Rayburn Electric Receives ‘A-’ Credit Rating from S&P
Posted on Jun 13, 2012
Rayburn Country Electric Cooperative, Inc. has received ‘A-‘ Issuer credit rating from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P). Click here for additional details .
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Energy Secretary Urged to Consult Coops Over Hydropower Reform
Posted on Jun 13, 2012
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is being urged by 166 members of Congress to consult coops and utilities before reforming the four agencies that oversee the nation’s hydropower marketing: the Bonneville Power Administration, the Southeastern Power Administration, the Southwestern Power Administration and the Western Area Power Administration. The proposed reforms largely target the strategic and capital improvement plans of these entities to accommodate efforts to upgrade the nation’s electrical grid. Congress expressed concern that the proposed reforms have not been vetted adequately by the...
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Alaska Coop to Reduce Costs With New Fuel Delivery Boats
Posted on Jun 11, 2012
Anchorage-based Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) christened two sets of tugs and barges, which will help the coop cut fuel costs. AVEC serves 54 remote villages and spends more than half of its gross revenue on diesel fuel for generation. AVEC entered into a long-term delivery contract with Anchorage-based Vitus Marine, LLC (Vitus), agreeing to provide upfront costs for its first sets of tugs and barges. Under the contract, Vitus will deliver fuel to AVEC member villages, saving the coop an estimated $2.5 million over the next five years. The National Rural Utilities...
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Kentucky Coop Seeks Proposals for Alternative Energy Sources
Posted on Jun 11, 2012
East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) is seeking proposals for electric-generating resources to replace power plants that could be shut down when the federal Mercury and Air Toxics Standards take effect in 2015. As a result of the new regulations, EKPC is facing the possibility of replacing some large coal-fueled units. Proposals are due by Aug. 30, 2012, and EKPC expects agreements to be in place by January 2013. Click here for more.
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U.S. Representatives Continue Pressing EPA on Utility Regulations
Posted on Jun 11, 2012
The Republican chairs of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent another letter to the Environmental Protection Agency demanding another accounting of the compliance costs associated with the Utility Maximum Achievable Control Technology (Utility MACT) rule. The Utility MACT rule requires power plant operators to reduce toxic air emissions by some 90 percent over the next three years. Last month, the EPA told the committee that the capital cost of the Utility MACT rule was an estimated $35 billion. However, committee Republicans claim the capital and noncapital costs combined could...
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DOE Extends $8 Billion Loan Guarantee for Nuclear Plant
Posted on Jun 11, 2012
The Department of Energy has extended its conditional commitment to the end of the year to provide an $8.3 billion federal loan guarantee to help finance the nuclear expansion of Plant Vogtle in Georgia. Southern Company officials initially said the agreement would be finalized by the end of June. Southern Company subsidiary Georgia Power Company and nuclear partners Oglethorpe Power and MEAG were conditionally approved in February 2010 to receive the guarantee through a loan-guarantee program under which the government promises to assume a company’s debt if the company defaults. ...
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Proposed San Diego Coop to Offer Green Energy Alternative
Posted on Jun 11, 2012
The San Diego Energy District Foundation (SDED) hopes to create a local coop in which current customers of San Diego Gas & Electric would be given a choice to purchase local green power from a non-profit Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) plan. The SDED is discussing a proposed CCA plan with officials in San Diego County and the cities of Solana Beach and Santee. Click here for more information.
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Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation Included in Solar Power Survey
Posted on Jun 6, 2012
Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation (Blue Ridge Mountain) of Young Harris, Georgia, ranked second in the Solar Electric Power Association’s (SEPA) Utility Solar Rankings for 2011. SEPA included more than 240 utilities in this survey of solar growth. For more information, click here.
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Electric Coops Adding New Members Despite U.S. Rural Population Declines
Posted on Jun 6, 2012
Recent demographical statistics show that the population of rural parts of the United States is slowly declining, and the percentage of rural population is at an all-time low. In 2011, only 16.4 percent of the nation’s population lived in rural areas. In spite of this shift, electric cooperatives have continued to add members, adding 187,000 new members in 2010. For more information on these changes, click here.
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John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant Almost Complete
Posted on Jun 6, 2012
AEP Southwestern Electric Power Company’s (SWEPCO) John W. Turk Jr. Power Plant in Hempstead County, Arkansas, is almost complete. The plant, on which SWEPCO began construction in late 2008, received its first shipment of coal on May 30 and is expected to go into service later this year. The Longview News-Journal has additional details.
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Grand Canyon State Electric Coop Association CEO Testifies on Federal Policies
Posted on Jun 5, 2012
Tom Jones, CEO of Arizona’s Grand Canyon State Electric Coop Association (GCSECA), warned that proposed regulations may significantly increase energy prices for coops in the region when he recently addressed the Committee on House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed federal regulations governing the disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. GCSECA is a regional service organization representing the interests of electric coops and their consumers. Click here for the...
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Alabama Coops Hope to Benefit from Copper Theft Law
Posted on Jun 5, 2012
Alabama’s electric coops, long fighting against copper theft, now have a valuable ally. The state just signed into law a new bill that targets the illegitimate recycling of copper, including a list of limits and requirements on the activity, which they hope will hinder all but the legitimate dealers of copper. Read the full story here.
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Colorado Hydroelectric Project Breaks Ground
Posted on May 31, 2012
Construction of a $22 million hydroelectric project located in Montrose, Colorado, began last week. The project is expected to generate roughly 7.5 MWh of energy and be completed by July 2013. Learn more here.
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Idaho Coop Constructs Landfill-to-Gas Generator
Posted on May 31, 2012
Kootenai Electric Cooperative teamed up with Kootenai County to develop a landfill-to-methane gas generation facility at the Fighting Creek Landfill. The coop leases the land for the facility and purchases the methane gas produced there from the county. The coop then uses the gas to produce electricity and power local homes. The Kootenai coop funded the $6.5 million plant with Clean Renewable Energy Bonds. It is the first generator facility the coop has constructed and operated. The Coeur d’Alene Press has the full story.
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