Montana Lawmakers Propose Legislation to Increase Transparency of Cooperative Decisions
Posted on Jul 19, 2012 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Montana Lawmakers Propose Legislation to Increase Transparency of Cooperative Decisions
In reaction to the bankruptcy of Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Montana lawmakers are proposing legislation designed to increase the transparency of Montana’s electric cooperatives. The proposed legislation would require a two-thirds vote of the member coops before financing certain power generation proposals. Each of the member coops would be...
Federal Loans Could Cut Rural Electric Bills
Posted on Jul 17, 2012 in Energy Savings Programs, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Federal Loans Could Cut Rural Electric Bills
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing a new federal loan program that would make federal loans available for rural electric coops to distribute to customers who want to make their homes and businesses more energy-efficient. A version of the program was piloted in South Carolina. There, 125 rural homeowners received loans averaging $7,200 to seal air leaks and replace...
Radioactive Waste to be Removed from Inactive Dairyland Power Nuclear Plant
Posted on Jul 17, 2012 in Environmental, Land Use | Comments Off on Radioactive Waste to be Removed from Inactive Dairyland Power Nuclear Plant
Dairyland Power Cooperative’s La Crosse nuclear power plant in western Wisconsin, inactive since 1987, is finally being emptied of its nuclear waste. The waste has been maintained on site in “wet storage.” The transfer of the waste to sealed concrete-lined storage tanks is estimated to cost as much as $45 million, which includes careful planning for contingencies such as earthquakes...
Georgia Coops No Longer Investing in Plant Washington
Posted on Jul 17, 2012 in Financing, Project Development | Comments Off on Georgia Coops No Longer Investing in Plant Washington
Power4Georgians has announced that Colorado-based private investment group Taylor Energy Fund LLC has assumed the cost of bringing a new coal-fired power plant, Plant Washington, to construction, relieving 10 Georgia coops of that obligation. The 850-megawatt plant is estimated to cost $2.1 billion and would be the first coal-fired plant built in Georgia in more than a quarter...
Utility Industry Groups Sue Over FERC Demand Rule
Posted on Jul 16, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Utility Industry Groups Sue Over FERC Demand Rule
Utility industry groups are claiming that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) exceeded its regulatory power when it introduced the compensation policy for power demand resources. The final rule allows demand response providers to receive the same compensation as conventional power plants, regardless of the type of power generated. The Electric Power Supply Association...
Concerns Remain About Coops’ Potential Liability Under New CFTC Swap Rule
Posted on Jul 16, 2012 in Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Concerns Remain About Coops’ Potential Liability Under New CFTC Swap Rule
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has expressed concerns that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) long-awaited final rule on which energy transactions it will regulate as “swaps” leaves many questions unanswered. Several types of energy sector contracts, such as capacity, reserve sharing, renewable energy certificates and emission attributes,...
Coops Conduct Meeting to Prepare for Potential Merger
Posted on Jul 16, 2012 in Corporate Governance, Energy Savings Programs, Mergers/Acquisitions, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Conduct Meeting to Prepare for Potential Merger
Western Illinois Electrical Cooperative (WIEC) and Adams Electric Cooperative are considering a merger that could lower power supply costs and shorten the duration of outages for members of both coops. At a June 28 meeting with WIEC coop members, managers from both coops discussed the benefits of a possible consolidation. The merger would ultimately be decided by a two-thirds vote of...
Rural Coops Positioned for Loan Guarantees
Posted on Jul 12, 2012 in Financing, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Technology | Comments Off on Rural Coops Positioned for Loan Guarantees
Coops in 15 states will receive loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program. The funds will help coops improve generation and transmission facilities and implement smart grid technologies. This batch of funding provides more than $10 million in smart grid technologies and is part of a larger USDA Rural Development funding goal of approximately...
Western Farmers Electric Coop and Other Oklahoma Utilities Seek Regional Marketplace
Posted on Jul 12, 2012 in Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Western Farmers Electric Coop and Other Oklahoma Utilities Seek Regional Marketplace
Western Farmers Electric Cooperative and other Oklahoma utilities are working to create a regional marketplace to buy additional power. Southwest Power Pool, a regional transmission organization, would be responsible for getting more power, at the best price, under the program. A Southwest Power Pool representative explained the move as akin to a “carpool system.” NewsOK has more...
Oklahoma Coop Puts 18-Mile Transmission Line and Substation into Service
Posted on Jul 12, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development | Comments Off on Oklahoma Coop Puts 18-Mile Transmission Line and Substation into Service
Western Farmers Electric Cooperative, an Oklahoma coop, in conjunction with ITC Great Plains LLC, has energized its Hugo-Valliant high-voltage electric transmission line and substation. The 18-mile, 345,000-volt line and 345 kV/138 kV substation are located in southeastern Oklahoma. The Sacramento Bee has additional details.
Subscribe
