Using internal records, private emails and recorded conversations provided by a whistle-blower, The New York Times published a lengthy investigation July 5 into the delays and costs overruns at Southern Co.’s Kemper coal-gasification plant.
The Times found that the plant’s owners understated its costs and repeatedly tried to conceal its multitude of problems. Southern is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration told the company in March that it violated federal whistle-blower protections when it fired Brett Wingo, an engineer who was the Times’ primary source for the article.
In response, Southern released a statement the same day as the article’s publication, calling Wingo’s claims “unsubstantiated” and insisting that the newspaper took quotes from recordings out of context. “Rather than educate readers on the worldwide benefits of this cutting-edge, first-of-its-kind facility, today’s New York Times article on the Kemper project provides a negative recap of previously disclosed developments that have already been addressed,” the company said.
More: The New York Times; Southern Co.
Duke Increases its Quarterly Dividend
Duke Energy increased the quarterly dividend payment on its common stock by 3.6%, payable Sept. 16.
The dividend was set at $0.855/share, an increase of $0.03.
“For 90 consecutive years, Duke Energy’s dividend has been as reliable as the energy we provide,” CEO Lynn Good said.
More: Duke Energy
Ameren Asks for Rate Increase, 7th in a Decade
Ameren filed for a $206 million rate increase with Missouri regulators in early July, the seventh request for a rate review in a decade. A final determination is due at the end of May 2017.
The company says the increase equates to an average 7.8% rate boost for consumers. Missouri’s Office of Public Counsel says the increase is actually closer to 8.3% for residential customers, who will bear more of the cost burden than other customer classifications.
Warren Wood, Ameren Missouri’s vice president of external affairs and communication, said the increase serves to recoup some of the $1.4 billion in investments the company made since its $122 million rate increase two years ago. He also said the company is also coping with the bankruptcy of Noranda Aluminum smelter, its largest consumer.
More: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Cube Hydro Buys 215 MW of NC Hydro
Cube Hydro Partners said it will buy and upgrade four hydropower units along North Carolina’s Yadkin River from Alcoa Power Generating, a subsidiary of aluminum smelter Alcoa. The transaction, for an undisclosed sum, will add 215 MW to Cube’s current 126-MW portfolio.
Alcoa developed and operated the four hydro units along a 38-mile stretch of the Yadkin for nearly 100 years as part of its aluminum smelting operation at Badin Works. Alcoa closed the plant in 2010.
Cube, based in Bethesda, Md., currently owns and operates 14 hydro plants in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
More: Salisbury Post
Duke Providing $1.5M for EV Charging Ports in NC
Duke Energy announced last week that it is providing North Carolina municipalities subsidies to help construct electric vehicle charging stations. The company said it would provide $1 million for EV charging stations and $500,000 for electric bus stations.
The company said that would increase by 30% the number of charging stations throughout the state, where it said there are currently about 700 stations operating and about 4,700 plug-in EVs registered.
“Over the past decade, Duke Energy has supported the development of several hundred electric vehicle charging stations in North Carolina,” said David Fountain, Duke’s North Carolina president. “Adoption of EVs depends on a robust infrastructure for consumers.”
More: Duke Energy
Duke’s Solar Farm on Ind. Naval Base Gets Nod
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has given final approval to Duke Energy’s proposed 17-MW solar farm on a naval base.
The 76,000-panel project will be situated on 145 acres at the Crane naval station in southwestern Indiana and begin selling power early next year. The project, the second solar installation partnership between Duke and the Navy, would be the second-largest solar plant in the state.
More: Charlotte Business Journal
Duke Consolidates Renewable, Distributed Energy Divisions
Duke Energy consolidated its renewables and distributed energy businesses following the departure of 14-year veteran Greg Wolf, president of its Commercial Portfolio unit.
The Commercial Portfolio, which oversees Duke Energy Renewables, will be combined with its Distributed Energy Resources wing, now headed by Rob Caldwell.
Caldwell, an 18-year Duke veteran, will become president of the new division: Duke Energy Renewables and Distributed Energy Technology. Some functions of the old divisions will be pooled, while others will remain separate, according to the company.
More: Charlotte Business Journal
Westar Shareholders Allege Execs Undervalued Company
A group of Westar Energy stockholders has filed a class action suit in Kansas alleging that executives undervalued the company in its $12.2 billion sale to Great Plains Energy in May.
