utilities

Hedge fund investor Elliott Management Corp. is once again seeking to shake up Duke Energy, publicly questioning whether the North Carolina-based utility’s current leadership should continue to manage its businesses outside of the core Carolinas footprint. In a letter sent to Duke’s board of directors, Elliott acknowledged that fellow investors, stakeholders, market analysts and advisors…

Stoked by concerns over wildfire risks and mitigation, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has asked California regulators to approve up to $5.5 billion in a rate hike from 2023-2026, a period during which it plans to spend $7.4 billion for related safety programs. About half of the general rate increase would cover wildfire reduction…

National Grid believes that there will be a gas shortfall in lower New York state in the winter of 2022-2023 if new infrastructure projects aren’t able to go ahead. Without new infrastructure, a gap of 9,000 Dth/d would open up and continue to grow to a gap of 518,000 Dth/d in 2035-2036, the utility said.…

Xcel Energy Inc. and NRG Energy Inc. recently reported carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions of more than 50% from baseline levels and unveiled new goals centered on electric vehicles as the utilities continue to search for ways to lower their emissions footprints. In its 16th annual sustainability report, Xcel reported a 51% CO2 reduction from electricity…

San Diego-based Sempra plans to add to its five-year $32 billion capital expenditure (capex) budget, with most for the utilities in California and Texas, senior executives reported on Tuesday. Since last year the California utilities Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas and Electric Co (SDG&E) have added $900 million to capex plans…

The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with San Diego-based Sempra Energy to work on decarbonization strategies. In the MOU, Sempra and NREL agreed to focus on advancing artificial intelligence to scale solutions across the United States. They also plan to integrate low-carbon fuel solutions, including…

The size of California’s wildfires doubled year/year in 2020, so state officials are throwing technology enhancements at the seasonal challenge through the utilities, grid operators and energy planners. “One of the biggest lessons we have learned is how unpredictable fire dangers and climate both are, and we’re still grappling somewhat with how to prepare for…

With New York City aiming by 2040 to achieve net-zero electricity emissions, along with using 100% renewables and a ban on fossil fuel use in all new buildings, the Big Apple’s largest utility, Consolidated Edison Inc. (ConEd), has begun to make big adjustments, CEO Timothy Cawley said Tuesday. Our Energy Policy, an energy issues nonprofit,…

Natural gas use is set to grow in Ontario with boosts from both the provincial government and industrial demand. The government recently announced it would allocate more than C$234 million ($191 million) to add 43 rural, northern and native communities to the distribution network in Canada’s most populated province. It authorized 28 projects to connect…