Agriculture Secretary Announces Award of Grants in 11 States
Posted on May 23, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development | Comments Off on Agriculture Secretary Announces Award of Grants in 11 States
Several coops in 11 states have received funding from the USDA Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program. This round of funding highlights USDA’s continued focus on carrying out its mission to strengthen the rural economy. The coops that received funding include East Mississippi Electric Power Association, Western Illinois Electrical Coop., Three Notch Electric Membership...
Coop President Testifies on Cyber Security
Posted on May 23, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Reliability | Comments Off on Coop President Testifies on Cyber Security
Duane Highley, president of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, testified before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee in an effort to ease further cyber security mandates on power utilities. Highley stated that voluntary industry standards are working to protect the energy grid, but some lawmakers argued that mandatory compliance should be required. To read more about this...
Coops Help as Oklahoma Rebuilds
Posted on May 21, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Help as Oklahoma Rebuilds
Assisted by a dozen other coops, Oklahoma Electric Cooperative has begun repairs following the devastating tornados that hit the Oklahoma City area this week. At least six substations are reported to have lost power after 200 mph winds tore through the area. For more information about the scope of the outages and those involved in the repairs, click here.
Indiana Coop and CFC “Amend & Extend” Line of Credit
Posted on May 20, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development | Comments Off on Indiana Coop and CFC “Amend & Extend” Line of Credit
Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative (Hoosier), based in Indiana, and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) have finalized a deal to “amend and extend” a $400 million line of credit. The line of credit, which has an original maturity date of August 11, 2016, will now remain in place through April 30, 2018. Hoosier’s plans for the credit line include...
Coops Concerned with EPA Proposal for Power Plants
Posted on May 20, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Concerned with EPA Proposal for Power Plants
Electric coops are asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw its proposal which could greatly affect power plants under the Clean Air Act. The proposal, which would involve at least 36 states, would “fundamentally” change how power plants operate during startups, shutdowns and malfunctions. Electric Co-op Today has more details on the cooperatives’...
Texas Coop Positioned for Long-Term CFC Relationship
Posted on May 14, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Texas Coop Positioned for Long-Term CFC Relationship
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, located in Bastrop, Texas, has refinanced $92 million of debt to borrow wholly from the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC). Bluebonnet has decades of experience with the CFC, which has accommodated the coop’s changing financial plans and borrowing needs. To learn more, click here.
Obama Administration Proposes New Restrictions on RUS Financing
Posted on May 14, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Obama Administration Proposes New Restrictions on RUS Financing
The Department of Agriculture announced a fiscal 2014 budget of $4 billion for the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Electric Loan Program. Of that amount, $3 billion would be earmarked for renewable energy projects with the remaining $1 billion held for environmental upgrades. The proposed budget provides no money for other distribution or transmission projects, a void that lawmakers...
Coop Leaders Meet with President Obama to Discuss Response to Grid Reliability
Posted on May 14, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coop Leaders Meet with President Obama to Discuss Response to Grid Reliability
On May 8, nearly three dozen electric utility executives met with President Obama to discuss ways to improve the industry’s ability to respond to major disruptions or threats to grid reliability, such as the outages that occurred with Superstorm Sandy. The group discussed ways to better aid the collective response required at such times, including providing adequate food and lodging...
EIA Expects Near-Term Upswing in Coal Generation
Posted on May 9, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on EIA Expects Near-Term Upswing in Coal Generation
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the electric industry will see an increase in coal usage in 2013 and 2014 due to higher natural gas prices. While coal will rise to approximately 40 percent of the industry’s fuel sources, production levels are expected to decline, largely due to reduced exports. Click here for more information.
Texas Utilities May Buy Surplus Solar Energy from Customers
Posted on May 7, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Texas Utilities May Buy Surplus Solar Energy from Customers
A bill passed in the Texas Senate proposes that utilities pay Texas customers that generate excess solar energy a fair market price for their contributions to the electrical grid. Under current law, if a utility does not voluntarily offer to buy excess solar energy, customers must negotiate directly with their providers to be compensated for the energy they add to the grid. Read more...
Subscribe
