Eversheds Sutherland Coop Law Blog
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Georgia Coop Adds “Sunflowers” to Solar Garden

Cobb Electric Membership Corp. has built a solar garden that includes three “sunflowers” whose petal-shaped solar panels track the sun. The “sunflowers” are a part of the Georgia coop’s solar project that can produce nearly 2.4 million KWh of electricity per year.
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Basin Electric and Clēnera Renewable Energy Announce PPA for Montana Solar Project

Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Clēnera Renewable Energy announced the execution of a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Cabin Creek Solar Project, which will consist of two, 75 MW projects in southeastern Montana.
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Electric Cooperative Seeks Permission to Swap Customers

The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) recently set an intervention deadline in a case concerning a territorial agreement between Ameren Missouri and Three Rivers Electric Cooperative. Specifically, Ameren seeks PSC authority to transfer 258 of its current customers to Three Rivers while Three Rivers seeks to transfer approximately 270 of its current customers to Ameren. Ameren also seeks to sell a portion of its electric system to Three Rivers.
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Coop to Test Emerging Battery Technology

Great River Energy recently announced it will test a novel “aqueous air battery system,” a 1 MW grid-connected battery with 150 MWh of continuous energy capability. If successful, the battery could provide a viable option for coops seeking to increase their share of renewable energy without sacrificing reliability.
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Electric Coop to Purchase Municipal Utility

The Tennessee Valley Authority recently approved Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Cooperative’s takeover of Murfreesboro’s Electric Department (MED). The merger, which is expected to become effective in July 2020, is one of the largest acquisitions ever by a power cooperative of a municipally-owned utility – $302 million over the next 15 years to acquire MED and its 67,000 customers.
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Southern Illinois Power Cooperative to Retire Largest Coal-Fired Unit

Southern Illinois Power Cooperative has announced a tentative decision to retire its largest coal-fired generator as early as this fall.
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Tri-State to Enhance Renewable Portfolio, Provide Greater Member Flexibility

In January 2020, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association announced its Responsible Energy Plan to fundamentally transform how it generates power while protecting reliability and addressing rates. By 2024, Tri-State will add eight additional wind and solar power plants to its system, more than doubling its clean energy resources. In addition, to allow members greater flexibility in generating their own power, contracts will soon have a self-supply option of up to 50%.
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South Carolina Electric Cooperatives See Delinquencies Rise

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are reporting large spikes in the number of customers falling behind on their electric bills, signaling potential financial problems for households and businesses in the most rural parts of the state. The dramatic uptick in delinquencies is being driven by the coronavirus pandemic and the economic downturn caused by the public health restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the virus.
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Kentucky Solar Farm Proposed for Henderson-Webster County Line

Big Rivers Electric Corporation, a Kentucky generation and transmission coop, has announced plans to develop a nearly 1,700 acre solar energy farm. The solar farm, which would be the largest in Kentucky, is expected to begin generation in 2024 and supply Big Rivers with 160 MW of electricity. Additionally, Big Rivers announced it will purchase up to 100 MW of solar generation from Community Energy starting in 2023.
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PGEC Moves Ahead With Rural Broadband

Prince George Electric Cooperative (PGEC) and Prince George County are coming together to form a public/private partnership to help expedite the process of connecting the Prince George County community with high-speed, fiber-to-the-home internet access. With Prince George County’s support, PGEC can expand broadband access to additional Prince George County residents at an accelerated pace.
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Minnkota and Fluor Work on Carbon Capture Project

Fluor Corporation has been awarded the front-end engineering and design for Minnkota Power Cooperative’s Project Tundra. Project Tundra is a carbon capture, utilization and storage retrofit project at the Milton R. Young Station in North Dakota.
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Taos Solar Array Online for Kit Carson

In its continued effort to achieve 100% daytime solar energy by 2022, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative announced that its largest solar array has come online. Construction of the 3 MW Taos array began in October 2019 and was made possible by a partnership between Kit Carson and Guzman Energy, a wholesale power provider. Kit Carson partnered with Guzman Energy in 2016 to help the coop meet its renewable energy goals.
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State Cooperatives See Surging Delinquencies in Light of Coronavirus

Electric cooperatives are facing a number of challenges due to the coronavirus, including a growing number of customers who are unable to pay their bills. In Oklahoma, cooperatives voluntarily agreed to implement a moratorium on non-payment disconnections, and have waived disconnection, reconnection and other service fees for now.
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TEC Partners to Provide UAS Inspection Services

Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (TEC) and Exelon Clearsight, LLC announced they have formed a partnership to bring advanced UAS (drone), robot, and software-enabled inspections to utilities in Texas. This announcement comes less than a year after the Texas Legislature imposed new requirements on electric utilities to inspect overhead lines to ensure compliance with the National Electric Safety Code.
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