Eversheds Sutherland Coop Law Blog
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Alliant and Minnesota Coops File Application for Sale with PUC

Alliant Energy (Alliant) and a number of Minnesota coops filed an application with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for the sale of Alliant’s distribution business to the coops.  The coops would increase their membership and have proposed rates that are more favorable to members than the rates projected by Alliant should it continue its distribution business.  The Albert Lea...

Minnesota PUC Petitioned to Rethink Project Approval

Certain public interest groups petitioned the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to reconsider its decision approving a $500 million high-voltage transmission line connecting La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Rochester, Minnesota.  The project, currently under construction by Dairyland Power Cooperative and other investing utilities, is scheduled for completion in 2015.  Opponents of...

Minnesota Coop May Expand Service Territory

Federated Rural Electric Association, a member of the Southern Minnesota Energy Cooperative, may expand its service area in southwest Minnesota and acquire an additional 1,700 customers from Alliant Energy’s customer base.  The purchase is rumored for 2014 and would be subject to approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.  Read more here.

Nevada Coop May Power Creech Air Force Base

NV Energy may be on the verge of giving up its role as the direct source of electricity to Creech Air Force Base, which is located north of Las Vegas.  The role would be shared with Nevada coop Valley Electric Association (VEA), which would operate the switches, transformers, and distribution lines to the base in connection with a federal contract it won.  NV Energy had filed a...

Nevada Governor’s Veto is Good News for Coop

Valley Electric Association (VEA) will remain outside the regulatory authority of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada thanks to a veto by Governor Brian Sandoval.  Assembly Bill 391 would have added another layer of regulatory oversight to several VEA projects and contracts.  For more on this story, click here.

Texas Utilities May Buy Surplus Solar Energy from Customers

A bill passed in the Texas Senate proposes that utilities pay Texas customers that generate excess solar energy a fair market price for their contributions to the electrical grid.  Under current law, if a utility does not voluntarily offer to buy excess solar energy, customers must negotiate directly with their providers to be compensated for the energy they add to the grid.  Read more...