Hawaiian Electric begins restoration work in Lahaina at request of Maui Emergency Operations Center September 21, 2023 Hawaiian Electric reports that replacement of poles and electrical equipment damaged in last months windstorms and wildfires in Lahaina will get underway at the request of Maui emergency management officials. This work will…
Dominion, in rare move, details data centers’ big electricity demands
Dominion, in rare move, details data centers’ big electricity demands Sep 18, 2023 Data centers, some of the biggest electricity users of all, have signed agreements with Dominion Energy showing they expect to use the equivalent of 35% of the record flow of electricity the utility saw during last year’s…
Eversource presents plans for electrical grid upgrades, without fossil fuels
Eversource presents plans for electrical grid upgrades, without fossil fuels Sep. 03, 2023 Eversource has announced its first draft of improvements it hopes to make to the state’s electrical grid, boosting clean energy production and reducing the use of fossil fuels. The final plan — which will meet company requirements…
TVA Plans to Invest $15 Billion Over the Next Three Years to Meet Region’s Growth
TVA Plans to Invest $15 Billion Over the Next Three Years to Meet Region’s Growth Aug. 28, 2023 During the decade before COVID, TVA’s seven-state region saw almost no electric load growth. Post-COVID, the region has experienced tremendous economic growth, fueled by several factors. The Tennessee Valley Authority Board of…
State power grid operator calls on Texans to conserve energy late Sunday
State power grid operator calls on Texans to conserve energy late Sunday AUG. 20, 2023 The state’s electric grid operator is asking Texans to limit their power use on Sunday between 7 and 10 p.m., the second such request in three days as extreme heat continues to grip the state.…
Data Centers in Oregon Strain Electricity Grid and Challenge Clean Energy Goals
Data Centers in Oregon Strain Electricity Grid and Challenge Clean Energy Goals AUG 12, 2023 Data centers in Oregon are expected to consume significantly more electricity than initially estimated, according to three recent forecasts. This unexpected increase in energy consumption is placing additional strain on the Northwest electrical grid and…
Experts eye ways to mitigate physical assaults on US power grid
Experts eye ways to mitigate physical assaults on US power grid 11 Aug, 2023 Industry experts offered a range of ideas for how power system planners can help bolster physical grid security during an Aug. 10 technical conference hosted by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff. The gathering, held jointly with…
Hawaiian Electric shares plummet 40% after Maui wildfires lawsuit
Hawaiian Electric shares plummet 40% after Maui wildfires lawsuit August 15, 2023 Shares of Hawaiian Electric have plummeted nearly 40% since trading opened Monday over concerns that the utility company could be held liable for damage wrought by the Maui wildfires. A class-action lawsuit filed against Hawaiian Electric on Saturday…
SRP and APS report record-breaking electricity demand during July heat wave
SRP and APS report record-breaking electricity demand during July heat wave Aug. 4, 2023 After July’s historic heat wave, both SRP and APS reported electricity demand skyrocketed, and the companies recorded the highest demand they have ever seen from customers. Both companies say it only takes one megawatt to power…
APS says rate hike vital to keep homes in Phoenix powered, recover infrastructure costs
APS says rate hike vital to keep homes in Phoenix powered, recover infrastructure costs Aug 4, 2023 As a rate increase for Arizona Public Service customers is on the horizon, the president of the company said it is necessary to recover infrastructure costs and to continue powering Phoenix homes. Regaining…
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…
Infrastructure and green energy spending are powering the economy
Infrastructure and green energy spending are powering the economy July 28, 2023 A surge in government funding and related private investment is beginning to make its way to businesses and communities across the country, building electric vehicles, new bridges, airport upgrades and a host of other infrastructure and green energy…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Penelec Boosts Service Reliability with Summer Preparations in Pennsylvania
Penelec Boosts Service Reliability with Summer Preparations in Pennsylvania June 26, 2023 Penelec, a FirstEnergy subsidiary, is enhancing service reliability by inspecting and maintaining equipment across its 31-county northern and central Pennsylvania service area for the upcoming hot summer months. Crews are completing inspections of the local energy delivery system…
