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Northland transmission line to boost reliability as renewables replace power plants

Northland transmission line to boost reliability as renewables replace power plants July 31, 2023 Large cross-country transmission lines carrying clean energy from remote rural areas to population centers will be a key strategy for reducing emissions. But as a project in Minnesota illustrates, the grid puzzle is more complicated than that. Connecting central and northern…

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Feds propose $2B in PNW energy grid upgrades to meet rising demand

Feds propose $2B in PNW energy grid upgrades to meet rising demand July 24, 2023 The Pacific Northwest’s need for more — and renewable — electricity is increasing, and Bonneville Power Administration officials say the grid needs billions of dollars’ of work to keep those higher energy loads flowing across the region. A set of…

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Congestion on the U.S. electric grid added $20.8 billion in costs in 2022

Congestion on the U.S. electric grid added $20.8 billion in costs in 2022 Energize Weekly, July 26,2023 The increasingly choked U.S. electric grid – sometimes preventing the cheapest generation from getting online – cost consumers $20.8 billion in 2022, a 55 percent year-over-year increase, according to utility consultant Grid Strategies. “This trend reflects the greater…

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Probe Into 2022 Attack on Kern County PG&E Facility Hits Dead End

Probe Into 2022 Attack on Kern County PG&E Facility Hits Dead End Jul 10 Investigators have hit a dead end in their investigation of a July 2022 incident in which gunfire caused nearly $6 million in damage to a PG&E substation near Bakersfield. It’s one of a string of unsolved acts of vandalism targeting the…

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Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S.

Global EV sales set to triple by 2026 led by China, Europe, and the U.S. Energize Weekly, July 12, 2023 Electric vehicle (EV) sales are projected to almost triple between 2022 and 2026, reaching nearly 27 million vehicles as the technology pushes beyond automobiles to trucks and buses, according to an analysis by BloombergNEF (BNEF).…

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How old coal plants could help fuel a renewable boom

How old coal plants could help fuel a renewable boom 06/30/2023 When Pennsylvania’s largest coal plant closes Saturday, it will leave behind more than towering smokestacks and mounds of coal waste. The Homer City Generating Station has a valuable asset: a connection to both the nation’s largest regional power grid and the grid that powers…

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Northern Maine power line project moves forward, slowly

Northern Maine power line project moves forward, slowly June 26, 2023 Plans for a major renewable energy project that would connect Aroostook County to New England’s electric power grid are inching forward. Last week, legislators and Gov. Janet Mills signed off on a bill for construction of a high-voltage transmission line that would bring wind-generated…

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FERC finalizes new rules to improve reliability in extreme weather conditions

FERC finalizes new rules to improve reliability in extreme weather conditions June 20, 2023 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finalized two new rules last week that are designed to help improve reliability of the bulk power system against threats of extreme weather. The first rule directs the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to…

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Gov. Abbott vetoes energy efficiency bill

Gov. Abbott vetoes energy efficiency bill JUNE 20, 2023 Gov. Abbott vetoed SB 2453, by Senator Jose Menendez, and sponsored in the House by Rep. Ana Hernandez, a bill allowing the state to adopt strong energy efficiency standards for new buildings, on Friday. The measure, collateral damage to an unrelated fight between the Governor and…

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Austin to enter mutual aid agreement with neighboring utility companies after February freeze

Austin to enter mutual aid agreement with neighboring utility companies after February freeze June 2, 2023 A little over three months after an ice storm left tens of thousands of Austin Energy customers without electricity, some for as long as two weeks, the Austin City Council on Thursday ratified a mutual aid agreement that will…

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Lawmakers eye compromise bill to bolster power lines in permitting negotiations

Lawmakers eye compromise bill to bolster power lines in permitting negotiations 05/25/23 Lawmakers appear to be considering a compromise bill to bolster the nation’s power lines as part of efforts to tie energy permitting reforms to legislation that would lift the debt ceiling. A source briefed on the issue told The Hill that transmission legislation…

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Upcoming CPUC Rulemaking To Streamline Transmission Line Permitting

Upcoming CPUC Rulemaking To Streamline Transmission Line Permitting 22 May 2023 The California Public Utilities Commission (Commission) has uploaded a proposed Order Instituting Rulemaking (OIR) that would revamp the permitting process for siting of electric transmission infrastructure within the state of California. The OIR, which is expected to be adopted at the Commission’s May 18,…

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