NRECA International to Form New Electric Utility in Haiti
Posted on May 28, 2013 in Financing, Grid & Infrastructure, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on NRECA International to Form New Electric Utility in Haiti
The United States Agency for International Development awarded NRECA International Ltd. a $24 million contract to form a new electric utility in Haiti under the Haiti Pilot Project for Sustainable Electricity Distribution. The proposed utility would be the only utility in Haiti providing continuous power, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about this project, and...
Coops Concerned with EPA Proposal for Power Plants
Posted on May 20, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Concerned with EPA Proposal for Power Plants
Electric coops are asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw its proposal which could greatly affect power plants under the Clean Air Act. The proposal, which would involve at least 36 states, would “fundamentally” change how power plants operate during startups, shutdowns and malfunctions. Electric Co-op Today has more details on the cooperatives’...
Coops Advocate Water Heater Rule Change
Posted on May 15, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coops Advocate Water Heater Rule Change
Electric cooperatives are advocating that the Department of Energy (DOE) make changes to a new rule that would phase out large-capacity electric storage water heaters from demand management programs. These water heaters save time and energy for cooperatives and provide significant reductions in wholesale power costs. Currently, the DOE has offered one-year waivers for the water...
Coop Leaders Meet with President Obama to Discuss Response to Grid Reliability
Posted on May 14, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Coop Leaders Meet with President Obama to Discuss Response to Grid Reliability
On May 8, nearly three dozen electric utility executives met with President Obama to discuss ways to improve the industry’s ability to respond to major disruptions or threats to grid reliability, such as the outages that occurred with Superstorm Sandy. The group discussed ways to better aid the collective response required at such times, including providing adequate food and lodging...
Texas Utilities May Buy Surplus Solar Energy from Customers
Posted on May 7, 2013 in Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Rates, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on Texas Utilities May Buy Surplus Solar Energy from Customers
A bill passed in the Texas Senate proposes that utilities pay Texas customers that generate excess solar energy a fair market price for their contributions to the electrical grid. Under current law, if a utility does not voluntarily offer to buy excess solar energy, customers must negotiate directly with their providers to be compensated for the energy they add to the grid. Read more...
Kansas Coop Votes on Whether to be Self-Regulated
Posted on Apr 29, 2013 in Corporate Governance, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Kansas Coop Votes on Whether to be Self-Regulated
Members of Midwest Energy, a gas and electric coop, are voting on whether they want the Kansas Corporation Commission to continue having regulatory authority over their coop. The coop expects to realize a number benefits if its members approve giving authority to a local board of directors and operating as a self-regulated entity. If approved, Midwest Energy would be the 27th out of...
Out With the Old, in With the New – CIP Version 5 on the Horizon
Posted on Apr 25, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Out With the Old, in With the New – CIP Version 5 on the Horizon
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has proposed a rule to approve the long-awaited Version 5 of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standards, which will overhaul the CIP regulatory framework and trigger new and revised compliance obligations for many users, owners and operators of the bulk electric...
Information Sharing Cyber Security Bill to Go to Senate
Posted on Apr 23, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Reliability, Technology | Comments Off on Information Sharing Cyber Security Bill to Go to Senate
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, a bill that could help electric coops defend against threats, has cleared the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would encourage the sharing of cyber threat information between the federal government and the private sector, including coops. The next step is for the bill to clear the Senate. For more information, click...
Colorado Senate Passes Bill to Raise Renewable Energy Requirements
Posted on Apr 17, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Project Development, Rates, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Colorado Senate Passes Bill to Raise Renewable Energy Requirements
Colorado Senators passed a bill 18-17 this week that would dramatically raise renewable energy requirements for the state’s electric coops. The bill would require the electricity coops to get 25 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, which is a 10 percent increase from present requirements. The bill also would limit consumer rate increases for these upgrades to 2...
President’s 2014 Budget Includes Restrictions on Amounts and Use of RUS Loans
Posted on Apr 12, 2013 in Financing, Legislative & Politics, Regulation & Policy, Renewable Energy | Comments Off on President’s 2014 Budget Includes Restrictions on Amounts and Use of RUS Loans
Under the proposed 2014 federal budget, the lending authority of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) would be decreased from $6.5 billion to $4 billion, which RUS projects will be sufficient to meet the demand from borrowers. Of this new amount, $3 billion will be earmarked for generation with carbon sequestration and renewable energy, including peaking plants to complement intermittent...
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