Generation

Glick commits to avoid repeat of 'disturbing' lack of action in Texas after 2011 outages

“It is pretty clear” what the message was in the 2011 report, the chairman said, “and it's just disturbing that it didn't turn into action."

By Catherine Morehouse • March 05, 2021

Xcel proposes $1.7B transmission investment in Colorado to unlock nearly 5.5 GW new renewables

The proposal would allow the utility to reduce emissions in its Colorado territory by an estimated 85% below 2005 levels by 2030.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 04, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Trendline

The Utility Dive Outlook on 2021

The major trends driving the US power sector persisted in 2020, despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the recent changes in the White House and Congress, will likely get stronger in 2021.

By Utility Dive staff

House Democrats introduce bill with pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035

The bill would include major changes to the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and require economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 03, 2021

Deep Dive

Texas must increase ties to the national grid and DER to avoid another power catastrophe, analysts say

Planning for inter-regional transmission and distributed resources could do what ERCOT's competitive, energy-only market didn't – keep the heat and lights on, energy advisors say.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 02, 2021

ERCOT fires CEO, following resignation of head utility regulator, board members

CEO Bill Magness' termination follows continued fallout from the power outages that plagued the state for days last month during extreme cold weather.

By Catherine Morehouse • UPDATED: March 4, 2021 at 9:21 a.m.

Texas gas regulator punts outage blame back to electric industry, 'we got us out of the problem'

Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick insisted her industry was not responsible for the blackouts that hit Texas last month, despite assertions from the electricity industry that supply-side constraints were a major issue.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 01, 2021

Puget Sound Energy IRP dramatically increases DERs but sets conflict over gas

The debate over PSE's draft integrated resource plan is the latest example of a conflict over the degree to which natural gas will be needed to back up renewable energy.

By Matthew Bandyk • March 01, 2021

'Everyone is asking, why?': Texas lawmakers grill generators, regulators on mass outages

Gas-electric coordination, the Texas wholesale market, communication protocols and regulatory authority all came under fire during the state's first hearing on the blackouts that left millions without power last week.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 26, 2021

Opinion

Utilities need to harden the grid as they green it. Consumers aren't ready for the cost

Federal funding for grid modernization and decarbonization is the way to ensure events like the Texas blackouts don’t happen again.

By Stephanie Eyocko • Feb. 26, 2021

ERCOT narrowly avoided 'much more devastating' impacts as nearly half of generation went offline: CEO

At the highest point, about 48.6% of the grid operator's power generation — 52,277 MW out of 107,514 MW in installed capacity — was forced offline due to the extreme weather conditions.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 25, 2021

Dominion proposes ending its South Carolina coal generation by 2030

The majority of Dominion's scenarios for its next integrated resource plan include large blocks of solar and solar-plus-battery-storage added between 2030 and 2048.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 24, 2021

FERC to examine potential market violations in wake of massive Texas power outages

The commission also announced it would open a new proceeding to examine the threat climate change poses to electric reliability, following FERC's decision last week to close its resilience docket.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 23, 2021

Texas suspends utility disconnections after 'skyrocketing' power bills

State regulators held an emergency meeting Sunday to address the payment billing spikes that had customers charged up to 70 times more than what they would normally pay for electricity.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 23, 2021

Opinion

Get a sportscar or become one? One power plant's mid-life crisis

Burbank Water and Power's unique retrofit transformed its gas plant from baseload generator to renewable integration machine, the author writes.

By Lincoln Bleveans • Feb. 23, 2021

Texas grid operator makes progress restoring power, will end emergency conditions today

Utilities can now restore service to any load dropped during Texas' massive outage, but some are still struggling with ice damage.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 19, 2021

FERC to reopen 1999 policy on gas project approvals, add environmental justice considerations

Though the vote was unanimous, commissioners had differing opinions on the necessity of proceeding, and to what extent policy should change.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021

Congress, Texas should 'rethink' ERCOT's 'go it alone approach': FERC Chair Glick

"Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business," former Governor of Texas and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said earlier this week.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021

FERC 'finally' ends PJM MOPR proceeding, paving way for grid operator's next capacity auction

"To have anything but a bright line against the participation of subsidized resources is simply an error and a dereliction of the duty to keep our markets properly insulated," said Commissioner James Danly, the sole dissenting vote.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021

FERC closes resilience docket opened in response to DOE coal, nuclear bailout proposal

The decision comes amid rolling outages that have plagued Texas, and Commissioner Neil Chatterjee, in his sole dissent, said the docket was precisely the right place to examine these and other reliability issues.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021

S&P: Despite storage growth, US to achieve 'marginal' carbon-free capacity increases through 2035

The generation market share for zero-carbon resources will increase from 39% to 47% in the next 15 years, and will require policy commitments at either the federal or state level, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 18, 2021

Deep Dive

Power experts cite gas constraints as main cause of ERCOT outages, but system planning questions remain

"The fact that this was not wind's fault is not an argument that the wind system as we currently have it would have done better if it were a bigger part of the grid," said a professor of environmental engineering at Georgia Tech.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 18, 2021

FERC, NERC to investigate mass outages across ERCOT, SPP, MISO

Increased demand from extreme cold weather, limited gas supplies and frozen equipment at thermal plants were the primary causes of rolling blackouts triggered largely across Texas, according to officials.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 16, 2021

ERCOT board members to resign following mass outages

Soaring demand, gas shortages and frozen wind turbines forced grid operators to enact rolling blackouts last week.

By Robert Walton • UPDATED: Feb. 24, 2021 at 10:01 a.m.

Duke to spend up to $134B on energy transition by 2030, eyes regulatory reforms

CEO Lynn Good also said the company sees offshore wind potential in its North Carolina territory within the next 10 years.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 12, 2021

Texas grid operator braces for record electric demand, warns generators to prepare

Electric demand is expected to soar as parts of Texas could experience the lowest temperatures in decades.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 12, 2021