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…
Department of Energy rejects Holtec International’s plan to restart Palisades Nuclear Power Plant
Department of Energy rejects Holtec International’s plan to restart Palisades Nuclear Power Plant Dec 6, 2022 No second life for Palisades: after applying for a Civil Nuclear Credit program, the United States Department of Energy rejected Holtec International’s plan to restart the decommissioned facility. “Obviously, it was disappointing news when…
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…
Spurred by high commodity prices, energy production revenues on federal lands surge
Spurred by high commodity prices, energy production revenues on federal lands surge Energize Weekly, November 16, 2022 Energy production on federal lands and offshore areas in 2022 generated $22 billion for the federal and state governments – the highest in revenues since 2008 and second highest in 39 years, according…
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.…
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…
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…
Dominion May End $10B Offshore Wind Project Over Performance Clause
Dominion May End $10B Offshore Wind Project Over Performance Clause AUG 28, 2022 The giant utility Dominion Energy has found itself in a disagreement with state regulators over a proposed performance guarantee for its $10 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project, one of the largest planned wind farms in the…
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…
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…
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…
Lawsuit filed against Mon Power, FirstEnergy after 2021 house fire
Lawsuit filed against Mon Power, FirstEnergy after 2021 house fire June 10, 2022 A lawsuit filed this week in Monongalia County Circuit Court by a Taylor County couple names Monongahela Power Company (Mon Power) and FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. as defendants, along with Mon Power Supervisor for Distribution Technician James Connor…
Activists hail Biden’s use of security powers to boost clean energy
Activists hail Biden’s use of security powers to boost clean energy June 7, 2022 Environmental groups have welcomed Joe Biden’s invoking of national security powers to rapidly expand the production of clean energy technology as a significant advance in the effort to curb dangerous climate breakdown. Read more
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change
California Power Officials Warn of Power Shortfalls This Summer Amid Increasing Strain from Climate Change May 6, 2022 California power regulators are warning of power shortages and possible blackouts this summer as the state’s electrical grid faces increasing strain from drought and extreme heat. “We know reliability is going to…
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening
We Energies seeks rate plan to fund clean energy investments, grid hardening May 02, 2022 We Energies proposed a new rate plan to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) last week, potentially raising customers’ rates for electricity, natural gas and steam next year to pay for a large-scale clean…
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025
Consumers Energy settles with stakeholders over Clean Energy Plan, pledges coal elimination by 2025 April 22, 2022 After agreeing to a settlement with key stakeholders, Consumers Energy announced this week that, as part of its Clean Energy Plan, it will cease using coal as a fuel source for electric generation…
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements
US EPA’s plan for interstate smog might force even more early coal retirements 18 Apr, 2022 With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s climate authority over the nation’s power sector in legal limbo, the Biden administration unveiled a plan in March for addressing interstate smog pollution that is projected to drive…
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires April 11, 2022 Pacific Gas & Electric, the nation’s largest utility, has agreed to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for two major wildfires sparked by its aging Northern California power lines and submit to five years of…
House bill would streamline approval of small nuclear reactors in Alaska
House bill would streamline approval of small nuclear reactors in Alaska March 21, 2022 A bill moving through the Alaska Legislature would streamline the state’s approval process for small nuclear reactors, which have been touted as cleaner, more cost-effective sources of energy for Alaska. Read more
Supply chain problems and rising prices are pinching the U.S. solar industry
Supply chain problems and rising prices are pinching the U.S. solar industry Energize Weekly, March 23, 2022 Facing supply chain problems and rising prices, the U.S. solar industry delayed about a third of its utility-scale capacity in the fourth quarter of 2021, and installations are projected to be down in…
Nuclear regulators to reconsider environmental impact of Point Beach license extension
Nuclear regulators to reconsider environmental impact of Point Beach license extension Mar 10, 2022 Federal regulators are taking a fresh look at plans to keep Wisconsin’s only remaining nuclear power plant operating through mid-century. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has suspended its review of NextEra Energy’s application to extend the operating licenses for…
Feds rescind license extension for Florida nuclear plant
Feds rescind license extension for Florida nuclear plant February 26, 2022 Federal officials have reversed a decision to allow a South Florida nuclear power plant to continue running for another 30 years by ordering a new review of potential environmental risks, including those posed by climate change. Read more
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies
Cyber insurance premiums soar for energy companies Feb. 18, 2022 Cyber insurance rates are rising because of geopolitics, ransomware, a growing threat to operational technology, and continued fallout from last year’s Colonial Pipeline attack, say experts. Read more
Former Ohio regulator linked to $4M payoff directed agency to limit response to FirstEnergy corruption
Former Ohio regulator linked to $4M payoff directed agency to limit response to FirstEnergy corruption February 15, 2022 Newly produced documents show that Sam Randazzo, former chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, came up with the idea to let FirstEnergy show it didn’t use ratepayer money for House Bill…
Peco parent Exelon completes spinoff of its power generation business
