Transmission

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court delivered a victory on Tuesday  for advocates of a transmission line that would connect renewable hydropower supply in Quebec with demand in New England. Fifty-nine percent of Maine voters had effectively voted down the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project via a referendum dubbed Question 1 in November 2021.…

FERC on Thursday issued a proposed rule that aims to speed up the process for linking new electric generation to the power grid. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s unanimous vote advances a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) that could ease interconnection queue backlogs. Commission staff said the rule would add certainty to the process and…

An investigation by California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE) has determined that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) is responsible for last July’s Dixie wildfire in Northern California. After “a meticulous and thorough investigation,” CalFIRE determined the Dixie Fire was caused by “a tree contacting electrical distribution lines” owned and operated by PG&E…

Facing new criminal charges for its alleged involvement in a massive 2020 wildfire, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) CEO Patti Poppe said the combination utility is making “profound changes,” such as burying its power lines to significantly lower the risks of future fires for both California and the company. Speaking on a 2Q2021 earnings…

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) may consider a grid system that sources locally produced energy for regions, otherwise known as energysheds, as indicated by its latest request for information (RFI).  Unlike an energyshed, the current energy transmission system can carry voltage produced at a power plant to its final destination over about 300 miles.…

Federal regulators on Thursday suggested tightening up an electric transmission incentives policy designed to stimulate infrastructure development for the nation’s evolving grid. In its regular meeting, FERC approved by a vote of 3-2 a revision to the plan issued in March 2020 (No. RM20-10). In the supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), the Commission suggested…

Major U.S. electric utilities spending increased to $40 billion in 2019 from $9.1 billion in 2000, according to federal officials. U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA) show the increased spending resulted from investments in transmission infrastructure, as well as operating and maintaining existing systems. In 2019, $23.5 billion was spent on new transmission, up 1% over…

The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) on Tuesday made a bold commitment to work toward achieving net zero carbon emissions from their members’ domestic gas transmission and storage assets by 2050. The work, which builds on other efforts by INGAA’s members to combat climate change, is not tied to President Biden’s ambitious climate…

Dominion Energy closed out the holiday weekend with two bombshell announcements, disclosing Sunday that it is selling its natural gas transmission and storage assets to an affiliate of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in a transaction valued at $9.7 billion. It also has decided, along with joint-venture partner Duke Energy, to cancel the 600-mile, 1.5…