Reports

Half of Minnesota Power’s energy provided flows from renewable sources

Published on December 18, 2020 by Chris Galford

With the addition of power from the Nobles 2 wind project, approximately half of the electricity provided to Minnesota Power customers now comes from renewable sources, making it the first Minnesota utility to achieve that level of green progress. “We are committed to advancing a sustainable fu... Read More »

ERCOT report predicts higher generation reserves for Texas over the next five years

Published on December 18, 2020 by Chris Galford

The December Capacity Demand and Reserves (CDR) report, released this week by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), notes that new generation resources are being quickly added to the region, resulting in bolstered planning reserves for the next five years. A major contributor to this... Read More »

PJM Interconnection conducts exercise to gauge response to pipeline outages in winter

Published on December 17, 2020 by Dave Kovaleski

PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization (RTO) serving Midwestern and Eastern states, conducted an exercise to test responses to a simulated pipeline outage in winter weather. The drill was done with Enbridge Texas Eastern Pipeline and gas distribution divisions from UGI Utilit... Read More »

Average monthly U.S. residential electric bill dropped 1.8 percent even as prices rose in 2019

Published on December 17, 2020 by Chris Galford

A new report from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) this week revealed that the average monthly electricity bill for residential customers dropped around $3, or 1.8 percent, in 2019, despite electricity prices having risen 14 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The figures, cal... Read More »

NERC assessment finds capacity will largely meet next decade’s demands even as grid changes

Published on December 17, 2020 by Chris Galford

While resources are fundamentally changing the power grid like wind and solar, the growth of distributed energy resources (DER), and the retirement of old resources, a new report from the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) found that in all but two areas, capacity should meet demand over ... Read More »

ExxonMobil outlines emissions reduction plans

Published on December 16, 2020 by Dave Kovaleski

ExxonMobil is taking steps to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next five years in accordance with the Paris Agreement. Specifically, the company will reduce the intensity of operated upstream greenhouse gas emissions by 15 to 20 percent by 2025. This includes a 40 to 50 percent d... Read More »

Appalachian Power, Wheeling Power file joint proposal for new infrastructure cost recovery mechanism

Published on December 16, 2020 by Chris Galford

A filing with the Public Service Commission of West Virginia (PSC), made this week by Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power, proposes to create a means of recovering costs -- an infrastructure tracker -- incurred through investments in infrastructure between base rate cases. “The infrastructure ... Read More »

Carbon emissions from energy sector will be lower in 2020

Published on December 11, 2020 by Dave Kovaleski

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the U.S. energy sector could be 11 percent lower in 2020 than in 2019. EIA’s December Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) report said CO2 emissions are expected to fall by 19 percent for coal, 13 pe... Read More »

Illinois Commerce Commission grants ComEd’s $14M rate decrease request

Published on December 11, 2020 by Chris Galford

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) signed off on a request from ComEd this week that will see service delivery charges decrease by $14 million in 2021. The decrease will be compared to rates as they stood this past January and follows an eight-month-long proceeding. It is the third consecuti... Read More »

ISO New England says region has sufficient supplies to meet winter energy demands

Published on December 10, 2020 by Dave Kovaleski

ISO New England expects to have enough supplies and resources to meet New England’s electric needs this winter. ISO New England, operator of the region’s power grid, says demand will peak at 20,166 megawatts (MW) under normal weather conditions, which is 1.5 percent lower than the 2019-20 for... Read More »