The long saga of the Duke Energy coal ash spill that coated the Dan River with up to 39 million tons of toxic coal ash from a retired coal-fired plant in February 2014 came to an end Friday when the company agreed to pay a $6 million fine to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The company already settled federal pollution violations with a $102 million settlement in 2015.

The state first fined the company a $6.8 million civil penalty, which Duke called “entirely arbitrary and capricious.” The company did not say why it was now agreeing to a fine that is only slightly lower than the original, as it agreed with the DEQ not to make any public statements that were not mutually cleared.

The two sides did say that it is “in the best interest of the parties, the environment and the citizens of North Carolina that they enter into a compromise to avoid the time and expense of prolonged litigation.”

More: Charlotte Business Journal

AEP Texas Corporate Reorganization Approved

FERC granted American Electric Power’s request that its AEP Texas North and AEP Texas Central affiliates be combined into a single organization. The companies will operate under the name AEP Texas, with AEP Utilities, an AEP subsidiary, as its direct parent.

The commission dismissed the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority’s request that it not address FERC’s jurisdiction over AEP Texas’ wholesale transmission service, finding “no evidence that either state or federal regulation will be impaired.”

AEP told the commission it expects the organizational changes to take place by year-end.

More: EC16-135

FERC OKs Fortis Acquisition of ITC Holdings

FERC on Friday approved ITC Holdings’ acquisition by Canadian utility operator Fortis and a Singapore-based investment fund. ITC, the largest independent transmission operator in the U.S., agreed to the $11.3 billion sale in February. (See Fortis to Acquire ITC Holdings for $11.3B.)

Fortis, which owns New York’s Central Hudson Gas and Electric and Tucson Gas & Electric, is purchasing most of ITC. GIC Ventures, an affiliate of an investment company that manages the government of Singapore’s foreign reserves, is purchasing the remaining 19.9%. ITC will remain a standalone transmission company.

FERC said the transaction raised no competitive concerns because ITC does not control any generating assets, and neither Fortis nor GIC own generation or natural gas assets in MISO, home to much of ITC’s transmission network. The deal, which the companies expect to close by the end of the year, had already been approved by state regulators in Wisconsin and Missouri.

More: EC16-110, ITC Holdings

NextEra Energy’s Brady Wind Farms near Completion

Construction of NextEra Energy’s 87-turbine Brady Wind I project is 65% complete and concrete is being poured for the foundations of Brady Wind II, a nearby 72-turbine wind farm, according to the company.

Both projects are slated for completion by the end of the year. An 18.2-mile transmission line that will transmit the power to Basin Electric Power Cooperative, which signed a power purchase agreement with NextEra, will be completed in a few weeks.

More: The Dickinson Press

PG&E Appoints Eric Mullins To Company Board

PG&E last week announced the election of Eric Mullins to its board of directors and to the board of its Pacific Gas and Electric subsidiary.

Mullins is the managing director and co-CEO of Lime Rock Resources, a private equity fund specializing in the acquisition and operation of oil and natural gas properties. Before cofounding Lime Rock, Mullins worked for 15 years in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs, where he served as managing director in the company’s energy and power group.

“As we position PG&E for continued long-term success, we welcome Eric’s expert counsel around our strategy and audit functions,” PG&E CEO Tony Earley said. “Eric’s deep financial background and familiarity with the energy sector will be invaluable assets for us.”

More: PG&E

Alliant Breaks Ground On Wisconsin Plant

Alliant Energy has started construction of a 700-MW natural gas-fired generating station near Beloit, Wis., that will combine the power plant with an adjacent solar farm in the largest paired generation station of its type in the state.

The company’s Riverside Energy Center is already home to one solar farm. The $700 million project includes a second solar installation designed to offset power used by the new gas-fired plant, company officials said. When the second solar farm is completed, there will be 8,000 panels generating solar power.

The gas-fired plant is scheduled to be in service by 2020.

More: GazetteXtra

Xcel Announces Expansion of Wind Energy in Midwest

Xcel Energy says it is planning to invest $2 billion to build eight to 10 wind farms in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Michigan, with an eye toward generating about 1,500 MW of electricity.

The company said it will own and operate some of the proposed wind facilities and enter into power purchase agreements with the operators of others.

“We believe this is one of the largest wind acquisitions in the country,” said Chris Clark, president of Xcel’s Upper Midwest Operations. He said the wind farms should come online between 2017 and 2020. Xcel is looking to renewable energy — primarily wind — to offset its planned retreat from coal-fired generation.

More: Star Tribune

Dynegy Wins IPA’s MISO Zone 4 Capacity Auction

Dynegy was chosen as one of the winners of the Illinois Power Agency’s MISO Zone 4 capacity procurement auction for 2017/2018 and 2018/2019.

The company’s share of the auction was not announced, but the weighted average price was $143.20 and $137.25/MW-day, respectively. The total capacity from winning bidders was for 1389 MW for the first period and 465 MW for 2018/2019.

More: Dynegy