Meeting

As the deeply split state regulatory commission was holding its last acrimonious meeting Thursday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his choices for two seats on the five-member California Public Utilities Commission that become vacant the end of this month. The governor has chosen an energy efficiency advocate and a Silicon Valley-based telecommunications/information technology entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist.

In its last meeting of the year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a third (and hopefully final) rehearing order for its 2003 final affiliate rule and gave a run-down of its major accomplishments in 2004, which included certification of 20 major pipelines, three storage facilities and now three proposed LNG terminals. The certifications represent 5.7 Bcf/d of pipeline capacity, 7 Bcf/d of storage capacity and 2.1 Bcf/d of regasified LNG deliverability.

Twelve House lawmakers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island called on several federal agencies last Monday to review proposals for construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals based on a regional approach.

Twelve House lawmakers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island called on several federal agencies Monday to review proposals for construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals based on a regional approach.

Trying to meet analysts expectations for quarterly performance has gotten so far out of hand that it’s causing energy executives to make unsound business decisions, said the former head of Denver-based Tom Brown Inc.

While rising demand in both the electric and natural gas markets needs to be addressed by options that aren’t “mutually exclusive,” FERC’s newest commissioner, Suedeen Kelly, told an industry conference Friday in Santa Fe, NM, her home state, that voluntary, varying regional solutions, including more renewables, are the ultimate answer to the nation’s currently converging energy challenges.

The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) last week said that if all entities comply with NERC reliability standards there should be no uncontrolled blackouts this summer. Generation and transmission resources are expected to be adequate to meet projected demand.

In a packed business meeting in which anti-utility sentiments were palpable, California regulators Thursday narrowly (on a 3-2 vote) approved a modified settlement agreement for Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to emerge from bankruptcy, paying off $12 billion to its creditors and regaining an investment-grade credit rating. The action follows a last-minute compromise between the utility and the state’s leading utility consumer group, requiring state legislation to realize an estimated $1 billion in savings for PG&E’s retail electric utility customers.

The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) on Friday said that generating resources will be adequate to meet the demand for electricity throughout North America this winter.