Southern Co. subsidiary Mississippi Power said its repeatedly delayed Kemper Project, now scheduled to become operational on Sept. 30, continues to mount up expenses.
In the latest tally, Mississippi Power spent another $61 million, pushing the total up to $6.7 billion. The low-carbon-emitting plant was initially estimated to cost $2.9 billion. The company is eating $2.7 billion of the cost overruns, but customers may eventually be on the hook for as much as $4.3 billion.
More: The Associated Press
Exelon Agrees to Help Fish Through Dams
In an attempt to restore threatened populations of American shad and herring, Exelon Generation said it will make improvements to four of its hydroelectric plants to allow the fish to more easily pass through for breeding.
Exelon Power President Ron DeGregorio called the agreement “a significant step toward the Fish and Wildlife Service’s goals to restore American shad and river herring populations on the Susquehanna River.” While Exelon improves the fish-lift system at the dam, the “trap and transport” program will allow fish from both species to bypass the barriers on their upstream migration.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has set a goal of restoring 2 million American shad and 5 million herring above four Susquehanna River dams.
More: Central Penn Business Journal
Cisco Systems Buying Clean Energy from Duke
Cisco Systems is buying renewable energy from Duke Energy for its Research Triangle campus near Raleigh through Duke’s Green Source Rider program.
Cisco is the second major technology company, after Google, to join the program. Cisco will purchase power and renewable energy credits for two 5-MW solar projects near Charlotte.
Duke spokesman Randy Wheeless said a third client has signed up for the program, but the company isn’t ready to release information on that customer.
More: Charlotte Business Journal
Oil Company Scraps Plans For Using 98-Year-Old Pipeline
A Houston-based pipeline company said it will scrap plans to repurpose 98-year-old pipelines running under the St. Clair River in Michigan after community protests and officials expressed concerns about the reliability of the conduits.
Plains LPG said it has withdrawn its request to use the pipelines running beneath the St. Clair River between Marysville, Mich., and Sarnia, Ontario. It had applied to use the pipelines to transport crude oil. The pipelines were built in 1918 and upgraded in the 1970s. Few comments were lodged during the public comment session, but a public outcry resulted after the Detroit Free Press reported on the plans.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and Reps. Candice Miller and Debbie Dingell got involved and asked U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to intervene because the pipeline crosses an international boundary.
More: Detroit Free Press
Dominion Shareholder Resolution Questions Financial Risk
The Securities and Exchange Commission won’t block a Dominion Resources shareholder resolution calling for an analysis of the financial risks investors face if the company is unable to complete a new nuclear reactor.
The resolution will be presented at the May 11 annual meeting. It calls for Dominion to prepare an analysis by Nov. 30 reporting on the potential financial impacts if the Virginia State Corporation Commission denies a permit and the recovery of costs for the North Anna 3 project.
The North Anna 3 reactor has already cost more than $600 million. The SCC estimates the total project cost at $19.3 billion.
More: Virginia Citizens Consumer Council
Mississippi Power Breaks Ground on Second of Solar Project Triad
Mississippi Power and Silicon Ranch broke ground on a 50-MW solar farm in Hattiesburg, Miss., last week. The $100 million, 450-acre solar farm will supply enough electricity for about 6,500 homes.
The 600,000-solar-panel project is the second of three planned Mississippi Power solar farms. The company and Origis Energy will begin work this month on a 52-MW utility-scale photovoltaic project in Sumrall, Miss. Construction has been underway since March on the company’s 3 to 4 MW project on the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Miss., in conjunction with the U.S. Navy and Hannah Solar.
More: Mississippi Power
Austin Energy’s Search for GM Narrows to 4
The City of Austin released its short list of finalists for Austin Energy’s top job and City Manager Marc Ott said he expects to appoint a nominee by mid-May.
The four candidates for the general manager’s position are Deborah Kimberly, an executive at Austin Energy; Jacqueline Sargent, general manager of the Platte River Power Authority in Fort Collins, Colo., and a former Austin Energy executive; Terrance Naulty, who oversees the Owensboro Municipal Utilities in Owensboro, Ky.; and James West, assistant general manager of the Snohomish County Public Utility District in Everett, Wash.
