Wisconsin Coop Secures Additional CFC Financing
Posted on Nov 25, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on Wisconsin Coop Secures Additional CFC Financing
Washington Island Electric Cooperative (WIEC), based in Washington Island, Wisconsin, has recently refinanced its debt with another lender to become a 100-percent National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) borrower. WIEC, which serves 1,080 members on an island in Lake Michigan accessible only by ferry, has plans for some improvement projects, including the...
SMECO Drills to Install Underground Cables
Posted on Nov 25, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Reliability | Comments Off on SMECO Drills to Install Underground Cables
Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), based in Hughesville, Maryland, is carrying out its plans to run lines for a new 230-kilovolt system under the Patuxent River. SMECO’s project manager, Black & Veatch, is currently drilling tunnels, through which the lines will run, 50 feet below the river’s bottom. SMECO undertook the project to provide increased reliability for...
Water Heater Efficiency Act to Help Coops?
Posted on Nov 21, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Water Heater Efficiency Act to Help Coops?
Republican Senator John Hoeven and a bipartisan group of senators today introduced the Water Heater Efficiency Act, a bill that would enable rural electric power coops and their members to continue using large, energy-efficient water heaters in “demand response” conservation programs. New Department of Energy rules threaten to phase out such water heaters by 2015. The bill is seen as...
Coops Respond to Outages from Midwest Tornadoes
Posted on Nov 20, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Respond to Outages from Midwest Tornadoes
Dozens of electric cooperatives have called line workers and other personnel to respond to outages caused by last weekend’s storms in the Midwest. The massive storm system, which spawned more than 80 tornadoes, caused power outages affecting tens of thousands of electric cooperative customers. Cooperative crews have been working around the clock to replace broken poles and restring...
Vermont Coop to Build 5-MW Solar Project
Posted on Nov 12, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Rates, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Coop to Build 5-MW Solar Project
The Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) is hoping to build the state’s largest utility-owned solar power project as part of a broader effort to help reduce the state’s dependence on fossil fuels. VEC is working with 14 other coops across the country on the 5-MW project in a first-of-its-kind initiative to make solar energy cost-competitive with other forms of electricity by the end of...
Sutherland Webcast: NIST’s Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework – Impact on Energy Companies
Posted on Nov 6, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Sutherland Webcast: NIST’s Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework – Impact on Energy Companies
Cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructure are major concerns for the energy industry. New government regulations and guidance are in the works under the President’s Cybersecurity Executive Order, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework. NIST released its Preliminary Framework on October 22. Join Sutherland...
New Mexico Coops Face Additional Claims in Wildfire Suit
Posted on Nov 5, 2013 in Litigation, Permitting, Reliability | Comments Off on New Mexico Coops Face Additional Claims in Wildfire Suit
As last reported by the Sutherland Coop Team on September 19, 2012, Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative (JMEC) and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association are among the entities facing claims that a 2011 wildfire caused millions of dollars in damages. Claimants argue that the fire started because a power line was downed by a tree that JMEC should have cleared. To learn...
USDA Makes $960 Million Investment in Rural Electric Utility System Improvements
Posted on Oct 28, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on USDA Makes $960 Million Investment in Rural Electric Utility System Improvements
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced funding for rural electric utility system improvements that will benefit residential and business customers in 23 states, including more than $14.3 million to implement smart grid technology and nearly $11 million to improve electric service for Native Americans. The $960 million in USDA loan guarantees will go...
MISO Will Not Allow Shutdown of Presque Isle Power Plant
Posted on Oct 22, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on MISO Will Not Allow Shutdown of Presque Isle Power Plant
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) says We Energies’ Presque Isle coal-fired power plant in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula needs to remain operational for reliability reasons, despite a bid by We Energies to suspend operations. We Energies had discussed retiring the power plant several years ago but changed its mind after Wolverine Power Cooperative (Wolverine) agreed to...
Iowa Coops Appeal Denial of FEMA Aid
Posted on Oct 2, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Iowa Coops Appeal Denial of FEMA Aid
Iowa electric cooperatives are appealing a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which denied $20 million in aid for emergency and permanent repair costs from a snow and ice storm in spring 2012. FEMA based its decision on distribution and transmission line laboratory testing requirements, passed in 2009, which the Iowa coops claim are unrealistic. To read more...
Subscribe
