The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Minnesota Power’s plan to build a 200-mile transmission line from Manitoba to Grand Rapids, Minn.
The 500-kV Great Northern Line will run from the Canadian border near Roseau, Minn., to a substation near Grand Rapids. The total cost is estimated at $560 million to $710 million. MISO has included the line in its transmission expansion report.
The line will be a joint project by Minnesota Power and Manitoba Hydro, and 383 of its 883 MW of transmission capacity will be used to deliver hydro power purchased by Minnesota Power for its customers. Minnesota Power will be the line’s majority owner.
More: Energy Central
Obama Administration Announces Plan to Cut Methane Emissions
The White House announced that it will implement a combination of regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas drilling, a significant source of greenhouse gases that affect climate change.
The administration said the new regulations aim to cut industrial emissions of methane by 40 to 45% over the next 10 years. Methane, a major component of natural gas, is emitted at gas wells and pipelines.
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to set requirements for new or modified oil and gas wells and natural gas facilities. The rules are expected to be rolled out in the spring or summer.
More: The Washington Post
FERC Scheduling Hearings on PennEast Pipeline Project
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is hosting a series of five public meetings on the proposed PennEast natural gas pipeline in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
FERC will collect comments that will be used in the final determination on whether the pipeline will be built and what route it will take. The pipeline, financed by operating units of UGI and four major New Jersey gas utilities, is estimated to cost $1 billion. It would deliver Marcellus Shale gas from northeastern Pennsylvania to a pipeline interconnection near Trenton, N.J.
Opponents are already organizing. “The environmental impacts are very significant, very serious,” said Maya van Rossum of the non-profit Delaware Riverkeeper Network. “This environmental impact statement is critically important. We have seen uniformly in pipeline projects FERC not fully considering the impact.”
More: The Morning Call
FERC, DOE Release Final Version of Data Code of Conduct
The final version of the Voluntary Code of Conduct for smart grid data privacy, designed to protect information gathered by smart meters and other technology, was released Friday.
The code protects customer data, including account information and records of energy usage. Under the code, data can be collected and used by service providers, third parties and contracted agents. President Obama held up the code as an example of privacy and cybersecurity during a speech last Monday.
More: The National Law Review
DOE Energy Efficiency Standards Promise $78 Billion in Savings
The Department of Energy released its energy efficiency standards for fluorescent lamps and commercial ice makers, the last two such standards completed in 2014.
The standards for general-service fluorescent lamps alone are expected to save $15 billion in electricity bills and 90 million tons of emissions. Together, the 10 standards approved in 2014 promise energy savings of $78 billion through 2030 and reductions of more than 435 tons of emissions.
More: EnerKnol
Report Claims Offshore Wind Industry Could Provide Double the Energy of Gas, Oil
A report by environmental group Oceana says that Atlantic offshore wind energy industry has the potential to generate twice the number of jobs and twice the amount of energy as offshore drilling for oil or natural gas.
The report, called “Offshore Energy by the Numbers: An Economic Analysis of Offshore Drilling and Wind Energy in the Atlantic,” is meant to counter claims by the drilling industry of the benefits of opening up the East Coast to oil and natural gas production.
“If we commit ourselves to developing offshore wind resources, it could definitely surpass all that we have with oil and gas,” said Andrew Menaquale, author of the report. “And also, keep in mind, once that oil and gas runs out, it’s gone. Offshore wind, well beyond that, will keep producing energy and will continue to power coastal communities.”
More: Lumina News
Millstone at Risk of Possible NRC Enforcement for Violation
The struggles of Millstone Power Station to repair a cooling pump has prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to cite the Connecticut facility with a finding of low to moderate safety concern.
The NRC dispatched a team of inspectors to Millstone after problems emerged in 2013 and again in 2014 with a pump used to cool the reactor in the event of failure of both offsite power and backup generators. The findings were not publicized because of security concerns.
Dominion Resources, owner of Millstone, has said that policies and procedures are being changed as a result of the inspection findings.
More: The Middletown Press