New Reliability Compliance Opportunities in 2013
Posted on Jan 2, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on New Reliability Compliance Opportunities in 2013
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) closed out 2012 with several orders affecting reliability compliance. FERC adopted a revised definition of the “bulk electric system,” authorized FERC access to e-Tags used to schedule power transmission, and affirmed the authority of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to assess monetary penalties against federally...
Alaskan Coop Decides Not to Buy Plant
Posted on Dec 20, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Mergers/Acquisitions | Comments Off on Alaskan Coop Decides Not to Buy Plant
Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) will not purchase a 22.5-MW, coal-fired generation plant located at Clear Air Force Station about 80 miles from Fairbanks. Citing cost concerns, both from an environmental and efficiency perspective, GVEA determined that purchasing the plant was not in the best interest of its customers. Clear Air Force Station hopes to connect to the GVEA grid...
Iowa Coops to Attend Workshop on Preventing Cyber-Attacks
Posted on Dec 14, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on Iowa Coops to Attend Workshop on Preventing Cyber-Attacks
The heads of electric cooperatives in Iowa will meet for a three-day workshop and training session at Iowa State University in Ames. The goal of the workshop is to protect the state’s electric coops from cyber-attacks, which are becoming an increasingly important topic of grid reliability. Organizers say the first line of defense is ensuring that the workforce is adequately...
Study Finds Northwest Needs More Generation
Posted on Dec 13, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Reliability | Comments Off on Study Finds Northwest Needs More Generation
A study conducted by the Northwest Resource Adequacy Forum for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council said that utilities in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington will need approximately 350 MW of additional capacity by 2017. The additional generation will likely be needed because California plans to retire certain power plants, which will upset the region’s current...
Oklahoma, Kansas Face Power Line Shortage During Oil and Gas Boom
Posted on Nov 27, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Land Use, Project Development | Comments Off on Oklahoma, Kansas Face Power Line Shortage During Oil and Gas Boom
The developers working in the oil and natural gas fields in the Mississippi Lime formation in northwest Oklahoma and western Kansas need electric generators to drill, but the electricity for these generators has proven to be insufficient in parts of the region. These rural areas do not usually have load problems, so new infrastructure needs to be built rapidly, according to Western...
Wolverine and We Energies to Jointly Own Presque Isle Power Plant
Posted on Nov 27, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Wolverine and We Energies to Jointly Own Presque Isle Power Plant
Wolverine Power Cooperative and We Energies will pursue joint ownership of the Presque Isle power plant in Marquette, Michigan. This decision also included the addition of state-of-the-art emission controls at the plant. Wolverine will acquire a minority interest in the facility by funding and constructing the air quality control additions, a job estimated to cost $130 to $140...
House Democrat Calls for Grid Security Legislation
Posted on Nov 26, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on House Democrat Calls for Grid Security Legislation
Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey, a top House Democrat, has called on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Republican chairman, Michigan Representative Fred Upton, to help corral GOP support and pass an electrical grid security bill the pair co-sponsored. Markey says that physical and cyber threats to power infrastructure were increasing and that the Grid Reliability and...
Federal Judge Clears the Way for Alaskan Coal Plant
Posted on Nov 26, 2012 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation | Comments Off on Federal Judge Clears the Way for Alaskan Coal Plant
A federal judge has approved an agreement among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Alaska and an Alaskan power company that will allow a coal plant to reopen by 2015. Under the agreement, Golden Valley Electric Association agreed to install the most rigorous emission controls available on coal-fired electric generating units at the Healy Clean Coal Plant at an...
Cost of Transporting Coal on the Rise
Posted on Nov 26, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Rates, Reliability | Comments Off on Cost of Transporting Coal on the Rise
According to a new study conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), power plant owners are paying nearly 50 percent more to haul coal to their units than they did a decade ago. The EIA’s annual analysis of coal transportation costs said electric generators spent an average of $17.25 per ton in 2010, a 46 percent hike from $11.83 per ton in 2001. Most of the cost...
New Partners Sought for Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant
Posted on Nov 13, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on New Partners Sought for Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant
Kansas City Power & Light Co. and Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, two of the owners of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant located near Burlington, Kansas, are seeking new partners to help operate the plant. Citing operational issues such as extended outages and increased regulatory oversight as reasons, the owners are soliciting proposals to fill this role. Click here for...
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