Coops Concerned with EPA Proposal for Power Plants
Posted on May 20, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Concerned with EPA Proposal for Power Plants
Electric coops are asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw its proposal which could greatly affect power plants under the Clean Air Act. The proposal, which would involve at least 36 states, would “fundamentally” change how power plants operate during startups, shutdowns and malfunctions. Electric Co-op Today has more details on the cooperatives’...
Coops Advocate Water Heater Rule Change
Posted on May 15, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Advocate Water Heater Rule Change
Electric cooperatives are advocating that the Department of Energy (DOE) make changes to a new rule that would phase out large-capacity electric storage water heaters from demand management programs. These water heaters save time and energy for cooperatives and provide significant reductions in wholesale power costs. Currently, the DOE has offered one-year waivers for the water...
Massachusetts Solar Project Obtains Important Financing
Posted on May 15, 2013 in Financing, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Massachusetts Solar Project Obtains Important Financing
On May 13, Broadway Electrical Co., Inc. announced that its financial partner, Rockland Capital, LLC of Texas and New York, has secured $120 million in financing from Deutsche Bank and Key Bank for its solar energy projects planned for Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. This financing will provide for 37 MW of solar energy, including 24 MW for Cape & Vineyard Electric Cooperative,...
Texas Coop Positioned for Long-Term CFC Relationship
Posted on May 14, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Texas Coop Positioned for Long-Term CFC Relationship
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, located in Bastrop, Texas, has refinanced $92 million of debt to borrow wholly from the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC). Bluebonnet has decades of experience with the CFC, which has accommodated the coop’s changing financial plans and borrowing needs. To learn more, click here.
Obama Administration Proposes New Restrictions on RUS Financing
Posted on May 14, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Obama Administration Proposes New Restrictions on RUS Financing
The Department of Agriculture announced a fiscal 2014 budget of $4 billion for the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Electric Loan Program. Of that amount, $3 billion would be earmarked for renewable energy projects with the remaining $1 billion held for environmental upgrades. The proposed budget provides no money for other distribution or transmission projects, a void that lawmakers...
Coop Leaders Meet with President Obama to Discuss Response to Grid Reliability
Posted on May 14, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coop Leaders Meet with President Obama to Discuss Response to Grid Reliability
On May 8, nearly three dozen electric utility executives met with President Obama to discuss ways to improve the industry’s ability to respond to major disruptions or threats to grid reliability, such as the outages that occurred with Superstorm Sandy. The group discussed ways to better aid the collective response required at such times, including providing adequate food and lodging...
EIA Expects Near-Term Upswing in Coal Generation
Posted on May 9, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on EIA Expects Near-Term Upswing in Coal Generation
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the electric industry will see an increase in coal usage in 2013 and 2014 due to higher natural gas prices. While coal will rise to approximately 40 percent of the industry’s fuel sources, production levels are expected to decline, largely due to reduced exports. Click here for more information.
Delaware Coop Agrees to Purchase Power from LFG Project
Posted on May 9, 2013 in Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Delaware Coop Agrees to Purchase Power from LFG Project
Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) has entered into an agreement to purchase 2 MW of power produced at the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s landfill in Sandtown, Delaware. This is the first time that DEC will purchase energy directly from a landfill gas project. The landfill gas project at the site is operated by Ameresco, which will expand the project by adding two new...
Texas Utilities May Buy Surplus Solar Energy from Customers
Posted on May 7, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Texas Utilities May Buy Surplus Solar Energy from Customers
A bill passed in the Texas Senate proposes that utilities pay Texas customers that generate excess solar energy a fair market price for their contributions to the electrical grid. Under current law, if a utility does not voluntarily offer to buy excess solar energy, customers must negotiate directly with their providers to be compensated for the energy they add to the grid. Read more...
Illinois Coops Merge
Posted on May 7, 2013 in Corporate Governance, Grid & Infrastructure, Mergers/Acquisitions | Comments Off on Illinois Coops Merge
Two Illinois electric coops, Jo-Carroll Energy, Inc. and Farmers Mutual Electric Company, have merged. The integrated coop, Jo-Carroll Energy, will serve a combined 21,372 electric members and will be a 100-percent National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation borrower. Click here for more.
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