Four Coops to Receive RUS Loans
Posted on May 6, 2013
Colorado-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State), Georgia-based Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation, Texas-based Rio Grande Electric Cooperative and Ohio-based Logan County Cooperative Power & Light Association will receive more than $126 million in loans from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) for infrastructure upgrades, including $20 million for smart grid projects. The four coops serve eight states. Tri-State, which delivers electricity to its 44-member systems in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming, will receive $73 million, the...
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Delaware Coop Announces Power Purchase from Landfill Gas Facility
Posted on May 6, 2013
Delaware Electric Cooperative recently signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority for 2 MW of power generated from a landfill in Sandtown. The purchase is part of the coop’s long-term strategy of procuring a mix of energy sources at competitive prices. Click here for the full story.
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Colorado May Double Renewable Energy Goals for Rural Electric Coops
Posted on May 1, 2013
The Colorado House of Representatives has passed a bill which would increase the amount of renewable energy rural electric cooperatives in the state must use. The mandate would require these cooperatives to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The bill also increased the amount that electric cooperatives can charge customers for the new power sources to two percent of a customer’s bill. To read more about the status of the bill and the impact it may have on rural electric cooperatives in Colorado, click here.
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Coops Rise to Meet New Data Center Load Challenges
Posted on Apr 30, 2013
The deserts of the Pacific Northwest have become popular locations for data centers, and this trend is changing the way some electric coops do business. Companies including Google, Amazon, and Facebook have chosen locations in or around Oregon because of the state’s tax breaks, cheap abundant power, and cool, dry weather that can accommodate large-scale data centers. To maintain 24/7 operations of video streaming, messaging, and Internet purchasing, each data center requires an uninterrupted source of power. Estimated electric demand in Oregon by 2030 is nearly 2,500 MW—enough power for...
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Georgia Coop Coal Plant Developers Change Plans
Posted on Apr 30, 2013
The Georgia electric membership coops that intended to develop a $2.1 billion, 850-MW, coal-fired power plant in Sandersville, Georgia, are foregoing ownership stakes in the project. This planned restructuring does not mean that the project will not be funded, however. The group, Power4Georgians, did not report a new source of financing but did state that its members all intend to remain as customers. Click here for more.
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USDA to Provide More Rural Electric Project Funding
Posted on Apr 30, 2013
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing funding for four rural electric projects in eight states to enhance reliable, affordable electricity for rural residents. These projects, which will employ smart grid technology, are the latest in approximately 650 rural electric utility projects funded since 2009. Specifically the USDA is providing more than $126 million in loans to upgrade rural electric infrastructure, including more than $20 million in smart grid funding. Recipients include Colorado’s Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. and Ohio’s Logan County...
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Kansas Coop Votes on Whether to be Self-Regulated
Posted on Apr 29, 2013
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 29 coops in Kansas to become self-regulated. The Hutchinson News has the full story.
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Customer Satisfaction Index Finds High Levels of Satisfaction with Coops
Posted on Apr 29, 2013
For the second year in a row, electric cooperatives scored an average of 83 points out of 100 possible points for customer satisfaction as measured by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Coops maintained higher scores than energy utilities, which increased for the seventh straight year—to 77.4 out of 100 possible points. The ACSI found that increased energy efficiency and relatively mild weather led to lower energy bills and more content customers. Click here to read more.
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Kentucky Coops Tentatively Agree to Power Provider Setup
Posted on Apr 29, 2013
Century Aluminum of Kentucky, Big Rivers Electric Corporation and Kenergy Corp. have agreed to a framework for providing market-priced power to the Hawesville smelter located in Hancock County, Kentucky. Under the agreement, which is subject to further negotiations and approval by various third parties, the coops would purchase power on the open market and pass it through to Century at market price plus additional costs incurred by the coops. The parties hope to finalize the agreement before the expiration of the current power contract on August 20, 2013. To read the parties’ full press...
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Out With the Old, in With the New – CIP Version 5 on the Horizon
Posted on Apr 25, 2013
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 system. While Version 5 establishes “a more robust cyber security posture for the industry,” FERC seeks input on certain ambiguous aspects of Version 5. Coops should start their internal compliance reviews with...
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Colorado Renewable Energy Bill Passes House Committee
Posted on Apr 25, 2013
A Colorado bill that would significantly raise renewable energy requirements for Colorado coops was referred out of the state House Committee on Transportation & Energy for consideration by the entire House of Representatives. Senate Bill 13-252 was passed by the Colorado Senate in mid-April. Click here for the current status of the bill.
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Two Electric Cooperatives Rank in Top 10 for Solar Generation Wattage Per Member
Posted on Apr 24, 2013
The Solar Electric Power Association included two electric cooperatives in its list of top 10 utilities incorporating solar generation wattage per member. Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative, which had been ranked at twelfth place in 2011, moved to second place, adding 282 watts of solar electricity capacity per member last year. Chickasaw Electric Cooperative, ranked fifth on the list, largely thanks to its connection to the West Tennessee Solar Farm, which is the largest supplier of solar power to the Tennessee Valley Authority. Read more here.
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Old Dominion Electric Cooperative to Build 1,000-MW Power Plant
Posted on Apr 24, 2013
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) has announced plans to build a 1,000-MW, gas-fired generating plant in Maryland. This plant will be built on an existing site at an estimated cost of $675 million. ODEC will file an application with the Maryland Public Service Commission in May and plans to begin construction in late 2014. ODEC announced that the new plant, which will be known as the Wildcat Point Generation Facility, will generate enough power to serve 390,000 homes annually. To read more about this story, click here.
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Information Sharing Cyber Security Bill to Go to Senate
Posted on Apr 23, 2013
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 here.
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