Information Sharing Cyber Security Bill to Go to Senate
Posted on Apr 23, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on Information Sharing Cyber Security Bill to Go to Senate
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, a bill that could help electric coops defend against threats, has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would encourage the sharing of cyber threat information between the federal government and the private sector, including coops. The next step is for the bill to clear the Senate. For more information, click...
Colorado Coop Positioned to Obtain More Wind Power
Posted on Apr 18, 2013 in Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Colorado Coop Positioned to Obtain More Wind Power
The 67-MW Colorado Highlands Wind project will provide 24 MW of additional generation output this July. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) will purchase the expanded generation output pursuant to its 20-year power purchase agreement. Tri-State already purchases the full 67-MW output from this wind facility. Click here for more information.
Colorado Senate Passes Bill to Raise Renewable Energy Requirements
Posted on Apr 17, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Colorado Senate Passes Bill to Raise Renewable Energy Requirements
Colorado Senators passed a bill 18-17 this week that would dramatically raise renewable energy requirements for the state’s electric coops. The bill would require the electricity coops to get 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, which is a 10 percent increase from present requirements. The bill also would limit consumer rate increases for these upgrades to 2...
President’s 2014 Budget Includes Restrictions on Amounts and Use of RUS Loans
Posted on Apr 12, 2013 in Financing, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on President’s 2014 Budget Includes Restrictions on Amounts and Use of RUS Loans
Under the proposed 2014 federal budget, the lending authority of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) would be decreased from $6.5 billion to $4 billion, which RUS projects will be sufficient to meet the demand from borrowers. Of this new amount, $3 billion will be earmarked for generation with carbon sequestration and renewable energy, including peaking plants to complement intermittent...
USDA Announces Funding for Rural Electric Cooperatives
Posted on Apr 10, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Reliability | Comments Off on USDA Announces Funding for Rural Electric Cooperatives
Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced plans to provide nearly $280 million in funding for projects designed to improve rural electric service. The funds, which will address service in rural areas across 13 states, will contribute to the construction of more than 1,900 miles of new or improved transmission and distribution lines. For a complete list of rural...
Utilities Victorious in Case Asserting Utility Poles Should be Subject to Environmental Regulation
Posted on Apr 9, 2013 in Environmental, Litigation | Comments Off on Utilities Victorious in Case Asserting Utility Poles Should be Subject to Environmental Regulation
A federal appeals court ruled against the Ecological Rights Foundation in finding that utility poles should not be regulated under the Clean Water Act. With fewer customers per mile of line than the industry average, coops would have felt a disproportionate impact of any regulation. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association filed a brief in this case supporting the position...
CFC Finalizes “Amend and Extend” Deal for Ohio G&T
Posted on Apr 9, 2013 in Financing | Comments Off on CFC Finalizes “Amend and Extend” Deal for Ohio G&T
The National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) recently closed an “amend and extend” (A&E) transaction for Columbus, Ohio-based Buckeye Power Inc. An A&E transaction allows the borrower to change the terms of an existing credit agreement, such as the maturity date and pricing, typically in exchange for a fee and, unlike refinancing, the original loan...
Wind Projects Cause Instability in Vermont Grid
Posted on Apr 9, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Wind Projects Cause Instability in Vermont Grid
The CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) has indicated that the coop will oppose any new large wind projects in northern Vermont because existing wind projects have introduced instability in the grid, prompting grid operator ISO-New England to order existing wind projects in Vermont and New Hampshire to curtail electricity output. As a result, wind farm turbines are not being...
Coop Enters the Computer Repair Business
Posted on Apr 9, 2013 in Corporate Governance, Project Development, Technology | Comments Off on Coop Enters the Computer Repair Business
Wyoming-based High West Energy, Inc., is getting into the computer repair business, through new subsidiary High West Digital Solutions. The coop, which provides electricity to 10,000 customers in Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado, believes there is unmet demand for computer repair services in its geographical area. High West Digital Solutions will repair computers, remove viruses, build...
Colorado Seeks to Increase Coop Renewable Power Target
Posted on Apr 9, 2013 in Climate Change, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Colorado Seeks to Increase Coop Renewable Power Target
A Colorado state committee approved legislation this week that would require that 25 percent of Colorado’s electric coop electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. Investor-owned utilities in the state — Xcel Energy Inc. and Black Hills Energy — must by state law generate 30 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Tri-State Generation and Transmission...
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