
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…
Coal production in the fourth quarter drops 17 percent, hitting a 42-year low, EIA says
Energize Weekly, October 16, 2019 Coal production in the U.S. is projected to fall 159 million short tons in the fourth quarter of 2019, a 17 percent drop when compared to the same period in 2018, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). For the year, the EIA is…
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…
Utility M&A deals rebound in the second quarter of 2019, reaching $12.3 billion, PwC says
Energize Weekly, August 7, 2019 North American utility mergers and acquisitions rebounded in the second quarter of 2019, hitting $12.3 billion, a 55 percent increase over the year’s first quarter, according to the accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Still, the second quarter of 2019 was 47 percent lower than…
Global power M&A hits $158 billion in 2018, making it second busiest year in the last five
Energize Weekly, July 17, 2019 Global power mergers and acquisitions (M&A) reached $158 billion in 2018, making it the second most active in the last five years, according to GlobalData, a London-based data and analytics company. The number of deals was down a little more than 4 percent to 622…
Colorado co-op sues to block Tri-State’s move to FERC regulation, state lawmakers also concerned
Energize Weekly, July 10, 2019 Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is going ahead with its deliberations on moving from state to federal regulatory oversight even as one of its rural Colorado electric cooperatives has gone to court to block the action. Tri-State’s decision to seek regulation by the Federal Energy…
Wind and solar running ‘neck and neck’ in global corporate power purchases in 2019
Energize Weekly, June 19, 2019 Wind generation, which has been the dominate form of renewable energy for corporate clean energy in power purchase agreements, is running “neck and neck” with solar in 2019, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Globally, companies had signed deals for 2.8 gigawatts (GW) of…
Global utility M&A lags in Q1 of 2019 with renewable energy deals a bright spot
Energize Weekly, May 15, 2019 Power and utility sector mergers and acquisitions worldwide dropped to their lowest level since 2012 in the first quarter of 2019, but industry executives remain positive about deals for the year, according to a survey by Ernst & Young (E&Y). The value of first-quarter deals…
U.S. coal exports, driven by Asian demand for metallurgic coal, hits five-year high in 2018
Energize Weekly, April 3, 2019 Exports of U.S. coal reached their highest level in five years, 116 million short tons, in 2018, even as domestic consumption continued to decline. The figures are based on foreign trade data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. exported 15 percent of its coal…
Colorado PUC ruling sets stage for rural electric cooperative to leave Tri-State G&T
Energize Weekly, February 20, 2019 The Colorado Public Utilities Commission waded into a dispute between a Western Slope rural electric cooperative and the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association over the co-op’s efforts to leave the association. The commission’s decision will provide a new level of oversight for Tri-State, which provides…
Corporate purchases of clean energy soar to a new record in 2018
Energize Weekly, February 6, 2019 Corporations bought a record 13.4 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy through power purchase agreements (PPAs) in 2018, more than double the record set in 2017. Analyses by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) and Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables reported on the trend. Facebook, Google and…
States begin to allow utilities to included energy efficiency programs in their rate base
Energize Weekly, December 26, 2018 New types of incentives are being added by states to the quiver programs to promote energy efficiency among utilities, according to a survey by the American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE), a non-profit advocacy group. The council first surveyed state energy efficiency programs…
Coal prices are competitive, but it isn’t leading to more coal-fired power in the PJM
Energize Weekly, December 19, 2018 A rise in natural gas prices has made coal more competitive, but in the PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid, the usual utility switching to the cheapest fuel has been hamstrung by the closure of mines and coal-fired units. “Conventional wisdom in PJM was that…
PJM could face reliability risks in early 2020s if more coal and nuclear generation is retired
Energize Weekly, November 7, 2018 The PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid, can manage the announced closures of coal and nuclear plants even in the face of severe weather—but with the loss of additional generation, “the system may be at risk.” The assessment comes from the PJM’s Fuel Security Analysis…
Pipeline constraints could hurt winter energy market prices in New York, Boston and Los Angeles
Energize Weekly, October 24, 2018 A forecast for a mild winter and adequate electricity generating capacity are good news for the winter energy markets, but pipeline constraints could create risks for several major cities, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) assessment. The growing dependence on natural gas-fired generation…
High temperatures, fuel constraints pushed western electricity prices to a 10-year high this summer
Energize Weekly, October 3, 2018 High temperatures and tight fuel supplies pushed wholesale electricity prices in the western U.S. to their highest levels since 2008, according to the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA). Temperatures were warmer than normal across the West. Portland, Ore., for example, posted 29 days of temperatures…
Western Energy Imbalance Market posts a record quarter, cutting costs, providing benefits
Energize Weekly, August 8, 2018 The western Energy Imbalance Market, which serves seven utilities and the California grid operator, posted a record $71.2 million in benefits to its members in the second quarter of 2018, according to the organization. The market, known as the EIM, is a real-time bulk power…
High levels of wind and solar on the power grid could lower wholesale electric prices
Energize Weekly, June 6, 2018 High levels of wind and solar on regional power grids can decrease electric wholesale prices by $5 to $16 a megawatt-hour (MWh), according to a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “Increasing penetrations of variable renewable energy (VRE) can affect wholesale electricity price patterns and…
PJM capacity auction sees renewables, coal and natural gas rise while nuclear plummets
Energize Weekly, May 30, 2018 PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid, saw prices jump more than 80 percent to $140 a megawatt-day across most of its grid in the annual capacity market auction. But even with the hike, many nuclear power plants couldn’t successfully bid. The price increase was expected…
Falling renewable energy prices could make $112 billion in gas-fired generation a stranded asset, RMI study says
Energize Weekly, May 30, 2018 Coal-fired generation is being supplanted, for the most part, by cheaper natural gas turbines with $112 billion in new gas-fired power plants proposed or under construction, but those plants could face the same market fate as coal, according to an analysis by the Rocky Mountain…
Southwest Power Pool approves terms for western utilities to join its wholesale market
Energize Weekly, March 21, 2018 The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) board of directors on March 13 approved the terms for utilities and transmission operators from eight Western states to join their wholesale electricity market. The proposal deals with issues of cost sharing, governance, operations and, in a number of areas,…
Utilities need to adapt to a changing market with new business approaches, RMI study says
Energize Weekly, January 31, 2018 A rapidly shifting, yet slow-growing electricity market is forcing utility executives and state regulators to redefine the role of utilities—from expanding their monopoly positions to becoming open platforms for competition, according to a study by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). The question, the study by…
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…
