CALIFORNIA
Escondido Passes Temporary Moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Sites
The Escondido City Council last week unanimously voted to enact a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage sites.
“For the last couple years, we’ve heard all about how safe these projects are, and then unfortunately Escondido experienced the fire, a relatively small fire, that interrupted that entire city block for two days. I think it’s important now to learn from that lesson as opposed to wait to learn that lesson until the next one,” Escondido Mayor Dane White said.
The moratorium will last for 45 days, although the council is considering a 10-month moratorium.
More: KUSI
FLORIDA
Gov. DeSantis Reappoints La Rosa to PSC
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he has named Michael La Rosa to the Public Service Commission, effective Jan. 2.
La Rosa was first appointed to the PSC in 2020.
La Rosa was also an elected official and served in the state House of Representatives for District 42 from 2012 to 2020.
More: Florida Politics
GEORGIA
Georgia Power Suspends Disconnections, Waives Late Fees After Helene
Georgia Power last week announced that disconnections will remain suspended, late fees will be waived and collection activities will be paused for residential and business customers through at least Dec. 15 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
As of Oct. 7, power had been restored to over 1.5 million customers, representing 99% of those impacted by the storm, according to the company.
More: WAGA
IDAHO
Avista Customers to See Drop in Monthly Bills
Residential Avista customers will see their monthly bills decrease by about $3 starting this month after the Public Utilities Commission approved two applications that will result in a decrease in rates.
According to Avista, power supply costs over the last year were lower than those included in retail rates because of higher wholesale electric gas prices.
More: Idaho Capital Sun
LOUISIANA
New Orleans Advances Proposal to Improve Grid
The New Orleans City Council’s Climate Change and Sustainability Committee last week advanced a proposal to spend $100 million on a hardening of the city’s utility poles, transmission and distribution lines.
The $100 million is part of the estimated $750 million to $1 billion Entergy said it will take to strengthen the city’s distribution system against storms.
The $100 million investment will cost ratepayers no additional money.
More: Nola.com
New Orleans to Consider Solar Microgrid Proposals
The New Orleans City Council last week voted to consider proposals for a distributed power grid throughout the city.
Advocacy groups Together New Orleans and the Alliance for Affordable Energy want the city to invest up to $32 million to buy batteries for homes and community centers to create a virtual power plant. It would consist of solar panels and connected batteries at a home or business that can either power individual structures or be part of a small-scale power grid.
More: Louisiana Illuminator
MANITOBA
Manitoba Hydro Reports $157M Loss as Drought Affects Hydro Generation
In its 2023-24 annual report, Manitoba Hydro reported a net loss of $157 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, compared to a net income of $638 million the previous year.
Manitoba attributed the loss to lower net exports related to drought, an increase in the purchase price of power imports, and higher operating and administrative expenses due to increased wages and salaries.
About 97% of Manitoba’s electricity is generated from clean hydro, with most of the remaining 3% coming from wind.
More: Hydro Review
MINNESOTA
Mayor Jacob Frey Vetoes Minneapolis City Council’s New Carbon Fee
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed a new fee on carbon emissions passed by the city council, saying it is illegal.
Under state law, the city can only charge regulatory fees to recoup costs. Minneapolis would not be able to establish new costs and hire a related staff person before the fee was collected on Jan. 31, 2025, the city’s attorneys concluded in a legal opinion. Doing things in the wrong order could amount to charging an illegal tax, they wrote.
The fee would have charged the 36 biggest emitters in the city $452 per ton of carbon dioxide.
More: The Minnesota Star Tribune
RHODE ISLAND
Siting Board Reopens Permitting Process for Sakonnet River Cable
The Energy Facility Siting Board last week reopened the permitting process for transmission cables that would run up the Sakonnet River from a SouthCoast Wind farm.
The decision comes more than a year after the board paused its deliberations on the transmission lines because SouthCoast Wind had moved to pull out of a set of long-term contracts it had previously signed with Massachusetts utilities.
The project could cost as much as $5 billion and generate up to 2,400 MW.
More: The Providence Journal
TEXAS
CenterPoint Infrastructure Overhaul Will Move Lines Underground, Install Stronger Poles
CenterPoint Energy said it plans to overhaul its power grid infrastructure ahead of the 2025 hurricane season.
The company aims to add 25,000 poles made of fiberglass or other material that can withstand extreme winds to its system, in some cases replacing wood poles, before June 1, 2025. It also hopes to underground more than 400 miles of power lines and trim or remove vegetation along 4,000 miles of lines.
On top of the investments, the company also plans to ask the Public Utility Commission for permission to spend $5 billion to further strengthen its grid from 2026 to 2028.
More: Houston Chronicle
WISCONSIN
State Utilities Propose Nearly $2B in Renewable Projects
We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service and Madison Gas and Electric recently filed plans with the Public Service Commission to acquire and build renewable energy facilities that would cost around $1.9 billion combined.
The five projects include 500 MW of solar, around 180 MW of wind and 100 MW of battery storage. We Energies would own 80% of the projects, while WPS and MGE would each own 10%.
Pending approvals, construction of the projects would begin next year, and they are expected to come online between 2026 and 2028.
More: Wisconsin Public Radio