Homeland Security and F.B.I. Say Hackers Are Targeting Nuclear Facilities
Posted on Jul 7, 2017
According to security consultants and an urgent joint report issued by the Department of Homeland Security (Homeland Security) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) last week, hackers have been penetrating the computer networks of companies that operate nuclear power stations and other energy facilities, as well as manufacturing plants in the United States and other countries. In response to the attacks, President Trump recently signed an executive order requiring government agencies to work with public companies to mitigate risks and help defend critical infrastructure...
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Cooperative Enters Long-Term Solar Power Purchase Agreement
Posted on Jul 6, 2017
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative has entered into a power purchase agreement to purchase the offtake of Clarke County Solar, a 10-megawatt solar power facility.
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Pedernales Electric Cooperative Partnering with University of Texas to Improve Energy Grids
Posted on Jun 30, 2017
The University of Texas at Austin (UT) was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to participate in the Grid Modernization Initiative. Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC), the nation’s largest electric cooperative, is partnering with UT to help design the “grid of the future.” The projects will help utilities advance and expand distributed energy resources onto the grid, transforming the grid into a two-way street for the flow of electricity.
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Ouachita Electric Cooperative Named Electric Cooperative Utility of the Year
Posted on Jun 30, 2017
Smart Electric Power Alliance recently named Ouachita Electric Cooperative Corporation (OECC) Electric Cooperative Utility of the Year for its work with solar developer Silicon Ranch and the Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Corporation to build a 12-MW solar array. The project, located at the Highland Industrial Park, was the first utility-scale solar array in Arkansas. It has helped reduce peak demand and has lowered the cost of power for all OECC members.
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U.S. House of Representatives Advances Two Interests of Electric Cooperatives
Posted on Jun 29, 2017
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced two bills that would benefit electric co-ops. The House passed: (1) the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act, H.R. 1873, which helps electric co-ops protect their energy distribution assets from vegetation-related damage and (2) H.R. 1551, which expands the eligibility of nuclear power plant developments for certain production tax credits. Each of these bills is now headed to the U.S. Senate for full consideration.
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Coop to Expand with Natural Gas
Posted on Jun 16, 2017
Lake Region Electric Cooperative has announced that it is expanding into the natural gas business as Lake Region Energy Service. This will be a partnership with Greater Minnesota Gas, Inc., and it expects gas distribution facilities will be in place by late summer 2017.
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Coops Offer Geothermal Programs
Posted on Jun 16, 2017
Several coops are offering programs and rebates to install geothermal systems designed to lower demand. The cooperative works with geothermal companies and developers to put in a loop system, and owns, maintains and repairs the loop system.
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U.S. Senators Oppose Energy Secretary Rick Perry’s Plan to Privatize Federal Transmission Assets
Posted on Jun 8, 2017
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators asked Energy Secretary Rick Perry to reconsider a plan to auction off U.S. Department of Energy transmission assets used to deliver power from federally owned dams to utilities and rural cooperatives in 34 states on the grounds that privatization of these assets would cause rate increases.
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Dairyland Power Cooperative Partners with Minnesota Power on Natural Gas Power Plant Project
Posted on Jun 8, 2017
Dairyland Power Cooperative is partnering with another utility, Minnesota Power, to build a $700 million 550-megawatt natural gas power plant in Superior, Wisconsin. If approved by regulators, construction on the plant will commence in 2020 and plant operation is anticipated to be achieved by 2025.
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GRE to Test Carbon Capture Technologies
Posted on May 30, 2017
Great River Energy (GRE), a regional power cooperative, is seeking funding for carbon capture research. The funding would support a project at its Spiritwood Station that seeks to use fly ash to capture carbon dioxide and a project that would inject flue gas into an onsite greenhouse at its Coal Creek Station.
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NRECA Submits Comments to EPA Regarding Air, Waste, and Water Issues
Posted on May 19, 2017
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) submitted comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding opportunities to reduce the regulatory burden from certain regulations under Executive Order 13777, which directs the heads of federal agencies to seek input from entities significantly affected by Federal regulations. NRECA commented on various (i) air, (ii) waste, and (iii) water issues in its eight-page letter.
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Bandera Electric Cooperative Modernizes Electric Grid
Posted on May 19, 2017
Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC), a rural Texas cooperative, recently completed its first distribution circuit automation project in the first step in developing a “smart grid” which will increase the reliability, efficiency, safety, and cost effectiveness of the power system. The distribution system automation will provide real-time adjustment to changing loads and operating conditions allowing BEC to better quantify the value of solar during peak conditions.
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USDA Awards Its First Loans under the Rural Energy Savings Program
Posted on May 18, 2017
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will provide two rural energy providers, South Carolina’s KW Savings Co. and Ohio’s Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, with $13 million and $1 million loans, respectively, under the Rural Energy Savings Program. Seven rural electric cooperatives are the intended recipients of KW Savings Co.’s loan funds.
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Tennessee Governor Signs the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act
Posted on May 18, 2017
Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Act, a bill permitting rural electric cooperatives to provide broadband services in the state. This legislation is intended to increase the provision of broadband services to Tennessee’s unserved areas.
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