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…
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…
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…
Tax Incentives To Supercharge U.S. Clean Energy Transition
Tax Incentives To Supercharge U.S. Clean Energy Transition Jun 18, 2023 The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have released guidance on key provisions in the IRA to expand the reach of the clean energy tax credits and help build projects more quickly and affordably.…
JCP&L, looking to reduce outages, to spend $34M to trim trees in 9 counties
JCP&L, looking to reduce outages, to spend $34M to trim trees in 9 counties June 9, 2023 Jersey Central Power & Light announced Thursday that it is investing approximately $34 million in 2023 to trim trees along more than 3,400 miles of power lines across its central and northern New…
Storage battery installations surge in first quarter of 2023 led by Texas and California
Storage battery installations surge in first quarter of 2023 led by Texas and California Energize Weekly, June 7, 2023 Total battery storage installations in the U.S. are surging with first quarter 2023 capacity up 52 percent to 10.8 gigawatts (GW) with another 3.2 GW slated for the second quarter, according…
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…
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…
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.…
Grant County’s $75 Million Electric System Upgrade Project Nearing Completion
Grant County’s $75 Million Electric System Upgrade Project Nearing Completion May 15, 2023 Grant County PUD is set to undergo a comprehensive electric-system upgrade project across 10 different sites, costing approximately $75 million. The aim of these upgrades is to minimize outage durations and enhance the electric supply for residential,…
ComEd says traditionally summer preparations becoming year-round reality for grid resilience
ComEd says traditionally summer preparations becoming year-round reality for grid resilience May 08, 2023 According to a presentation of ComEd’s summer readiness and plans to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), mechanisms are in place to assure reliability for its 9 million customers in northern Illinois. Summer is traditionally the time…
Initiative to create a consumer-owned electric utility and replace CMP and Versant will appear on Maine 2023 ballot
Initiative to create a consumer-owned electric utility and replace CMP and Versant will appear on Maine 2023 ballot May 9, 2023 An initiative to create a municipal consumer-owned electric transmission and distribution utility, replacing Central Maine Power and Versant Power, will be on the Maine ballot on Nov. 7, 2023.…
Utilities Seize Control of the Coming Boom in Transmission Lines
Utilities Seize Control of the Coming Boom in Transmission Lines April 26, 2023 Just about everyone involved agrees that the grid needs an upgrade, including a plan for a new transmission line that would run south of Chicago, across northern Indiana and into Michigan. What they don’t agree on is…
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…
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…
Construction nears on SRP large-scale battery energy storage project in Arizona
Construction nears on SRP large-scale battery energy storage project in Arizona APRIL 14, 2023 Officials from Salt River Project (SRP), Plus Power LLC, and the City of Avondale took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking to kick off construction at Sierra Estrella Energy Storage, what is expected to be the largest…
A key link in bringing Wyoming wind power to California gets federal BLM approval
A key link in bringing Wyoming wind power to California gets federal BLM approval Energize Weekly, April 19, 2023 After 15 years of planning and permitting battles, a key piece in billionaire Philip Anschutz’s $8 billion project to bring Wyoming wind power to California – the 732-mile TransWest Express transmission…
FirstEnergy Ohio firms file plan to invest in grid security, customer assistance and energy efficiency
FirstEnergy Ohio firms file plan to invest in grid security, customer assistance and energy efficiency April 07, 2023 With submission of a proposed Electric Security Plan (ESP) this week to state regulators, Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison sought to bolster their investments into distribution modernization and…
Grid Transmission Progress In The U.S.
