North Carolina Coops Make Progress Restoring Energy After Massive Storms
Posted on Apr 19, 2011
Following severe storms in North Carolina last weekend, coop crews in the area have worked diligently to restore power to customers. As of Sunday, approximately 32,000 outages remained across the cooperatives’ service areas, down from a peak of nearly 100,000 as the storms moved through the state. The storms, which moved through North Carolina last Saturday, made national news headlines. Read the full story on the recovery here.
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Proposed Plant Would Convert Methane to Electricity
Posted on Apr 19, 2011
Hoosier Energy, a coop in Indiana, plans to build a plant in the western region of the state that would turn methane extracted from the region’s coal bed into electricity. The project would generate 13 MW of power – enough to power roughly 7,000 homes. Hoosier spokesman Rick More said the plant’s cost is still being calculated. The plant is expected to go online in July 2012 and employ more than 100 workers. See the full story here.
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New Mexico Coop Clashes With Critics Over Records Requests
Posted on Apr 19, 2011
Coop members who have requested records from New Mexico-based Kit Carson Electric Cooperative in preparation for an upcoming rate case say the coop is unfairly refusing to release the requested records. After hundreds of Kit Carson members protested a proposed rate hike, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, in January, ordered an investigation into the rate increase. Many of the records purportedly requested relate to the coop’s propane and Internet businesses, as well as a multi-million dollar regional command center, which have all been derided by coop critics for losing money and...
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Power Supply Cost Recovery Factor Approved for Cloverland Electric Cooperative
Posted on Apr 13, 2011
The Michigan Public Service Commission recently approved a settlement agreement authorizing Cloverland Electric Cooperative to implement a power supply cost recovery factor of up to 2.16 mills per kilowatt-hour in its monthly bills to its retail electric customers. See the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, Economic Growth for additional details.
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Vermont Bill May Make “Net-Metering” More Attractive
Posted on Apr 13, 2011
A bill has just passed the Vermont House that would provide greater financial incentives for net-metering. Vermont’s net-metering program lets residents and businesses generate their own power using grid-connected systems and, when necessary, tap into electricity from the local utility, Vermont Electric Cooperative. When excess power is produced, residents can send it back into the regional power grid and obtain a credit on future electric bills. Seven Days has the story.
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Power Cooperative Named Wind Cooperative of the Year
Posted on Apr 13, 2011
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that Minnkota Power Cooperative has received the 2010 Wind Cooperative of the Year Award. See the DOE press release for more on the award.
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Bonneville Power Administration Rules May Adversely Affect Wind Generators
Posted on Apr 12, 2011
Bonneville Power Administration has proposed rules that will essentially allow it to shut out wind generators in the event that federal dams are at maximum generation and the transmission grid can export no more power. The Spokesman Review has the rest of the story.
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South River Electric Membership Cooperative Customers Challenge Board of Directors’ Seats
Posted on Apr 12, 2011
Customers of South River Electric Membership Cooperative are challenging three seats on the board of directors, contending among other things that the coop’s chief executive is overpaid. See the Fayette Observer for more.
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Old Dominion Issues First Mortgage Bonds
Posted on Apr 12, 2011
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative issued $350 million of first mortgage bonds in a private placement, the proceeds of which will be will be used to repay $215 million First Mortgage Bonds, 2001 Series A due June 1, 2011, and for general corporate purposes. See Old Dominion’s Form 8-K for additional details.
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Cobb EMC Incurs Tens of Millions in Legal Fees
Posted on Apr 8, 2011
As reported by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the embattled Georgia coop reported that it spent more than $10 million in legal fees for a period that covers just part of the coop’s recent legal troubles. The coop’s public relations firm declined to comment on Cobb EMC’s legal bills.
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Executive of Kentucky Coop Warns of the Impacts that Proposed EPA Rules Will Have on Industrial Customers
Posted on Apr 8, 2011
Mark Bailey, CEO of Big Rivers Electric Corporation, spoke before a U.S. House subcommittee regarding the costs of the proposed regulations that the coop would be forced to pass along to its industrial base. A significant portion of the coop’s total power is used by energy intensive aluminum smelters that may be forced to relocate abroad in order to avoid higher electric rates. Roll Call, the Capitol Hill news source, has the full transcript.
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Missouri Senate Committee Approves Nuclear Site Permitting Bill
Posted on Apr 6, 2011
After being approved by the Missouri Senate Commerce Committee in a 7-2 vote, the bill now moves to the full Missouri Senate. A group of electric utilities, including electric cooperatives, has been advocating for the bill’s passage in order to keep nuclear as an option for baseload power. Co-Mo Electric Cooperative has the full story.
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Ten Electric Cooperatives Awarded Funding for Transmission, Distribution and Smart Grid Improvements
Posted on Apr 6, 2011
According to a USDA news release, the $376 million awarded as loans to coops will promote efficiency and improve reliability for more than 20,000 coop customers. The loans include almost $14 million for smart grid technologies.
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Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting Highlights Growth and Cost Issues
Posted on Apr 6, 2011
The Montana cooperative resumed growth in 2010, and the rates paid by its members were increased in January 2011 and may be increased again this year. Future rates are largely dependent upon the outcome of Yellowstone Valley’s litigation regarding its membership in Southern Montana Electric Cooperative. For more on this story, see the Big Sky Business Journal.
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