Tri-State Updates Its 20 Year Resource Plan
Posted on Aug 30, 2011
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc., a Colorado coop, may have to develop less renewable energy than originally expected thanks to the projects that its members are developing individually. These projects include wind, solar, small hydro and waste recovery projects and one project to recover methane from landfills. Given these projected new resources, Tri-State plans to update the 20-year plan for Colorado regulators. For example, Tri-State originally projected it would need the equivalent of about 150 megawatts of extra wind generation in 2015 beyond what it has now to...
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Nevada Coop May Join California Power Grid
Posted on Aug 29, 2011
Nevada-based Valley Electric Association has received approval to join the California Independent System Operator Corporation, a nonprofit power-management corporation. Valley Electric has 23,000 members along the Nevada-California state line, and coop officials say linking Valley Electric’s 360 miles of existing transmission lines to California’s grid would let it ship renewable energy there. California law calls for the state to get a third of its power from renewable energy by 2020. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission still must approve the deal, which the coop expects to be...
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Coops Battle the Effect of Hurricane Irene
Posted on Aug 29, 2011
Electric cooperatives across the Northeast are dealing with the power disruptions caused by Hurricane Irene’s destruction. According to Touchstone Energy Group, North Carolina-based coops have restored power to nearly 90,000 households, reducing the 152,000 outages reported on Saturday. In Vermont, utility workers continued working Monday morning to restore electricity to the 4,400 members of the Vermont Electric Cooperative still without power. See more on the damage caused by Hurricane Irene here.
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Construction Commences on Colorado Hydro Project
Posted on Aug 25, 2011
The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District recently began construction on the 2.6-MW Carter Lake Hydroelectric Project near Loveland, Colorado. Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association will buy the plant’s output under a power purchase agreement with the District. The project’s total costs are estimated at $6.2 million, and the facility should be in commercial operation next year. Read more.
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North Dakota Coop Forced to Replace Turbine Blade
Posted on Aug 23, 2011
Basin Electric Coop recently replaced a blade on one of its wind turbines in Bismarck after it became damaged last spring. The coop originally planned to replace the blade in June, but the wet weather hindered the ability of heavy machinery to set the seven-ton blade into place. The failure of the blade is currently unknown, but the coop hopes to analyze the cause more closely now that the turbine is on the ground. Click here for more details.
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Montana Coop’s Highwood Station Comes On-Line
Posted on Aug 23, 2011
The Southern Montana Electric Generation & Transmission Coop’s Highwood Station came on-line last Saturday for the first time. Highwood Station is a natural gas-fired power plant east of Great Falls, Montana. The plant has not yet begun operating, although a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site is currently scheduled for mid-September. The Great Falls Tribune has more about this plant and the coop.
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Ravalli Electric Coop Opts for Fuses to Lower Fire Risk
Posted on Aug 22, 2011
Montana-based Ravalli Electric Cooperative has announced that it will temporarily switch from breakers to fuses on its electrical system in fire-prone areas until later this fall when the high-risk part of the fire season has passed. The fuses eliminate the operation of re-energizing power lines, which can send a new surge of power through power lines near dry tree limbs and other highly flammable material up to three times, to minimize the risk of starting a fire. The Ravalli Republic has the full story.
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Report Finds More Planning Needed to Deal with Weather-Related Outages
Posted on Aug 22, 2011
In a report released on August 16, 2011, staff members from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and North American Electric Reliability Corporation concluded that last February’s power outages in the Southwest may be related to a lack of preparation for bad weather. The power disruptions that occurred last February affected 4.4 million electricity consumers and 50,000 natural gas customers in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The report found that two-thirds of the Southwest’s outages, as measured by megawatt-hours, were weather-related, stemming from such causes as frozen sensing...
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Virginia Coop Applies for Approval of Prepaid Electric Service Program
Posted on Aug 19, 2011
Rappahannock Electric Cooperative has developed a prepaid service program, and the coop is in the process of obtaining approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission. If the coop’s program is approved, it would be the first coop to offer such a program in Virginia. Fredericksburg.com has more.
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Nevada Coop Considers Plans to Export Green Power to California
Posted on Aug 19, 2011
Valley Electric Association, a coop based in Pahrump, Nevada, is developing plans to expand its transmission system to interconnect with the California Independent System Operator and to export renewable energy to California. The coop faces competition from Solar Express Transmission, and it is carefully considering the best way to move forward. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is covering this story.
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White House Rural Economic Forum Draws Electric Coop Participants
Posted on Aug 18, 2011
Several coop representatives and CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Glenn English participated in the White House Rural Economic Forum held in Peosta, Iowa. The forum included President Obama, members of his cabinet, and a group of small business owners, farmers, rural organizations, all of whom discussed the twin goals of economic development and job creation in rural America. Participation of coop representatives created an opportunity to showcase the hard work of coops to foster both of these goals. The NRECA press release has more information.
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Coop’s Investment Will Rehabilitate a Montana Hydroelectric Plant
Posted on Aug 16, 2011
The Flathead Electric Cooperative has agreed to pre-purchase $400,000 worth of electricity generated by a 250-kW hydroelectric generator. The coop’s investment will cover roughly two-thirds of the cost to rehabilitate the plant, and a block grant will cover the rest. After the coop recovers its investment, the city of Whitefish will be able to use power produced from the plant to operate city facilities. Click here for more.
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Oklahoma Governor Seeks to Replenish Emergency Fund – Pay Back Coops
Posted on Aug 16, 2011
After responding to various extreme weather events, cities, towns, and counties as well as certain electric coops are due reimbursement from the Oklahoma Emergency Fund. However, a lack of funding has left reimbursements unpaid since January 1, 2007. Electric coops are due approximately $20 million, and Governor Mary Fallin said she hopes state lawmakers will start replenishing the emergency fund next year. The Daily Oklahoman has the full story.
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Tennessee Valley Authority Reports Losses for 2011 Third Quarter
Posted on Aug 15, 2011
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which provides power to 155 coops and municipal systems in the Southeast, recently reported that it lost $240 million on $2.7 billion in revenues for the quarter ending June 30. The TVA cited several reasons for the downturn, including adverse weather, refueling outages at its nuclear plants and lower demand. During the same quarter last year, the TVA had a net income of $199 million on $2.6 billion in revenues. Click here to read the full story.
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