Travis McMillan

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker last week cited high costs in vetoing legislation that would have moved the state toward achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.  One of the major goals of the legislation was to ban the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 and transition to battery, fuel cell and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. …

Forty-six projects in 23 states, including ones to support carbon capture processes, are set to receive funding from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to stimulate technological innovation and improve energy productivity.  The total funding, estimated at $123.6 million, along with $44.7 million in cost sharing by states,…

Allete Inc. subsidiary Minnesota Power on Tuesday announced a goal to deliver 100% carbon-free energy to customers by the year 2050. Utilizing its EnergyForward strategy, Minnesota Power was the state’s first utility to provide 50% renewable energy to its customers and seeks to build upon that as it transitions to “clean energy.”  The upcoming Integrated…

Domestic wholesale electricity prices were lower and less volatile in 2020 versus 2019, though in the latter half of the year, prices did trend higher for western states, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Friday.  Prices in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market were 5% lower, while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)…

Massachusetts is ready to follow in California’s footsteps as it moves toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and looks to ban gasoline-fueled vehicles in a bill that was passed earlier this month. Under a program that has been in the works for months, the overall goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 2030 to 45% below…

Albuquerque-based BayoTech Inc., an on-site hydrogen production company, said it has secured a $157 million investment from private equity firm Newlight Partners LP. Other investors including Cottonwood Technology Funds, Sun Mountain Capital and Fortistar also are backing growth, according to BayTech, to increase project development and expand infrastructure. “Advances in fuel cell technology are driving…

Atlanta-based natural gas marketer Gas South said it has completed its takeover of Infinite Energy, creating the largest retail natural gas provider in the Southeast.  With the acquisition, Gas South expects to double its annual revenue to $1 billion, providing natural gas to around 425,000 customers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Gas…

UGI Corp. said Monday it would acquire Mountaineer Energy Holdings LLC, which owns the largest natural gas local distribution company (LDC) in West Virginia, for an enterprise value of $540 million, including about $140 million of debt. The acquisition would hand UGI control of Mountaineer Gas Co., a single-state LDC adjacent to UGI’s existing utility…

Citing the low cost of natural gas, a New Jersey utility is providing an additional bill credit to its customers. Residential and small commercial customers of New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), the principal subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NJR), can look forward to an additional bill credit of $12.5 million in January. With the previous…