Oregon Coop Copes with Disasters; FEMA Helps
Posted on Apr 17, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on Oregon Coop Copes with Disasters; FEMA Helps
West Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc., with help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has found a way to keep the lights on through storms. FEMA’s hazard mitigation funds have helped the coop repair storm-related transmission line damage and install new underground lines. As nonprofit agencies providing essential services, coops are eligible for federal disaster...
Western Coops Face Unpredictable Outages Due to Wild Weather
Posted on Apr 9, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on Western Coops Face Unpredictable Outages Due to Wild Weather
Several Western states have faced unpredictable weather this spring, which has caused ongoing challenges for electric coops attempting to keep power flowing to customers. In New Mexico, Springer Electric Cooperative, Inc., has been working to replace at least 150 poles and restore service to about one-third of the coop’s more than 3,000 consumer-members after snow and high winds...
Potential Risks in Solar Interconnection Changes
Posted on Apr 3, 2012 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Potential Risks in Solar Interconnection Changes
In a filing before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association recently identified significant reliability and safety risks that could be caused by the proposed revised procedures for interconnecting small solar generation with the grid. NRECA requested that FERC reject the Solar Energy Industries Association’s request for...
Arizona Coop Seeks to Offer Prepaid Services to Members
Posted on Apr 2, 2012 in Rates, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Arizona Coop Seeks to Offer Prepaid Services to Members
Mohave Electric Cooperative (MEC) is seeking permission from the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to offer its members prepaid electric service. If approved, the service would provide pay-as-you-go service for customers who request it. AARP Arizona has submitted comments to the ACC raising some questions about MEC’s proposal, especially with regard to how the proposed service...
Coops Honored by J.D. Power
Posted on Mar 27, 2012 in Innovation/Efficiency, Rates, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Honored by J.D. Power
Three of the 50 companies selected as J.D. Power 2012 Customer Service Champions are electric coops: Jackson EMC in Jefferson, Georgia; Sawnee EMC in Cumming, Georgia; and Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative in Hughesville, Maryland. The list was based on feedback from customers on what J.D. Power calls the “5 Ps” – people, presentation, price, process and product. Read more...
Revised Definition of “Bulk Electric System” May Benefit Coops
Posted on Mar 15, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Revised Definition of “Bulk Electric System” May Benefit Coops
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) submitted a revised definition of the term “Bulk Electric System” (BES) for approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. If accepted, the revised definition may benefit coops by limiting the types of facilities subject to the NERC Reliability Standards. In particular, coops owning only radial facilities would likely...
U.S. Department of Agriculture to Fund Rural Electric Infrastructure
Posted on Mar 8, 2012 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on U.S. Department of Agriculture to Fund Rural Electric Infrastructure
USDA Rural Development announced that rural electric coops in eight states will receive funding for smart grid technologies and generation and transmission facility improvements. The Rural Utilities Service will be charged with managing the $201 million in loans, of which about $25 million will go towards smart grid developments. The announcement came at the 2012 National Rural...
Facility Owners Should Heed New Cybersecurity Legislation
Posted on Feb 29, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Facility Owners Should Heed New Cybersecurity Legislation
The push for new legislation to combat cybersecurity threats appears to be gaining steam in Congress. While election year politics, competing legislative priorities and other roadblocks may ultimately derail these legislative efforts, owners of critical infrastructure should take heed: Facility owners would be subject to “performance requirements,” certification...
Endangered Houston Toad Impedes Bastrop Fire Clean-up
Posted on Feb 7, 2012 in Environmental, Permitting, Reliability | Comments Off on Endangered Houston Toad Impedes Bastrop Fire Clean-up
The process of collecting debris and connecting electrical service to customers in the Bastrop County burn area has slowed because the unseasonably warm weather and recent rain have increased the activity of the endangered Houston toad. Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative must seek approval from federal officials before proceeding on work at most job sites around the county so the natural...
NERC Proposes Modified Definition of Bulk Electric System
Posted on Jan 31, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on NERC Proposes Modified Definition of Bulk Electric System
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has proposed that all transmission facilities operated at 100 kV or higher and all real and reactive power resources connected to the grid at 100 kV or higher be subject to its Reliability Standards. In NERC’s January 25, 2012 petition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve its revised definition of...
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