ACC to Hire Outside Counsel to Represent Commissioner
The Corporation Commission voted to hire an outside attorney to represent Commissioner Robert Burns, who is being sued by Arizona Public Service over his effort to investigate the utility’s political spending.
Burns issued subpoenas to APS and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital, last month to determine whether the company is the source of millions in funding that helped to elect two Republicans to the ACC in 2014.
The utility has filed a motion to quash the subpoenas and to charge Burns for its attorney fees. APS argues that state law does not require the utility to disclose the information Burns is seeking. Commission staff attorneys say they can’t represent Burns because of conflict-of-interest concerns.
More: The Arizona Republic
CALIFORNIA
Utilities Come up with Mandated Storage Plans
San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison have arranged nearly 65 MW of energy storage to be ready by January in response to a call from state regulators to prepare for winter power shortages because of the loss of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage field.
SDG&E lined up two lithium-ion battery storage facilities that total 37.5 MW, and SoCalEd hired developers to build 27 MW of energy storage. The Public Utilities Commission is expected to approve the contracts soon.
The deals illustrate the rapid rise of the energy storage market in the state. “What this really shows is how quickly we can add diversity to the fleet in these critical areas,” said Alex Morris, a spokesman for the California Energy Storage Alliance.
More: The San Diego Union Tribune
Six Cities File Protest Against Diablo Canyon Plan
A coalition of six San Luis Obispo County cities have filed a protest to Pacific Gas and Electric’s plans to decommission the Diablo Canyon plant.
The cities of San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Morro Bay, Paso Robles and Pismo Beach have jointly filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission to intervene in the proceedings to ensure the agency formally considers their concerns about the local economic, environmental and emergency preparedness impacts of the closure.
The coalition says it is not opposed to the shutdown but is seeking guarantees about the cleanup and future uses of the plant site.
More: The Tribune
COLORADO
Xcel Reaches Settlement on 600-MW Wind Farm
Xcel Energy has reached a settlement with the Public Utilities Commission and intervenors that will speed up the development of the utility’s 600-MW wind project and a 125-mile transmission line.
The Rush Creek Wind Project, proposed across five eastern counties, would rank as the state’s largest wind facility, boosting wind generation capacity by 20%. Xcel estimates Rush Creek will save customers $400 million over its 25-year life and remove an estimated 1 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere each year.
Xcel needs to start construction on the $1 billion wind project this year to qualify for $443 million in federal renewable energy tax credits. If the start of construction is delayed until 2017, Xcel stands to lose $125 million in credits.
More: The Denver Post
ILLINOIS
Clean Line, ICC Appeal Court Rejection
Clean Line Energy Partners and the Commerce Commission are appealing a state appellate court’s reversal of the Rock Island Clean Line’s approval by the commission. The state Supreme Court will now determine the future of the $600 million project.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Wind on Wires joined the appeal of the 3rd District Appellate Court’s decision. The court ruled last month that the project did not satisfy the definition of public utility under the state’s Public Utilities Act and should not have received a certificate of public convenience and necessity. That certificate allowed the project to use eminent domain to secure a route for the 500-mile HVDC line.
Commonwealth Edison, the Illinois Landowners Alliance and the Illinois Farm Bureau had appealed the ICC’s approval.
More: Quad-City Times
MISSOURI
PSC Approves Empire and Liberty Merger
The Public Service Commission last week approved the merger of Empire District Electric and Liberty Utilities, a subsidiary of Canada-based Algonquin Power and Utilities.
As part of a settlement with the Division of Energy, Empire has agreed to file an application for an energy efficiency portfolio under the state’s Energy Efficiency Investment Act, which encourages utility companies to invest in energy-efficient programs. The company has also agreed to consider a community solar program and microgrid technology.
To close the deal, Empire also agreed to settlements with the Office of Public Counsel, the City of Joplin, several labor unions and Empire retirees.
More: The Joplin Globe; The Missouri Times
NEBRASKA
LES Adjusts to Shifting Use, Stagnant Demand
Lincoln Electric System says that demand for electricity has flattened, forcing the public utility that serves the state’s capital to adjust its rate structure to gradually increase the fixed amount customers pay each month and to decrease its dependence upon revenue from kilowatt-hour usage.
Demand is expected to remain flat for the next five years, LES said in a report to credit rating agencies earlier this year, as customers embrace more efficient behavior and equipment.
“As an industry, a lot of us missed this dramatic drop in demand growth,” LES Vice President of Power Supply Jason Fortik told the Lincoln Journal Star. “It wasn’t just an LES thing. As the utility industry, we’re out incenting people to be more efficient and place less demand on our system. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised when it actually starts to occur.”
More: Lincoln Journal Star
NEW YORK
Groups Join to Form Offshore Wind Coalition
Several offshore wind industry companies, academics and environmental organizations have formed a coalition to encourage the development of offshore wind farms on the state’s coast.
The newly formed New York Offshore Wind Alliance wants to push the state to develop 5,000 MW of offshore wind by 2030. The coalition is a project of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York and includes Deepwater Wind, DONG Energy, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club.
More: North American Wind Power
NORTH DAKOTA
PSC to Hold Hearing on 300-MW Wind Project
The Public Service Commission has scheduled a hearing on the proposed 300-MW Glacier Ridge Wind Farm in Barnes County.
The $375 million wind farm would be sited on 34,450 acres about 5 miles east of Valley City and have up to 87 turbines, according to preliminary plans. The public hearing is set for Sept. 27 at Valley City State University.
More: The Jamestown Sun
SOUTH DAKOTA
Prevailing Winds Withdraws Wind Farm Permit Request
The Public Utilities Commission approved the request of developer Prevailing Winds to withdraw its application to build a 100-turbine wind farm near Avon.
The company pointed to a public hearing last month that drew about 300 people to a school gym, with 22 speaking, mostly in opposition to the project.
“The Prevailing Winds project is a community wind project and community is very important to the Prevailing Winds investors and board of governors,” the company wrote in explanation. “Unfortunately, misinformation has been circulated about the project.” It said the application withdrawal would allow the company “to better inform the community on the project and allow Prevailing Winds to revisit its options regarding the project.”
More: Rapid City Journal
TEXAS
Study: 7 Coal Plants in State Uneconomic
A study conducted by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and published by Public Citizen found that at least seven of the state’s 19 coal plants, representing more than 40% of the total coal-fired capacity in ERCOT, are in danger of closing.
The analysis paints a familiar picture: The growth of renewable energy, low natural gas prices and increased environmental regulations are making the coal plants financially inviable. They will likely lose more than $160 million a year, according to the report.
The seven plants, totaling 8,100 MW, are Luminant’s Big Brown, Martin Lake and Monticello; Dynegy’s Coleto Creek; and the publicly owned Fayette, Gibbons Creek and J.K. Spruce.
More: The Texas Observer