Webinar: How to Get a Better LTSA
Posted on Feb 13, 2014 in Webinar | Comments Off on Webinar: How to Get a Better LTSA
With a number of third-party providers joining original equipment manufacturers in providing parts and services for power plants, the market for long-term service agreements (LTSA) has never been more robust. At 1:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, February 25, 2014, Sutherland and South Mississippi Electric Power Association (SMEPA) will present, “How to Get a Better LTSA,” addressing how to...
New White Paper Calls for Focus on Grid Stability
Posted on Feb 13, 2014 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on New White Paper Calls for Focus on Grid Stability
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska recently issued a white paper warning that grid stability is complicated by coal plant retirements, environmental regulations and requirements for integrating renewable energy resources. Senator Murkowski’s paper, which has been praised by some in the industry, calls for policymakers to place grid reliability and affordability at the front of their...
Congress Seeks Changes to Endangered Species Act
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Project Development | Comments Off on Congress Seeks Changes to Endangered Species Act
A congressional working group report that cites electric coops’ costly struggles to comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) concludes the law is ripe for improvement. Specifically, some impediments of the ESA as described in the report include the ability of coops to site and maintain power lines. The report seeks to update and prioritize the ESA. For more information, click...
Droughts Threaten 2014 Hydro Production
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Reliability | Comments Off on Droughts Threaten 2014 Hydro Production
Total water flow to the Northwest river system is now the 11th lowest total since recordkeeping started in 1960. This lingering drought in the West is causing a decreased output of hydro production and is likely to persist or intensify through the end of April in parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California and Nevada. In those states, electric coops rely heavily on hydropower. ...
Arizona Coop Forgoes 100% Equity Financing, Becomes CFC Borrower
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Financing, Patronage Capital | Comments Off on Arizona Coop Forgoes 100% Equity Financing, Becomes CFC Borrower
Duncan Valley Electric Cooperative (DVEC), based in Duncan, Arizona, recently borrowed from the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) to prepay future National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Retirement Security Plan contributions. The move makes DVEC a 100% CFC borrower and marks a departure from its existing financing strategy. DVEC, which last...
Texas Coop Amends and Extends CFC Facility
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Financing | Comments Off on Texas Coop Amends and Extends CFC Facility
South Texas Electric Cooperative (STEC), a generation and transmission cooperative based in Nursery, Texas, recently amended and extended its $350 million revolving syndicated credit facility, for which the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) serves as administrative agent and lead arranger. The transaction allowed CFC to extend the maturity date by...
EPA Continues Work on Carbon Rule
Posted on Feb 11, 2014 in Climate Change, Environmental, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on EPA Continues Work on Carbon Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency is continuing its efforts to issue a draft carbon rule by June 1, 2014. The new rule, which will be issued under the Clean Air Act and based on a 2007 Supreme Court decision, will regulate carbon emissions from existing power facilities. Click here for the full story. See the Sutherland Coop Team’s October 29, 2013, post for more on the...
Tri-State Signs Largest Wind PPA To Date
Posted on Feb 6, 2014 in Environmental, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Tri-State Signs Largest Wind PPA To Date
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State) has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary for the output and environmental attributes of the Carousel Wind Farm, a 150-MW wind farm facility to be constructed in eastern Colorado. This facility will be Tri-State’s largest wind energy PPA to date. To learn more about this...
West Virginia Water Contamination Brings Company Safety Practices into Focus
Posted on Feb 6, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on West Virginia Water Contamination Brings Company Safety Practices into Focus
At least twenty putative class actions asserting claims of negligence, gross negligence and strict liability for ultra-hazardous activity have been filed naming Freedom Industries Inc., the company that owns the site responsible for leaking 7,500 gallons of coal-cleaning chemical into West Virginia’s Elk River. The region’s U.S. Attorney has also pledged to take action if federal...
Passage of New Farm Bill to Help Coops
Posted on Feb 6, 2014 in Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Passage of New Farm Bill to Help Coops
Congress has recently approved the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill), which President Obama is expected to sign into law. The $956 billion legislation is being hailed by electric cooperatives as a step forward for rural America. The Farm Bill includes several key beneficial items for rural electric cooperatives, including authorization of $75 million towards the Rural Energy...
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