South Carolina Coop Planning Industrial Spec Building
Posted on Sep 12, 2013
A subsidiary of Pee Dee Electric Cooperative (Pee Dee) is planning to construct a 100,000-square-foot industrial spec building in Pee Dee Touchstone Energy Commerce City. The industrial park, located in Florence County, South Carolina, has already attracted several Fortune 500 businesses. The project will cost an estimated $7.1 million and will be funded by Pee Dee, the county of Florence, and state-owned utility, Santee Cooper. Read more on this story here.
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Operation Cool Shade Promotes Trees to Save Energy
Posted on Sep 10, 2013
Once again Mohave Electric Cooperative is rolling out Operation Cool Shade, which promotes the use of shade trees to manage energy use in the hot summer months. Coop members will be able to buy trees for $8 and, as a bonus, will receive a free compact fluorescent bulb for each tree purchased. Operation Cool Shade trees will be sold from September 11-24 or until the trees sell out. For more information on this program, click here.
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New Jersey Communities Consider New Electric Coops
Posted on Sep 10, 2013
Two New Jersey townships have shown interest in forming their own electric coops after Plumsted Township successfully started a township-wide energy aggregation program that allows it to purchase energy in bulk for its residents, thus saving members about 14 percent on energy bills. The two townships, Lambertville and West Amwell, are seeking to submit a request for proposal and are gauging community interest. For details, click here.
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Coop Reporting Rules Modified by RUS
Posted on Sep 10, 2013
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) reportedly plans to remove disincentives to electric coop participation in relending activities that involve rural development loan programs and energy efficiency. This move is in response to a request by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association that coop participation in certain loan and relending programs not lead to procedures that would drive up coop costs. Read more about this story here.
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NRECA Forming Cyber Security Task Force
Posted on Sep 9, 2013
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is forming a task force to ensure that coops’ needs are met when cyber security regulations and legislation take shape and require coops to take responsibility for safeguarding their operations. The NRECA Cyber Security Task Force will focus on the implementation of cyber security standards by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Membership in the task force is unlimited for coop staff, and coops are encouraged to join. Click here for the full story.
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Oklahoma Coop Considering Merger
Posted on Sep 9, 2013
Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative (CVEC), based in Seminole, Oklahoma, has notified about 24,000 customers that it is contemplating a consolidation or joint operations with Central Rural Electric Cooperative, a 22,000 member coop based in Stillwater, Oklahoma. CVEC believes that a consolidation might offer rate stability for members through cost sharing of cooperative and utility services. Any consolidation would require approval by members of both coops. The Shawnee News-Star has the full story.
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CFC Announces Pilot Program with NRCO and Federated
Posted on Sep 9, 2013
The National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) is working with the National Renewables Cooperative Organization (NRCO) and Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange (Federated) to promote a more efficient process for the development of solar projects by coops. NRCO will play a guiding role in the program by advising coops on project management, marketing and standardized legal documentation. Federated will help with the financing of initial projects through its commitment of $6 million in tax equity financing. Marketwired has more on this story.
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USDA Announces $11 Million in Loan Guarantees for Smart Grid Improvements
Posted on Sep 9, 2013
At a recent regional meeting of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack highlighted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) funding of projects across eight states, including $11 million in loan guarantees for smart grid improvements. See the USDA press release for a complete list of projects.
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Washington Company Earns Large Energy Savings Rebate
Posted on Sep 4, 2013
Plum Creek Timber Company (Plum Creek), based in Seattle, Washington, received a $386,635 energy savings incentive check from Flathead Electric Cooperative (FEC) of Montana and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal non-profit agency based in the Pacific Northwest. Plum Creek became eligible for this rebate under the FEC/BPA Energy Smart Industrial Program for an energy savings project at its sawmill in Columbia Falls, Montana. Plum Creek’s project, which cost $522,337, will save the company 1.7 million kilowatt-hours per year. Read more here.
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Minnesota Coop to Purchase Alliant Distribution Business
Posted on Sep 4, 2013
Alliant Energy has announced plans to sell its electric and natural gas distribution business in Minnesota for $128 million. Pending regulatory approval, Southern Minnesota Energy Cooperative (SMEC) has agreed to acquire Alliant’s territory in southern Minnesota, which will add approximately 43,000 customers to the 12 SMEC member cooperatives. To read more about this story, click here.
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Coops Urge EPA to Accept Wyoming’s Haze Pollution Plan
Posted on Sep 3, 2013
If coops and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association get their way, Wyoming’s plan to control haze from the power sector will be fully approved as compliant with federal law. Comments submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) argue that Wyoming’s approach is reasonable, and electric coop consumer-members would pay more than necessary if the EPA goes forth with its own more stringent requirements. The EPA requirements include selective catalytic reduction technologies for Basin Electric Power Cooperative’s Laramie River Station units. Read more about this story...
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Wind Farm Owner Files Informal Compliant Against Coop
Posted on Aug 30, 2013
Alaska Environmental Power (AEP) has filed an informal complaint with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska against the Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) relating to AEP’s Delta Wind Farm. The complaint alleges that GVEA has not taken sufficient steps to open its transmission system to independent producers of renewable energy. The AEP’s CEO has stated that GVEA has committed resources in analyzing AEP’s proposal and is willing to meet with AEP to continue negotiations. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner has the full story.
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Colorado Coop Continues Restoration Efforts After Fire
Posted on Aug 30, 2013
Mountain View Electric Association is working to rebuild damaged power supply infrastructure, including 41 miles of distribution lines, following the Black Forest fire near Colorado Springs. The coop continues to work diligently and has already restored more than half of the downed distribution lines. The blog Powering the West has more on Mountain View’s progress.
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NERC CIP V4 Compliance Date Extended Six Months
Posted on Aug 29, 2013
Electric coops subject to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection Version 4 (CIP V4) standards now have an extra six months after the original April 1, 2014, deadline to comply, thanks to a deadline extension granted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. To read more about this extension, including whether it affects compliance with NERC’s CIP V5, click here.
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