Border Facility Finally Getting Power
Posted on Nov 12, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Border Facility Finally Getting Power
A new outpost to house U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents in southern New Mexico is finally getting a power line upgrade from the Columbus Electric Cooperative in Deming. The project has experienced a year-long delay because federal planners failed to make sure the local power coop could provide enough electricity. It wasn’t until final construction...
Power Wholesaler Predicts Slow Growth in Energy Demand
Posted on Nov 5, 2012 in Economic Downturn, Grid & Infrastructure, Land Use, Project Development | Comments Off on Power Wholesaler Predicts Slow Growth in Energy Demand
According to a planning outlook filed with state regulators last week, Great River Energy (GRE), a large power wholesaler to Minnesota coops, projects slow growth in electrical demand and no need to build new power plants for at least 15 years. The Maple Grove-based utility is the state’s second-largest electricity producer behind Xcel Energy. GRE supplies power to 28 retail...
Nevada Coop Wins Bid to Supply Government Site
Posted on Nov 5, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Nevada Coop Wins Bid to Supply Government Site
Valley Electric Association, Inc. recently won a bid to provide power to the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center—the former test site where hundreds of nuclear weapons were tested—and other facilities at the Nevada National Security Site. The nearly 1,400-square-mile installation, one of the most secure government installations in the world, is larger than the state...
Coops Lend Aid to Others in Sandy Aftermath
Posted on Nov 1, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure | Comments Off on Coops Lend Aid to Others in Sandy Aftermath
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, cooperative crews have banded together to help restore service to the millions of people who were affected by the massive storm. Crews from the Gulf Coast, Midwest and Southeast were dispatched to the areas in the mid-Atlantic and New England where service was disrupted due to the storm. Arkansas Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), based in Little...
Electrical Demand Expected to Triple in the North Dakota Oil Patch
Posted on Oct 24, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Electrical Demand Expected to Triple in the North Dakota Oil Patch
The Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) in North Dakota will energize six new substations today in an effort to keep up with rapidly increasing demand spurred by increased oil production in the state. According to a recent study, the electrical demand in the Williston Basin and surrounding areas is expected to triple by 2032. MWEC reported that it has seen its peak load...
An Activist Framework for Cybersecurity Oversight
Posted on Oct 16, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on An Activist Framework for Cybersecurity Oversight
Three recent initiatives by different arms of the federal government intended to help combat cyber threats to the nation’s critical energy infrastructure reveal an activist approach to regulating cybersecurity. At this juncture, it is difficult to ascertain the legal and political ramifications of the three initiatives, but members of the energy sector should pay attention — the...
Federal Grants to Boost Smart Grid Development
Posted on Oct 15, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Technology | Comments Off on Federal Grants to Boost Smart Grid Development
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced $134 million in grant funding for rural electric coops and utilities to develop smart grid technologies. These funds will be added to the $250 million in financing announced by the USDA in August. (See previous Sutherland Coop team reports on this USDA grant funding from August 6, August 10, September 10, October 5...
USDA Announces Continued Funding and Support for Rural Electric Systems
Posted on Oct 5, 2012 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Technology | Comments Off on USDA Announces Continued Funding and Support for Rural Electric Systems
In a speech before the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will continue to make funding available for modernization and efficiency improvements, including smart grid technologies. This announcement follows USDA’s success in meeting its goal to finance $250...
California ISO Approves Participation by Nevada Coop
Posted on Oct 1, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Rates, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on California ISO Approves Participation by Nevada Coop
The California Independent System Operator (California ISO) recently approved Nevada-based Valley Electric Association, Inc.’s (VEA) participation agreement to join the California ISO in January 2013. VEA is the first utility outside of California to join the regional market. The coop’s renewable generation portfolio will be used to satisfy California’s aggressive renewable energy...
Oklahoma Coops Race to Accommodate Increased Load Due to Oil and Gas Boom
Posted on Sep 25, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Oklahoma Coops Race to Accommodate Increased Load Due to Oil and Gas Boom
Oklahoma coops are seeing their loads double, and triple in some cases, due to the growing oil and gas industries. Kay Electric Cooperative, for example, currently serves 80 megawatts, which is about double the size of its load two years ago, and projects its possible growth to 400 megawatts over the next two years. Coops are also under pressure to add new infrastructure-like...
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