USDA to Fund Electric System Improvements in Rural Areas
Posted on Jul 16, 2014
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will invest more than $250 million in loan proceeds to help improve the reliability of electric systems in rural areas in eight states. A portion of the funds will be used to modernize the systems with smart grid improvements. To read more about this story, please click here.
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New Mexico Coop Still Under Fire for Wildfire
Posted on Jul 15, 2014
More ranchers, this time from fly-fishing destination Cow Creek Ranch, have sued the Mora-San Miguel Electrical Cooperative (Mora-San Miguel) in state court over a 2013 wildfire. The owners of two other Pecos Canyon ranches sued Mora-San Miguel over the same fire in March of this year. The Washington Times has the full story.
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Alaska Coop to Update Coal Plant
Posted on Jul 10, 2014
Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA), a Fairbanks-based electric cooperative, has begun the process of updating the 50-MW Healy Unit 2, which was originally completed in 1999 as a U.S. Department of Energy Clean Coal Technology demonstration project. GVEA has purchased the unit from Alaska, and over the next two years will upgrade the electrical and coal handling systems and equipment at the plant. To read more about this story, please click here.
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House Funding Bill to Block Proposed EPA Regulations
Posted on Jul 10, 2014
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations released its interior and environment funding bill for fiscal year 2015 that would cut the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by $717 million from fiscal year 2014. The proposed bill would also stop EPA from enacting or enforcing its controversial proposed regulations on greenhouse gas emissions for new and existing power plants. To read more, please click here.
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North Carolina Coops Repair Hurricane Arthur Damage
Posted on Jul 8, 2014
North Carolina electric cooperatives spent much of the holiday weekend working to restore power to members in the wake of Hurricane Arthur. Parts of the central North Carolina coastline and barrier islands were hit by 100 mph winds late July 3, and efforts to respond to outages have ranged from using a peaking plant located on Ocracoke Island to provide intermittent power to residents and guests for two out of every six hours, to delivering materials necessary for repairs by helicopter. Click here for more.
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Texas Coop to Refund Capital Credits
Posted on Jul 8, 2014
The Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, which serves members in 13 Texas counties east of San Antonio and south of Austin, will return $3 million in capital credits to its members this month. Click here for more.
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Coops Increase Power Sales in 2013
Posted on Jul 2, 2014
Median kilowatt-hour sales by electric cooperatives grew by 3.13 percent in 2013, reversing a recent trend of declining power sales. This figure shows that electric cooperatives continue to be the fastest-growing segment of the retail electric industry; retail kilowatt-hour sales for the entire industry decreased by 0.1 percent in 2013. To read more about this story, please click here.
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Vermont Coop Proposes Change to Net Metering Program
Posted on Jul 1, 2014
As the Sutherland Coop Team reported on April 2, 2014, legislation in Vermont this spring opened the door for more homeowners to sell excess power back to the electrical grid. East Montpelier-based Washington Electric Cooperative (WEC) has proposed that a grid service fee be charged to net metering customers based on the amount of power that they generate. WEC says that the charge would cover the fixed costs of maintaining infrastructure, which net metering customers could theoretically avoid paying if they generate enough to offset their entire power bill. For more on WEC’s proposal, click...
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Georgia Coop Enters 25-Year Solar Deal
Posted on Jul 1, 2014
Jackson Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) has entered into a 25-year agreement to purchase power from a ground-mounted solar project developed by Green Power EMC. The project is being constructed near Hazlehurst, Georgia by Silicon Ranch Corporation based in Nashville, Tennessee and will span approximately 135 acres. The solar array will generate more than 43,000 MWh of energy annually once completed. Click here for more.
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CoBank Announces New Regional Vice President, Electric Distribution
Posted on Jun 27, 2014
CoBank has announced that it has named Miranda Stokes as Regional Vice President, Electric Distribution. Stokes joins CoBank from the Global Banking and Markets Division of Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Chicago. To read more about this story, please click here.
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Coops Poised to Use Solar Power
Posted on Jun 25, 2014
Bob Gibson, vice president of education and communication for the Solar Electric Power Association, spoke recently at the G&T Communicators Summer Conference held at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) headquarters. Gibson discussed options that utilities, including coops, are pursuing to create new revenue streams as consumers add solar as an option for their electricity needs. To read more about this presentation and NRECA’s solar programs, please click here.
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High Court Hands Down Mixed Decision on EPA’s Power
Posted on Jun 24, 2014
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the Clean Air Act when it expanded two permitting programs to include carbon dioxide emissions, and that the EPA misinterpreted the Clean Air Act when it concluded that a source’s greenhouse gas emissions can trigger permitting requirements under the law’s Title V or Prevention of Significant Deterioration programs. Despite this violation, the Court ruled that the EPA can continue to treat greenhouse gases as a pollutant for sources that already require a permit under the Best Available Control Technology...
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Bankruptcy Judge Confirms Montana Coop’s Chapter 11 Plan
Posted on Jun 24, 2014
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge has officially approved Southern Montana Electric Generation and Transmission Cooperative’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan. Click here for more information about the plan. Click here for details regarding the plan’s final confirmation.
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Work Begins at New Coop Hydroelectric Project
Posted on Jun 20, 2014
The Alaskan coop, Copper Valley Electric Association, recently announced that work has begun at its Allison Creek Hydroelectric Project. The total estimated cost of the project is $49 million. When completed, it will produce energy at a cost of 13.75 cents per kWh. The project is displacing diesel-powered generation units, which produce energy at a cost of 24.7 cents per kWh. Please click here for full story.
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