Under the sale agreement, shareholders will get $60/share: $51 in cash and $9 worth of Great Plains stock. The plaintiffs, however, think that is too cheap. They say that Westar’s stock price rose 55% in the year before the sale, but the $60/share total offered shareholders is only a 13% increase.
“Westar stockholders, who stand to receive a portion of the merger consideration in Great Plains stock, will also be burdened with the onerous debt Great Plains will be taking on,” according to the lawsuit. “The proposed transaction will almost triple Great Plains’ debt.”
More: The Topeka Capital-Journal
NextEra Subsidiary Begins Construction on Wind Farm
Kingman Wind Energy has signed a $26.4 million agreement with Kansas’ Kingman County to begin construction on a 200-MW wind farm later this year.
Kingman is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Capital Holdings, and it has a 20-year contract to sell the power to Westar Energy. The agreement was signed late last month.
More: The Wichita Eagle
EDF Sells Half its Stake In Kansas Wind Farm
EDF Renewable Energy said last week it has sold half of its Slate Creek Wind Project in Kansas to a consortium led by Axium Infrastructure. EDF will continue to own the other half and provide part of the operations and maintenance.
The 150-MW project began operations in December. Its power is sold to Kansas City Power & Light on a 20-year, fixed-price power purchase agreement.
More: The Wichita Eagle
KCP&L Opens 1st Solar Plant, Producing 4,700 MWh Annually
Kansas City Power & Light last week opened its first commercial-scale solar power facility, capable of generating more than 4,700 MWh of energy annually. The 12-acre plant has 11,500 solar panels at KCP&L’s Greenwood Energy Center, south of Kansas City.
“Solar technology is constantly getting better and more efficient,” said Chuck Caisley, KCP&L’s vice president for marketing and public affairs. “We are investing in solar because of its relatively quick construction and our commitment to a sustainable future.”
More: The Kansas City Star
Dominion Wins Smart Grid Tech Patent Suit
Alstom Grid infringed on a patent for energy efficiency technology used in Dominion Resources’ “Edge” products, a federal jury found, awarding $489,000 to subsidiary Dominion Voltage.
The company uses the app in substations to stabilize and slightly reduce voltage in areas where smart meters are installed, resulting in lower electricity bills. The software is used by 12 U.S. utilities.
The ruling, out of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said Alstom had willfully violated the patent and convinced one of its utility customers to use it.
More: Richmond Times-Dispatch
JCP&L Completes $48M Transmission Upgrade
Jersey Central Power & Light has finished the last phase of a $48 million transmission project to bolster reliability for customers in the New Jersey counties of Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth.
The project involved constructing a new 8-mile, 115-kV transmission line and upgrading an existing 230-kV line along a 3.5-mile right of way.
The utility installed more than 200 new wood utility poles, five new steel monopoles and more than 174,000 feet of new wires. A new transformer and circuit breaker upgrades also were installed at the substation in Highstown.
More: FirstEnergy
KCP&L Files for 7.5% Rate Increase with Missouri PSC
Kansas City Power & Light has filed a 7.5% rate increase request with the Missouri Public Service Commission. If approved, the increase would go into effect in April 2017.
KCP&L said in a news release the request is “needed to recover money spent upgrading the company’s infrastructure, adding regional transmission lines and complying with environmental and cybersecurity mandates.” The average customer’s bill would increase by $9/month.
The increase will affect customers in the KCP&L Missouri service area, which encompasses the Kansas City area. KCP&L asked for an 8.2% rate increase in February for a different territory in Missouri previously served by Aquila before its 2008 acquisition.
More: The Kansas City Star
Hawaii PUC Rejects NextEra-HEI Deal
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission rejected NextEra Energy’s $4.3 billion takeover of Hawaiian Electric Industries, finding that the deal was not in the public interest.
The companies have elected not to challenge the decision in court, and NextEra will pay HEI $95 million in break-up fees.
The PUC said the companies failed to demonstrate benefits for Hawaii residents and a commitment to the state’s clean energy goals. The commission voted 2-0 to reject the deal. Commissioner Thomas Morak, recently appointed by Gov. David Ige to replace outgoing Commissioner Michael Champley, abstained from voting, but he said he supported the commission’s decision.
More: Honolulu Star-Advertiser