New MultiSpeak Cybersecurity Standard Ready for Testing
Posted on Sep 25, 2014
MultiSpeak, an industry software interoperability standard developed in part by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, has expanded to include a new cybersecurity component that is now available for testing. The cybersecurity standard is intended to help coops protect against data breaches by ensuring safer billing and other data-related processes. Click here to read more.
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Coops among Recipients of USDA Rural Development Loans and Grants
Posted on Sep 25, 2014
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced $59 million in funding to support businesses and promote economic growth in rural communities. Coops are among the recipients through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, which provides zero-interest loans to rural utilities that in turn lend to local businesses. Click here for more information.
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Department of Energy Seeking Public Comment
Posted on Sep 23, 2014
The Department of Energy has requested public comment on their newly released draft Energy Sector Cybersecurity Framework Implementation Guidance and their draft Voluntary Code of Conduct for smart grid data privacy. Federal Register requests for comment are here: Framework Guidance here: Code of Conduct here:
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Cost to Decommission Kansas Nuclear Power Plant Could Hit $1 Billion
Posted on Sep 23, 2014
The Wolf Creek nuclear power plant, partially owned by Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, could cost as much as $1 billion to decommission, according to reports that must be provided to the Kansas Corporation Commission periodically. Costs will depend largely on the progress made by the federal government toward a solution for the long-term disposal of spent nuclear fuel and the method of decommissioning chosen for the plant. Click here to read more.
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City of Socorro Considers Coop Acquisition
Posted on Sep 19, 2014
The city of Socorro, New Mexico, is analyzing the estimated costs involved in acquiring Socorro Electric Cooperative (Socorro) within the city limits. At least two-thirds of Socorro members must approve the sale should the deal move forward. Click here to read the full story.
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CFTC Approves Exclusion for Utility Special Entities
Posted on Sep 19, 2014
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved a final rule this week to exclude certain swaps used in utility operations from one threshold used to identify swap dealers. The rule change will give counterparties additional flexibility to transact with utility special entities while avoiding the regulatory burdens associated with the “swap dealer” designation. Power and gas companies will benefit because hedging remains a viable risk management tool for their business operations. Please click here to read more.
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Court Denies Review of FERC Demand Response Rule
Posted on Sep 19, 2014
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will not review en banc a three-judge panel ruling that rejected the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s rulemaking on demand response compensation. The panel had found that Order No. 745 violates the Federal Power Act by impinging upon state jurisdiction over retail rates. Please click here for more information (subscription required).
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Mild Summer to Dampen Debt Service Coverage Ratios
Posted on Sep 17, 2014
Mild summer weather conditions in much of the country could dampen year-end electric sales and contribute to declining debt service coverage ratios for the public power and electric cooperative sectors in 2014, Fitch Ratings says. Public power and electric cooperative credit ratings can withstand some variability in annual cash flow metrics from changing weather or economic conditions. To read more, please click here.
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New Jersey Coop Leads Army Base Solar Project
Posted on Sep 17, 2014
Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative (Sussex) is helping the U.S. Army install more than 500 Kws of solar panel capacity on a former Superfund site at Picatinny Arsenal near Morristown, New Jersey. Engineering for the project was completed under the Solar Utility Network Deployment Acceleration project developed by the Cooperative Research Network of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. To read more about this story, please click here.
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Basin Electric Receives Federal Approval for Major Transmission Line
Posted on Sep 16, 2014
Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric) recently received federal approval for construction of a 200-mile transmission line in western North Dakota. The project, which will include 345 kV transmission lines, two new substations and modifications to three existing substations, will start at Basin Electric’s Antelope Valley Station and end in Tioga, North Dakota. Basin Electric hopes to complete the project by 2017. Click here to read more about this story.
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Endangered Species Listing May Risk Reliability
Posted on Sep 15, 2014
Several hundred distribution and generation and transmission coops may be affected if the northern long-eared bat is added to the endangered species list. The House Natural Resources Committee is considering this designation as the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and others argue that listing the bat will pose a risk to reliability because coops remove bat roosting trees as part of their vegetation management efforts. A determination on whether to list the bat is expected in April 2015. Click here to read more.
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Court Strikes Down New Jersey Power Plant Subsidy Program
Posted on Sep 15, 2014
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has determined that New Jersey’s Long-Term Capacity Agreement Pilot Program impinges on the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over wholesale sales of capacity in interstate commerce. The ruling is the latest in a string of similar cases in which state subsidy programs have been struck down on jurisdictional grounds. While state incentives for new generation are not categorically prohibited, any program will likely require a more narrow scope to avoid the jurisdictional debate. Click here for more information...
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EIA Report: No Coal-Fired Sources Added in First Half of 2014
Posted on Sep 15, 2014
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that new generation capacity added during the first half of 2014 came only from natural gas and renewable sources, such as wind and solar facilities. No coal-fired sources were added during this time frame. Coops can expect more natural gas capacity and a risk of increased price volatility. Click here to read more.
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Fee Penalties Imposed for Frivolous Clean Air Act Claim
Posted on Sep 11, 2014
The Sierra Club will be forced to pay $6.4 million in attorneys’ fees for what a Texas federal court has deemed a “frivolous” Clean Air Act citizen suit. The ruling represents a win for defendant utilities and may help discourage environmental groups from bringing future unmeritorious lawsuits. For more information, click here. (Subscription required)
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