Grid Transmission Progress In The U.S. March 31, 2023 As the U.S. continues to see the highest levels of renewable energy investment in its history, the investment required to expand and improve the energy transmission grid will need to keep pace. This is happening through a combination of private investment…
Southern California Edison Improves Grid Safety, Significantly Reduces Wildfire Threat
Southern California Edison Improves Grid Safety, Significantly Reduces Wildfire Threat March 27, 2023 Southern California Edison today submitted its 2023-25 Wildfire Mitigation Plan to California’s Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety. SCE has reduced the probability of wildfires associated with its utility equipment by 75%-80% since 2018. This is a significant…
South Carolina lawmakers pass power grid protections after attacks
South Carolina lawmakers pass power grid protections after attacks March 20, 2023 South Carolina lawmakers are working to make sure electrical substations are better protected months after a substation shooting knocked out power for more than 34,000 people in North Carolina. Last week, South Carolina senators unanimously passed two bills…
Texas lawmakers propose bills moving away from renewable energy in attempt to shore up power grid
Texas lawmakers propose bills moving away from renewable energy in attempt to shore up power grid March 9, 2023 Some Texas senators unveiled plans Thursday to shift the focus away from wind and solar and toward resources like natural gas. It was part of nine bills Texas lawmakers announced aimed…
More than 43,000 miles of new transmission lines needed in the U.S. by 2040, DOE study says
More than 43,000 miles of new transmission lines needed in the U.S. by 2040, DOE study says Energize Weekly, March 15, 2023 The United States is projected to need more than 47,300 gigawatt-miles of new transmission lines by 2040 – in some cases they will be needed as soon as…
California could keep the lights on by expanding grid across the West, report finds
California could keep the lights on by expanding grid across the West, report finds MARCH 03, 2023 Expanding California’s electricity grid to cooperate with neighboring states would bolster reliability and affordability while reducing carbon emissions, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy concluded in a new report. The report released…
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…
DOE touts grid expansion plans as operators raise concerns
DOE touts grid expansion plans as operators raise concerns 02/27/2023 The Department of Energy calls its new draft report on transmission a vital step in confronting barriers to long-distance power lines, but not all U.S. grid operators are sold on the outlook. DOE’s draft “National Transmission Needs Study,” released Friday,…
Kentucky lawmakers advance bill to keep coal on the power grid, cite reliability concerns
Kentucky lawmakers advance bill to keep coal on the power grid, cite reliability concerns FEBRUARY 28, 2023 Kentucky lawmakers are advancing a bill to try to keep coal-fired power plants on the state’s electric grid “for the foreseeable future,” pointing to concerns over rolling blackouts that some utilities implemented when…
Attacks On The U.S. Power Grid Are Surging
Attacks On The U.S. Power Grid Are Surging Feb 21, 2023 The number of attacks with gunfire or vandalism on the U.S. power grid infrastructure surged last year and is likely to continue rising this year, too, a confidential analysis seen by The Wall Street Journal has shown. Last year,…
Xcel Energy uses Inflation Reduction Act for customer savings
Xcel Energy uses Inflation Reduction Act for customer savings Feb 19, 2023 Xcel Energy aims to save Minnesota customers over $1.4 billion in costs over the next 10 years and accelerate the transition to clean energy through provisions in the federal Inflation Reduction Act. Savings on projects in wind, solar,…
Electric Vehicles Loom Large in U.S. Power Grid Modernization
Electric Vehicles Loom Large in U.S. Power Grid Modernization February 9, 2023 Since its inception, the U.S. electric grid has mostly operated smoothly as one synchronous machine with a one-directional flow of electricity to meet the nation’s predictable power needs. However, as older centralized thermal resources are being replaced with…
Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says
Renewables and nuclear set to cover global growth in electricity demand, IEA says Energize Weekly, February 15, 2023 New renewable and nuclear generation is set to meet 90 percent of the growing demand for electricity globally during the next three years, while increasing extreme weather will test grid resilience, according…
House bill aims to create lending institution for infrastructure projects
House bill aims to create lending institution for infrastructure projects Feb. 7, 2023 The bank would help finance work such as transportation projects, ports, electric grid security and broadband connectivity, according to the release. The bill also allows for broad discretion by the bank to invest in any infrastructure projects…
FBI says Baltimore County woman plotted to ‘shoot up’ BGE electric substations
FBI says Baltimore County woman plotted to ‘shoot up’ BGE electric substations February 6, 2023 A Baltimore County woman has been arrested on charges for allegedly plotting to destroy electric substations in the Baltimore region, federal authorities said during a press conference on Monday. Sarah Beth Clendaniel was recorded detailing…
