utilities

Pennsylvania-based natural gas and electric utility UGI Utilities Inc. plans to buy 331,785 MMBtu/year of renewable natural gas (RNG) sourced from an in-state Archaea Energy Inc. facility under a sales and purchase agreement. “This is our second term agreement signed with a U.S. utility, and we are excited to be expanding our partnerships with entities…

California commissioners last week approved a ruling that opens the door for programs that would allow utility customers to adjust their electricity use in response to price signals. In late June, the Energy Division (ED) of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) recommended in a white paper that the commission take on policies that promote…

Additions in U.S. grid-scale energy storage during the first three months of the year outpaced the same period last year four times over, with a record 2,399 MWh brought online despite supply chain-related delays.  A recent report by consultancy Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association (ACP) found that residential, nonresidential and grid-scale storage…

Black Hills Energy is pursuing a voluntary renewable natural gas (RNG) and carbon offset pilot program for its residential and business customers, said parent company Black Hills Corp.  The Rapid City, SD-based utility filed a proposal with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a program that would offer customers the opportunity to offset 100%…

A partnership between Wärtsilä Corp., WEC Energy Group Inc., the Electric Power Research Institute Inc. (EPRI) and construction company Burns & McDonnell has been tapped to carry out hydrogen fuel testing at the A.J. Mihm natural gas-fired generating station near L’Anse, MI. “As we bring more renewable energy online, we must ensure that we can…

Portland, OR-based natural gas utility NW Natural continues to build its renewable natural gas (RNG) portfolio as it moves to carbon neutrality by 2050. In January, the company started operations at an RNG facility in Lexington, Nebraska in conjunction with Tyson Foods Inc. and BioCarbN. Construction on a second facility has begun with commissioning slated…

The Biden administration and FERC made moves in recent weeks to revamp the nation’s electricity transmission system, taking steps toward achieving a carbon-free energy grid by 2035 while addressing the impending infrastructure issues. During the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s third joint federal-state electric transmission task force, the five commissioners underscored that there is a great…

U.S. utilities withdrew 51 Bcf natural gas from storage for the week ended March 18, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported Thursday. The result fell short of market expectations for a pull in the high 50s Bcf, but futures forged ahead regardless. Ahead of the EIA print, the April futures contract was down 7.3 cents…

California utilities will be required to supply an increasing percentage of renewable natural gas (RNG), aka biomethane, to their customers following a decision last Thursday by state regulators. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) set biomethane targets for utilities in an effort to reach the state’s goal of a 40% reduction in methane and other…