Peco parent Exelon completes spinoff of its power generation business Feb 2, 2022 Exelon Corp. on Wednesday completed its separation into two companies: a new generation and marketing business that owns the nation’s largest fleet of nuclear power plants, and a Chicago-based utility giant whose operations include Peco, Atlantic City…
Energy and Commerce Committee leaders seek information from TVA on business practices
Energy and Commerce Committee leaders seek information from TVA on business practices January 17, 2022 Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are seeking information from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on its lack of deployment of renewable energy and other business practices. Specifically, the lawmakers are concerned that TVA…
Insurance Companies Sue Texas Power Grid Operator Over 2021 Winter Storm Losses
Insurance Companies Sue Texas Power Grid Operator Over 2021 Winter Storm Losses January 7, 2022 More than 100 insurance companies are suing the Texas power grid operator and several power-generating companies (PGCs) over losses suffered from 2021 Winter Storm Uri, which resulted in more than 500,000 insurance claims and approximately…
NRC denies Oklo license application
NRC denies Oklo license application 07 January 2022 The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has denied Oklo Power’s application to build and operate an Aurora compact fast reactor in Idaho, saying gaps in the information supplied by the company mean that the regulator’s review of the combined licence application cannot move…
Exelon separation moves forward, with New York Public Service Commission approval
Exelon separation moves forward, with New York Public Service Commission approval December 20, 2021 Exelon Corp. announces that the New York State Public Service Commission has approved a unanimous settlement agreement that allows Exelon to move forward with its plan to separate into two companies in the first quarter of 2022. Read…
Cincinnati, Columbus settle civil claims related to FirstEnergy bailout
Cincinnati, Columbus settle civil claims related to FirstEnergy bailout December 14, 2021 The cities of Cincinnati and Columbus have dismissed their state court claims against FirstEnergy and Energy Harbor for the companies’ actions relating to House Bill 6, the nuclear and coal bailout law at the heart of a $60…
Energy companies push for proposed merger in New Mexico
Energy companies push for proposed merger in New Mexico NOVEMBER 13, 2021 New Mexico’s largest electric provider and global energy giant Iberdrola say they’re committed to customer protections as they push for regulatory approval for a multibillion-dollar merger. Read More
Virginia GOP targets clean energy law, but options for rollback are limited
Virginia GOP targets clean energy law, but options for rollback are limited November 9, 2021 Newly emboldened Virginia Republicans are vowing to roll back the state’s landmark clean energy reforms enacted by Democrats over the last two years. Read more
Two Norway wind farms lose license in landmark ruling over indigenous rights
Two Norway wind farms lose license in landmark ruling over indigenous rights October 11, 2021 Norway’s supreme court stripped two wind farms of their operating licenses on Monday in a case that could boost the legal rights of the country’s indigenous Sami people. Read more
CMP, public power backers locked in war to weaken each other’s 2022 referendum bids
CMP, public power backers locked in war to weaken each other’s 2022 referendum bids October 11, 2021 Supporters and opponents of establishing a consumer-owned utility in Maine both made changes to their ballot initiatives in the past week in attempts to render the other ineffective ahead of a possible referendum fight…
Why California is shutting down its last nuclear plant
Why California is shutting down its last nuclear plant OCT 2 2021 As blackouts and flex hours roil California, the state and the local utility responsible for its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, are pushing ahead with plans to shut it down. This despite the fact that nuclear energy…
Illinois Legislature saves at-risk nuclear plants with clean energy bill
Illinois Legislature saves at-risk nuclear plants with clean energy bill September 13, 2021 The Illinois Legislature has approved legislation providing nearly $700 million in subsidies over five years to save unprofitable nuclear plants, acting in the final hour to stop at least one from shutting down. Read more
Westinghouse to pay over $20 million for failed Summer project
Westinghouse to pay over $20 million for failed Summer project Sep 2, 2021 Westinghouse Electric Company has entered into a cooperation agreement with the Department of Justice in connection with its role in the failed effort to build two AP1000 reactors at the Summer nuclear plant in Jenkinsville, S.C. Read…
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.…
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…
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…
Watchdog subpoenas FirstEnergy info on payment to regulator
Watchdog subpoenas FirstEnergy info on payment to regulator July 2, 2021 Ohio’s consumer utility watchdog is demanding that FirstEnergy Corp. share more information about $4.3 million that was paid to an attorney to end his consulting contract shortly before he became the state’s top utility regulator. Read more
U.S. NRC launches investigation at Southern Georgia Vogtle 3 nuclear unit
U.S. NRC launches investigation at Southern Georgia Vogtle 3 nuclear unit Jun 21, 2021 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said Monday it launched a special inspection at Southern Co’s Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia to identify what led to remediation work at the third unit, which is under…
Duke Energy commits to helping struggling Floridians save money, avoid disconnections
Duke Energy commits to helping struggling Floridians save money, avoid disconnections May 11, 2021 Duke Energy announced a series of steps it is taking to ensure customers who are behind on their utility bills don’t have their power cut off at a dangerous time. Read more
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…
Bills to defend Wyoming’s coal industry clear House, head to Senate
Camille Erickson, Mar 22, 2021 An effort by lawmakers to defend Wyoming’s leading industry gained ground Monday after a pair of bills aimed at slowing coal plant closures cleared the House. Read more
State Regulators Announce Limits to Eversource Cost Recovery
BY BRENDAN CROWLEY MARCH 20, 2021 Eversource will be prevented from recovering a large portion of the costs of Tropical Storm Isaias, state utility regulators announced Friday evening in a draft decision based on an investigation into widespread and lengthy power outages stemming from the August storm. Read more
