Minnesota Cooperative Completes Major Transmission Line
Posted on Aug 19, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Minnesota Cooperative Completes Major Transmission Line
Minnkota Power Cooperative recently completed a 250-mile transmission line from Center, North Dakota to Grand Forks, North Dakota. The 345-kV line, which has been lauded by U.S. Senator John Hoeven, is the largest transmission project in the state’s history. For more information, click here.
Mississippi Coop to Receive FEMA Funds for Severe Weather Cleanup
Posted on Aug 11, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on Mississippi Coop to Receive FEMA Funds for Severe Weather Cleanup
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved over $2.43 million in Disaster Relief Fund grants to be distributed to the City of Tupelo and the East Mississippi Electric Power Association to fund debris removal and utility repairs necessitated by tornadoes and severe weather that hit northeast Mississippi in April. Click here for more.
Basin Electric to Join the Southwest Power Pool
Posted on Jul 29, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure | Comments Off on Basin Electric to Join the Southwest Power Pool
The Board of Directors of Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric) has authorized the electric generation and transmission cooperative to join the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). Subject to approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Basin Electric plans to integrate into SPP by October 1, 2015. To read more, please click here.
FERC Considers Approving New CIP Standards
Posted on Jul 29, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on FERC Considers Approving New CIP Standards
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is considering approval of new Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards drafted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) under a FERC order. Meanwhile, FERC is also suggesting that NERC revise the standards to potentially cover more grid facilities. FERC is expected to issue a final rule on the standards...
Coop Agrees to Share Utility Poles with Google Fiber
Posted on Jul 25, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Technology, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Coop Agrees to Share Utility Poles with Google Fiber
Pedernales Electric Cooperative, a coop near Austin, Texas, and Google have reached an agreement that allows Google to use the coop’s existing utility poles to attach fiber-optic cables. Click here to read the coop’s press release for more information.
USDA to Fund Electric System Improvements in Rural Areas
Posted on Jul 16, 2014 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on USDA to Fund Electric System Improvements in Rural Areas
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will invest more than $250 million in loan proceeds to help improve the reliability of electric systems in rural areas in eight states. A portion of the funds will be used to modernize the systems with smart grid improvements. To read more about this story, please click here.
North Carolina Coops Repair Hurricane Arthur Damage
Posted on Jul 8, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on North Carolina Coops Repair Hurricane Arthur Damage
North Carolina electric cooperatives spent much of the holiday weekend working to restore power to members in the wake of Hurricane Arthur. Parts of the central North Carolina coastline and barrier islands were hit by 100 mph winds late July 3, and efforts to respond to outages have ranged from using a peaking plant located on Ocracoke Island to provide intermittent power to residents...
Vermont Coop Proposes Change to Net Metering Program
Posted on Jul 1, 2014 in Energy Savings Programs, Grid & Infrastructure, Rates, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Coop Proposes Change to Net Metering Program
As the Sutherland Coop Team reported on April 2, 2014, legislation in Vermont this spring opened the door for more homeowners to sell excess power back to the electrical grid. East Montpelier-based Washington Electric Cooperative (WEC) has proposed that a grid service fee be charged to net metering customers based on the amount of power that they generate. WEC says that the charge...
Telecom Company Wins Transmission Case
Posted on Jun 17, 2014 in Grid & Infrastructure, Land Use, Litigation, Project Development, Rates | Comments Off on Telecom Company Wins Transmission Case
A North Carolina court ruled that pole attachment rates charged by Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation were in violation of a North Carolina statute, according to the Federal Communications Commission rate formula. The issue revolves around the rates per pole that would be charged to telecom customers in the area. Nearly 7,400 poles are at issue. For more information, click...
EPA Carbon Rule Could Lead States to Cap-and-Trade Programs
Posted on Jun 3, 2014 in Climate Change, Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on EPA Carbon Rule Could Lead States to Cap-and-Trade Programs
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed regulations requiring a 30 percent reduction in carbon emissions from existing power plants by 2030 outlines several approved ways for states to reach the targeted reductions. However, some experts believe that most states will likely focus on achieving compliance through cap-and-trade systems. Because the electricity grid...
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