Austin Energy, which has nearly 450,000 customers, has come under intense scrutiny from state officials over its management and rates, and the utility is preparing to ask for a rate hike this summer. Its last general manager, Larry Weis, departed in January to run Seattle’s electric utility.
More: Austin American-Statesman
PNM Energy Efficiency Programs Lead to Big Electric Savings
Public Service Company of New Mexico’s energy efficiency programs have saved enough electricity since 2007 to power about 274,000 homes a year, according to the company’s latest annual report. The company has also paid out $55 million in rebates to customers, helping offset the cost of installing energy-efficient appliances and systems.
The report, released last week, details a variety of programs that help customers lower consumption, such as rebates for replacing inefficient refrigerators, cooling equipment and appliances with more modern models. The company also partially reimburses efficiency upgrades for businesses and new energy-efficient construction.
PNM and New Mexico’s other public utilities began adopting measures nearly 10 years ago to comply with the state’s Efficient Use of Energy Act, which requires the companies to reduce 2005 retail sales by 5% by 2014 and 10% by 2020.
More: The Albuquerque Journal
Pedernales Co-Op to Build Solar Sites in Texas Hill Country
Texas’ Pedernales Electric Cooperative will begin developing several solar generation sites across its service territory in the Hill Country west of Austin. The projects are expected to produce 15 MW.
PEC is working with Renewable Energy Systems and its subsidiary, RES Distributed, to develop and construct the sites. RES will also operate the facilities, the first of which is expected to go online later this year.
More: KVUE
CPS Slashes Prices for Community Solar
CPS Energy has begun construction on a community solar farm, but after going almost nine months without signing up paying customers, the San Antonio-owned utility’s “roofless solar” program was forced to slash its prices by almost one-third. The utility discounted its initial price for a panel from $406 to $289.
In June 2015, CPS entered into a deal with Colorado-based Clean Energy Collective to develop a roofless solar program that would supply 1.2 MW of electricity to San Antonio’s grid. CEC agreed to build the farm and sell the rights to individual solar panels to CPS residential customers for a flat fee. Those who buy the panels would receive a monthly credit on their electric bill based on their panel’s solar energy output and their consumption.
Hundreds of people signed up for information about the program. But with an initial price point of $406 to save an average of $1.90/month, CPS said the program had failed to attract many customers. Even at the discounted price, customers would need more than 12 years to recover their investment.
More: San Antonio Business Journal
Duke Energy Sets Higher Goal for Renewables
A Duke Energy report on the achievements of its sustainability program proposes to increase its renewable energy goal by 33%, with plans to own or buy at least 8 GW of mostly wind and solar power by 2020.
“Renewable energy will continue to be a growing part of our generation mix in the future,” said Cari Boyce, vice president for policy, sustainability and stakeholder strategy.
By the end of last year, the report said, Duke owned or purchased 4.4 GW of renewable energy in its commercial and utility businesses.
More: Charlotte Business Journal
Wind Power Has Strong First Quarter
American wind generators added 520 MW of capacity in the first quarter of the year, the best quarter since 2012, according to the American Wind Energy Association.
According to AWEA’s 2016 Market Report, construction has started on another 2,000 MW of wind generation in the country, bringing the total of wind capacity under construction to 10,100 MW.
AWEA said there are now more than 48,800 wind turbines turning in 40 states, Puerto Rico and Guam. Another 5,100 MW of wind capacity are in advanced stages of development, or nearing completion, the association said.
More: AWEA
Oracle Buying Opower for $532M
Energy analytics company Opower said Monday that it has accepted Oracle’s $532 million purchase offer, a deal that values Opower’s shares at a 30% premium to Friday’s close.
More than 100 utilities use Opower’s data services, which track household energy-use trends, to help meet state energy efficiency standards.
Last year, Opower reported an operating loss of almost $45 million on $145.7 million in revenue. Founded in 2007, the company went public in 2014.
More: The Washington Post