Vermont Coops Spurn Potential Transmission Control Shift to Green Mountain Power
Posted on Jan 24, 2012 in Corporate Governance, Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Mergers/Acquisitions, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Vermont Coops Spurn Potential Transmission Control Shift to Green Mountain Power
In light of a possible merger of Vermont’s two largest utilities to form new entity Green Mountain Power, Vermont municipals and coops are debating who will control the state’s transmission utility, Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO). Through petitions before the Vermont Public Service Board, both municipals and coops are urging the Board to prevent Green Mountain Power from...
NRECA Asks FERC to Reconsider Order Against Iowa Coop
Posted on Jan 23, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation, Rates | Comments Off on NRECA Asks FERC to Reconsider Order Against Iowa Coop
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reconsider a recent order, which requires Midland Power Cooperative, based in Jefferson, Iowa, to obtain FERC’s authorization before disconnecting retail service to a local couple. The coop initiated the disconnection when the couple, who operate a small wind turbine in the...
Advocacy Groups Oppose New Power Lines for We Energies Plant
Posted on Jan 23, 2012 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development | Comments Off on Advocacy Groups Oppose New Power Lines for We Energies Plant
As the Sutherland Coop team reported on January 12, Wolverine Power Cooperative and We Energies have raised the possibility of a joint venture, which could help to avoid shutting down the Presque Isle coal-fired power plant in 2017 due to the added costs of the Environmental Protection Agency’s new environmental rules. Two advocacy groups now are opposing the addition of power lines...
Missouri Bill Introduced to Promote Smart Grid Technologies
Posted on Jan 19, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics | Comments Off on Missouri Bill Introduced to Promote Smart Grid Technologies
A new bill introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives would make it easier to attach smart grid and broadband communication equipment to telecommunication poles and rural coop distribution system poles. The proposed bill would allow the pole owner to charge a reasonable rate based on costs incurred from the attachments and aims to spread these and other advanced technologies...
Bastrop Wildfire Lawsuit Against Bluebonnet Electric Coop Resolved, But Others Remain
Posted on Jan 17, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation, Reliability | Comments Off on Bastrop Wildfire Lawsuit Against Bluebonnet Electric Coop Resolved, But Others Remain
A $6 million lawsuit against Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and McCoy Tree Surgery over a 2009 wildfire in Bastrop County was resolved last week without a jury decision. The parties have declined comment on the case, which was set for jury trial, to determine whether a falling tree knocked down sagging power lines, sparking a fire in the utility’s right of way. Eleven other lawsuits...
Civil Suit Against Texas Coop Underway
Posted on Jan 12, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation, Reliability | Comments Off on Civil Suit Against Texas Coop Underway
A hearing is underway in a civil suit against Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative in which homeowners allege the coop’s negligence triggered a 2009 fire that damaged homes and businesses in Central Texas. Plaintiffs claim the fire was caused by the coop’s inadequate wire connections and power lines and the location of combustible material nearby, but the coop asserts a fallen tree is to...
Great River Energy Buys Large Stake in Ethanol Biorefinery
Posted on Jan 9, 2012 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Mergers/Acquisitions | Comments Off on Great River Energy Buys Large Stake in Ethanol Biorefinery
Great River Energy, a nonprofit coop that provides wholesale electric service to distribution coops in Minnesota and Wisconsin, purchased a 51 percent stake in an Underwood, North Dakota ethanol biorefinery. Prior to the $18.5 million cash deal, Great River Energy had owned a 49 percent stake in the Blue Flint Ethanol LLC biorefinery. Business Week has the full story here.
Sutherland Attorneys Outline 10 Power Grid Cyber Security Strategies
Posted on Jan 9, 2012 in Grid & Infrastructure, Technology | Comments Off on Sutherland Attorneys Outline 10 Power Grid Cyber Security Strategies
The regulatory landscape for protecting the electric power grid against cyber threats is fraught with uncertainty. But there are strategies that compliance officers and regulatory affairs personnel can implement today to combat cyber threats that may compromise physical electrical infrastructure. These strategies can help electric utilities, owners and operators of generation and...
Tennessee Coop to Connect New Solar Facility
Posted on Dec 20, 2011 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Tennessee Coop to Connect New Solar Facility
Chickasaw Electric Cooperative, a Tennessee-based coop, is set to connect the new West Tennessee Solar Farm to the Tennessee Valley Authority with its distribution lines. The coop has upgraded seven miles of its distribution lines and added two additional miles to connect the 4.5-megawatt solar facility to the regional power grid. The project is estimated to have cost the coop $31...
Pacific Northwest Coops Ordered to Rebalance Use of Hydropower and Wind Energy
Posted on Dec 12, 2011 in Grid & Infrastructure, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Pacific Northwest Coops Ordered to Rebalance Use of Hydropower and Wind Energy
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that the Bonneville Power Administration discriminated against wind interests by cutting back on wind production at times of high hydroelectric generation. FERC gave the BPA 90 days to come up with a new program. BPA announced an “environmental redispatch” policy last May in an effort to balance supply and demand and comply with salmon...
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