Green Power EMC Increases its Solar Portfolio
Posted on May 28, 2015 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Green Power EMC Increases its Solar Portfolio
Green Power EMC announced Wednesday that it will buy the full output of a 52-MW solar farm in southeast Georgia for 30 years. The solar farm is owned by Silicon Ranch Corp., which has previously leased the output of another of its solar facilities to Green Power. Partnerships like these have allowed Green Power EMC to supply renewable energy to 38 other Georgia EMCs. Click here to...
Texas Coop Breaks Ground on New Hydroelectric Plant
Posted on May 28, 2015 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Texas Coop Breaks Ground on New Hydroelectric Plant
The East Texas Electric Cooperative and Trinity River Authority of Texas recently broke ground on a new hydroelectric project. The Thomas Hydroelectric Project is located at Lake Livingston Dam and is expected to become operational in 2018. Once online the new hydroelectric power plant will produce enough electricity to power 12,000 homes in East Texas. Click here to read...
EPA Finalizes Definition of Waters to be Covered under the Clean Water Act
Posted on May 28, 2015 in Environmental, Land Use, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on EPA Finalizes Definition of Waters to be Covered under the Clean Water Act
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers finalized a redefinition of the “Waters of the U.S.” under the Clean Water Act. The EPA did so without consulting stakeholders, including rural electric cooperatives. The EPA maintains that it is not required to consult stakeholders, or to conduct small business analysis under the Regulatory Flexibility Act before...
Electric Cooperatives Support Federal Right-of-Way Changes
Posted on May 27, 2015 in Legislative & Politics, Reliability | Comments Off on Electric Cooperatives Support Federal Right-of-Way Changes
The chief executive officers of Central Electric Cooperative and Missoula Electric Cooperative spoke before Congress to voice their support for right-of-way management of federal lands. The issue has become increasingly important to electric cooperatives as dry conditions have increased the chances that fallen trees can spark wildfires capable of causing significant damage to poles...
SMEPA Terminates Power Purchase Agreement for Kemper Power Plant
Posted on May 27, 2015 in Financing, Project Development, Rates | Comments Off on SMEPA Terminates Power Purchase Agreement for Kemper Power Plant
South Mississippi Electric Power Association (SMEPA) has announced that it has pulled out of a deal with Mississippi Power to purchase 15 percent of the power generated by the Kemper County power plant, which is currently under construction. SMEPA noted that its decision to terminate the purchase agreement was based on both the rising costs of electricity from the Kemper County plant...
G&T Cooperatives Join DOE Grid Study
Posted on May 22, 2015 in Climate Change, Grid & Infrastructure, Reliability | Comments Off on G&T Cooperatives Join DOE Grid Study
The Department of Energy (DOE) has invited two generation and transmission cooperatives, Great River Energy and Hoosier Energy, to join 15 other electric utilities in the Partnership for Energy Sector Climate Resilience to help strengthen the grid against extreme weather and impacts from climate change. Read more about the Partnership’s goals here.
Arkansas G&T Adds Wind to Portfolio
Posted on May 21, 2015 in Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Arkansas G&T Adds Wind to Portfolio
Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation has announced a long-term, sole-recipient agreement with the planned Drift Sand Wind Farm. This 108 megawatt facility is expected to begin commercial operation by December 31, 2016. To read more about this story, please click here.
Fitch Ratings Study Finds that Cooperatives Must Adapt to Maintain Stable Credit Quality
Posted on May 15, 2015 in Economic Downturn, Financing, Innovation/Efficiency, Rates, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Fitch Ratings Study Finds that Cooperatives Must Adapt to Maintain Stable Credit Quality
A recent report by Fitch Ratings found that electrical cooperatives today face challenges created by changing technologies, slowing growth and changing consumer usage patterns. These challenges will require that cooperatives find ways to adapt if they want to maintain strong credit quality in the A to AA range. For example, one adaptation made by many cooperatives has been to decouple...
Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Receives Top UTC Award
Posted on May 12, 2015 in Innovation/Efficiency, Technology | Comments Off on Kit Carson Electric Cooperative Receives Top UTC Award
The Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) has awarded Kit Carson Electric Cooperative its highest honor, the 2015 Utilities Telecom & Technology APEX Award. Click here for more information.
USDA Announces $100 million in Loans for Rural Electric Coop Utilities
Posted on May 12, 2015 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on USDA Announces $100 million in Loans for Rural Electric Coop Utilities
Today the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $106.3 million in electric system infrastructure loans to rural electric cooperative utilities in four states. The loans include $9 million for smart grid improvements. The announcement comes during the 80th anniversary of the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration. Click here for more...
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