Statewide Cooperative Associations Discuss Mutual Aid Plans
Posted on Aug 21, 2013 in Reliability | Comments Off on Statewide Cooperative Associations Discuss Mutual Aid Plans
As the Atlantic hurricane season hits its peak, more than a dozen electric cooperative statewide associations met in early August in Biloxi, Mississippi, to discuss the importance of mutual aid and the need to develop plans before disasters strike. Officials discussed a range of topics from reimbursement and recordkeeping procedures to security. To read more about this story, click...
Coop Industry Groups Seek Notice to Protect Critical Communication Systems
Posted on Aug 20, 2013 in Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on Coop Industry Groups Seek Notice to Protect Critical Communication Systems
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Utilities Telecom Council, the American Public Power Association and the Edison Electric Institute have asked the Federal Communications Commission to require a 30-day advance notice period when a high-tech company deploys products or services that could disrupt a utility’s critical communication systems. Progeny, a high-tech...
White House Calls for Additional Spending on Nation’s Power Grid
Posted on Aug 13, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on White House Calls for Additional Spending on Nation’s Power Grid
The Obama Administration has released a report on the costs of power outages, which calls for increased spending on the nation’s electric power system. According to the report, power outages cost the economy $18 billion to $33 billion per year. Seven of the ten most costly storms in U.S. history occurred between 2004 and 2012, during a time when the U.S. electric grid was...
Maryland Coop Tops Rankings In J.D. Power Survey
Posted on Jul 25, 2013 in Corporate Governance, Reliability | Comments Off on Maryland Coop Tops Rankings In J.D. Power Survey
For the sixth consecutive year, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative topped out the rankings among mid-sized utilities in the J.D. Power Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. The study, now in its 15th year, measures customer satisfaction with electric utility companies by examining six factors: power quality and reliability; price; billing and payment; corporate...
FERC Rolls Back Electric Reliability Obligations for Small Coops
Posted on Jul 23, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on FERC Rolls Back Electric Reliability Obligations for Small Coops
In what is being heralded as a large first step in the small coop community, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has rejected the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) finding that a small, rural electric cooperative should be subject to mandatory electric reliability regulations. The order, involving the South Louisiana Electric Cooperative Association...
FERC Rejects Challenge to Minnesota-Wisconsin Transmission Line
Posted on Jul 15, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Land Use, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on FERC Rejects Challenge to Minnesota-Wisconsin Transmission Line
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has rejected efforts to rescind federal approval for a proposed high-voltage transmission line connecting Rochester, Minnesota, with La Crosse, Wisconsin. In rejecting a petition against the $500 million project, FERC found that the petitioners lacked sufficient support for their claim that the line would risk grid reliability. ...
Coops Continue to Monitor Wildfires
Posted on Jun 19, 2013 in Environmental, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Continue to Monitor Wildfires
Cooperatives in the mountain west region of the United States, including Mountain View Electric Association and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, continue to monitor the Black Forest fire in Colorado and several other blazes in Colorado and in New Mexico. The cooperatives are concerned about fire season but have not experienced any significant damage to their...
NRECA Comments on Proposed Changes to Small Generator Interconnection Procedure
Posted on Jun 13, 2013 in Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on NRECA Comments on Proposed Changes to Small Generator Interconnection Procedure
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), along with other utility trade associations, submitted comments on a proposed rule by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to expand the interconnection procedures for small generators. Current interconnection standards provide for an expedited process given the low reliability risk attributed to small generators. The...
NRECA International to Form New Electric Utility in Haiti
Posted on May 28, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on NRECA International to Form New Electric Utility in Haiti
The United States Agency for International Development awarded NRECA International Ltd. a $24 million contract to form a new electric utility in Haiti under the Haiti Pilot Project for Sustainable Electricity Distribution. The proposed utility would be the only utility in Haiti providing continuous power, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about this project, and...
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...
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