Utility

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has signed into law clean energy goals that target a carbon-free electricity grid by 2040.  State House File 7 (HF7) amended Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Standard statute. It added a target for electric utilities, generation and transmission cooperatives, and municipal power agencies to generate or procure by 2035 at…

Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd) has filed to raise monthly electricity rates by about $4.25 for the average monthly residential electricity bill annually from 2024-2027 as it strengthens the grid and prepares for increased electrification.  The Chicago-based Exelon Corp. subsidiary noted that its electricity utility customers currently see an average bill of $93/month, about 20% lower…

From assisting natural gas and electric utility customers in paying higher-than-usual energy bills, to decorating Ronald McDonald Houses for the holiday season, the energy industry has once again stepped up to the plate to spread cheer this holiday season.  Jackson, MI-based Consumers Energy said it would provide $7.25 million to help Michiganders struggling with winter…

Residents with new homes in 2023 in Marin County, CA will do their cooking with electric appliances after the Board of Supervisors in November voted to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings.  The county, a peninsula sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, is expected to adopt Ordinance No. 3776 in January.…

PJM Interconnection LLC, which serves 65 million across the Mid-Atlantic, said it is armed to combat winter, with adequate fuel and energy supplies to meet a forecast peak demand of about 137 GW. The regional transmission operator serves customers in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West…

Major utilities across the United States are paying more for natural gas-fired generation, and they are passing the higher cost on to consumers. Earlier this month, the American Gas Association (AGA) reported that U.S. domestic gas demand averaged 68.8 Bcf/d in May, up 3.5% year/year. AGA attributed most of the additional demand to power burn,…

California’s Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) reported increased natural gas revenues and progress with wildfire prevention and gas infrastructure goals as its management touts a new direction for the company. The San Francisco-based combination utility set a series of wildfire mitigation and financial goals starting in 2022, which CEO Patti Poppe said were off…

National Grid plc is working to replace all fossil fuel in its New York and Massachusetts gas networks with renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen as a part of its path to net-zero emissions by 2050, the company announced. The London-based gas and electric utility announced the plans as a part of its overall blueprint…

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has begun flowing its first pipeline-ready biomethane into its natural gas transmission system, marking the latest step forward in California’s bid to make renewable natural gas (RNG) less expensive and easier to access. Deliveries of biomethane through a third-party pipeline began in December from Maas Energy Works’ facility in…