utilities

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and Bloom Energy on Tuesday (Dec. 14) announced a hydrogen blending pilot project envisioned for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) campus in Pasadena. The companies said they plan to generate and then blend hydrogen into Caltech’s existing natural gas network “to demonstrate how the natural gas infrastructure can be…

The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) has unanimously approved an initiative to improve coordination between the natural gas and electric markets in response to Winter Storm Uri in February. The cold snap caused widespread power outages and shut-in oil and gas production across the south-central United States. Gas-fired generation accounted for 58% of all…

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday approved a series of actions to reduce the risk of power outages during extreme heat events, including possible increased natural gas-fired generation from existing plants. Following prolonged heat waves across the western United States in 2020 and 2021, the measures aim to reduce energy demand and increase…

The 2021-2022 winter home heating season will likely be “significantly more expensive” than last year, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently reported. Citing a recent Energy Association of Pennsylvania (EAP) readiness report, PUC noted that home heating consumption is “likely to increase due to forecasts of colder weather, combined with a rise in natural…

Natural gas customers for one of the largest U.S. utilities are set to see bills increase by as much as $71/month this winter as a result of ballooning natural gas prices. CenterPoint Energy Inc. said its local subsidiaries in Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and Oklahoma could see higher heating bills from November to March when compared…

Some Maine residents who rely on natural gas-fired electricity could see a nearly 90% jump in their monthly rates starting in January, according to the Maine Public Utilities Commission. “Unfortunately, sharp increases in natural gas prices are resulting in higher electricity supply costs for the coming year,” said Chairman Phillip L. Bartlett II. “The increase…

Archaea Energy Inc., which produces renewable natural gas (RNG) from organic wastes at landfills and farms, plans to supply RNG to NW Natural subsidiary Northwest Natural Gas Co. under a 21-year agreement. “This agreement, our first with a U.S. utility, is a testament to the strength of our commercial offerings and highlights our ability to…

Sempra is budgeting a record high $15 billion five-year capital plan for its Texas electric utility as it works to meet projected load growth in “one of the fastest growing markets in the country,” CEO Jeff Martin said late last week. The San Diego-based company’s Oncor Electric Delivery Co. LLC subsidiary had boosted capital expenditures…

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. (SDG&E) is accelerating its drive toward reaching net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2045, the Sempra subsidiary reported Monday. The announcement comes less than a month after California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation pushing for faster adoption of “firm zero-carbon resources” to generate electricity. According to SDG&E CEO…