RUS Electric Loan Program at Risk?
Posted on May 14, 2014 in Environmental, Financing, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on RUS Electric Loan Program at Risk?
Electric coops that borrow from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) could face unprecedented new requirements if a proposed federal rule is approved. The rule, proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency, would reclassify many common activities associated with RUS loans in a way that triggers federally required environmental reviews, in addition to the...
Kansas Regulators’ Amendments to Permit May Clear Way for Coop’s Coal Project
Posted on May 12, 2014 in Environmental, Litigation, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Kansas Regulators’ Amendments to Permit May Clear Way for Coop’s Coal Project
After the Kansas Supreme Court overturned a permit granted to Sunflower Electric Power Corporation in 2010 to build a coal-fired power plant in the southwestern part of the state, state regulators are proposing an amendment to the permit that would require the new plant to meet the more rigorous standards laid out by the supreme court. The project is again meeting resistance from...
North Carolina Coop Offers Tornado Victims Rebates
Posted on May 6, 2014 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental | Comments Off on North Carolina Coop Offers Tornado Victims Rebates
Tideland Electric Membership Corporation, a North Carolina coop, has doubled its rebates for new homes to be rebuilt following two devastating tornadoes in the area. The rebates will increase from $1,250 to $2,500 for any tornado-impacted coop member building a new home or purchasing a new manufactured home. Read more here.
Minnkota Contracts for Coal Deliveries Through 2037
Posted on Apr 29, 2014 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Minnkota Contracts for Coal Deliveries Through 2037
BNI Coal Ltd. (BNI) near Center, North Dakota, and Minnkota Power Cooperative (Minnkota) have reached an extended agreement to provide coal to the Minnkota Power Milton R. Young Station through 2037. This move extends BNI’s coal delivery schedule 10 years beyond the current contract, which would have ended in 2027. Click here for more.
Hawaiian Utilities Outshine Others for Adding New Solar Capacity
Posted on Apr 29, 2014 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Hawaiian Utilities Outshine Others for Adding New Solar Capacity
The Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) and the companies of Hawaiian Electric Company (Hawaiian Electric) have ranked among the top 10 utilities nationally for the amount of new solar power added to their grids last year. Hawaiian Electric added 329 watts of solar generating capacity per customer on the island of Oahu in 2013, which is the fifth highest of any utility...
Coal Plant Retirements Raise Reliability Concerns for FERC Commissioner
Posted on Apr 24, 2014 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coal Plant Retirements Raise Reliability Concerns for FERC Commissioner
Commissioner Philip Moeller of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) expressed concern this week that the nation’s power grid lacks sufficient infrastructure to replace coal and nuclear generation plants scheduled to retire or go offline over the next few years. This winter’s extreme weather stressed the power grid, and there are increasing concerns that compliance with the...
South Dakota Coop Gets Reimbursement Funding from Winter Storm
Posted on Apr 23, 2014 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure | Comments Off on South Dakota Coop Gets Reimbursement Funding from Winter Storm
The South Dakota Office of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will award roughly $20 million to Grand Electric Cooperative for the repair and replacement of more than 1,500 poles damaged by an early October blizzard. To read more, click here.
Federal Judge Strikes Down Minnesota Coal Law
Posted on Apr 21, 2014 in Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Litigation | Comments Off on Federal Judge Strikes Down Minnesota Coal Law
A federal district court judge has struck down a 2007 Minnesota law that restricted the ability of Minnesota utilities to build new coal plants or import energy generated from coal. The court found that the Minnesota law effectively regulated out-of-state utilities that might wish to sell power in Minnesota and therefore “overreache[d]” by encroaching on the exclusive power of the...
EKPC to Deactivate Coal Plant
Posted on Apr 14, 2014 in Environmental, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on EKPC to Deactivate Coal Plant
East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC), a Kentucky generation and transmission cooperative, has announced its plans to deactivate one of its coal plants over the next year. None of the plant’s four coal-fired units currently meets the requirements imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule, and the changes required to bring them into...
Vermont Net Metering Frees Customers to Install Solar Panels
Posted on Apr 2, 2014 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Legislative & Politics, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Vermont Net Metering Frees Customers to Install Solar Panels
Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin recently signed a new law that should help free customers of the state’s electric utilities and allow them to install solar panels on their homes. Previous legislation mandated a cap on the state’s net metering program of 4% of a utility’s peak demand. The new legislation increases this cap to 15%, allowing a greater number of Vermont customers access...
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