House Democrat Calls for Grid Security Legislation
Posted on Nov 26, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on House Democrat Calls for Grid Security Legislation
Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey, a top House Democrat, has called on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Republican chairman, Michigan Representative Fred Upton, to help corral GOP support and pass an electrical grid security bill the pair co-sponsored. Markey says that physical and cyber threats to power infrastructure were increasing and that the Grid Reliability and...
Federal Judge Clears the Way for Alaskan Coal Plant
Posted on Nov 26, 2012 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation | Comments Off on Federal Judge Clears the Way for Alaskan Coal Plant
A federal judge has approved an agreement among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Alaska and an Alaskan power company that will allow a coal plant to reopen by 2015. Under the agreement, Golden Valley Electric Association agreed to install the most rigorous emission controls available on coal-fired electric generating units at the Healy Clean Coal Plant at an...
Cost of Transporting Coal on the Rise
Posted on Nov 26, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Rates, Reliability | Comments Off on Cost of Transporting Coal on the Rise
According to a new study conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), power plant owners are paying nearly 50 percent more to haul coal to their units than they did a decade ago. The EIA’s annual analysis of coal transportation costs said electric generators spent an average of $17.25 per ton in 2010, a 46 percent hike from $11.83 per ton in 2001. Most of the cost...
New Partners Sought for Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant
Posted on Nov 13, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on New Partners Sought for Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant
Kansas City Power & Light Co. and Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, two of the owners of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant located near Burlington, Kansas, are seeking new partners to help operate the plant. Citing operational issues such as extended outages and increased regulatory oversight as reasons, the owners are soliciting proposals to fill this role. Click here for...
Border Facility Finally Getting Power
Posted on Nov 12, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Border Facility Finally Getting Power
A new outpost to house U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents in southern New Mexico is finally getting a power line upgrade from the Columbus Electric Cooperative in Deming. The project has experienced a year-long delay because federal planners failed to make sure the local power coop could provide enough electricity. It wasn’t until final construction...
Power Wholesaler Predicts Slow Growth in Energy Demand
Posted on Nov 5, 2012 in Economic Downturn, Grid & Infrastructure, Land Use, Project Development | Comments Off on Power Wholesaler Predicts Slow Growth in Energy Demand
According to a planning outlook filed with state regulators last week, Great River Energy (GRE), a large power wholesaler to Minnesota coops, projects slow growth in electrical demand and no need to build new power plants for at least 15 years. The Maple Grove-based utility is the state’s second-largest electricity producer behind Xcel Energy. GRE supplies power to 28 retail...
Nevada Coop Wins Bid to Supply Government Site
Posted on Nov 5, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Nevada Coop Wins Bid to Supply Government Site
Valley Electric Association, Inc. recently won a bid to provide power to the Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center—the former test site where hundreds of nuclear weapons were tested—and other facilities at the Nevada National Security Site. The nearly 1,400-square-mile installation, one of the most secure government installations in the world, is larger than the state...
Coops Lend Aid to Others in Sandy Aftermath
Posted on Nov 1, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure | Comments Off on Coops Lend Aid to Others in Sandy Aftermath
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, cooperative crews have banded together to help restore service to the millions of people who were affected by the massive storm. Crews from the Gulf Coast, Midwest and Southeast were dispatched to the areas in the mid-Atlantic and New England where service was disrupted due to the storm. Arkansas Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI), based in Little...
Electrical Demand Expected to Triple in the North Dakota Oil Patch
Posted on Oct 24, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Electrical Demand Expected to Triple in the North Dakota Oil Patch
The Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) in North Dakota will energize six new substations today in an effort to keep up with rapidly increasing demand spurred by increased oil production in the state. According to a recent study, the electrical demand in the Williston Basin and surrounding areas is expected to triple by 2032. MWEC reported that it has seen its peak load...
An Activist Framework for Cybersecurity Oversight
Posted on Oct 16, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on An Activist Framework for Cybersecurity Oversight
Three recent initiatives by different arms of the federal government intended to help combat cyber threats to the nation’s critical energy infrastructure reveal an activist approach to regulating cybersecurity. At this juncture, it is difficult to ascertain the legal and political ramifications of the three initiatives, but members of the energy sector should pay attention — the...
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