Grid

The expansion of the western electricity grid promises $3.4-9.1 billion in cost reductions the first 20 years, according to a study issued Tuesday by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which is considering integrating with Portland, OR-based PacifiCorp.

As another footnote to the changing electric generation fuel mix in New England, plans for a new 900 MW natural gas-fired power plant in Rhode Island were unveiled, with Gov. Gina Raimondo touting the project’s boost for the state’s economy and environment.

While grid operators in the Northeast have taken steps to smooth out the kinks in electricity grids that are increasingly relying on natural gas-fired generation, further refinement of the U.S. natural gas and electricity grid systems is needed, FERC Commissioner Philip Moeller and other speakers told an industry forum Wednesday in Valley Forge, PA.

While grid operators in the Northeast have taken steps to smooth out the kinks in electricity grids that are increasingly relying on natural gas-fired generation, further refinement of the U.S. natural gas and electricity grid systems is needed, FERC Commissioner Philip Moeller and other speakers told an industry forum Wednesday in Valley Forge, PA.

The wholesale electricity market last year in California stayed competitive despite record low hydroelectric supplies and rising natural gas prices, according to a report released Monday by the market monitoring unit at the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).

The wholesale electricity market last year in California stayed competitive despite record low hydroelectric supplies and rising natural gas prices, according to a report released Monday by the market monitoring unit at the California Independent System Operator.

In a rough and tumble roundtable meeting at FERC headquarters in Washington, DC, electric generators and grid operators, most of them from the Northeast, said they want natural gas markets and infrastructure altered to meet their peak demand needs. Gas pipelines and producers who rallied to defend their market made it very clear that they don’t think it needs radical changes.

National Grid has asked state regulators in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for permission to recover some of approximately $67.5 million in under-collected natural gas costs, stating that near-record demand this winter and associated price spikes make rate adjustments necessary.

The chief issue facing the electric industry as it seeks to coordinate with interstate natural gas pipelines is how far is it willing to go to ensure the reliability of the power grid, interstate pipeline officials said Friday.