South Carolina utilities debate V.C. Summer fate as 6-week deadline looms

SCANA Corp. subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas wants to write off the V.C. Summer nuclear project and move on, while state-run Santee Cooper prefers to maintain the site as it seeks a possible buyer.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 21, 2017

Montana utility considers closing coal plant

Rocky Mountain Power says it will shut down the 120-MW facility if a buyer is not found soon.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 21, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

Electricity Supply and Demand

After nearly two decades of flat demand, U.S. electricity consumption reached an all-time high in 2024 and is expected to continue rising. This trendline brings together the best of Utility Dive’s coverage of emerging trends in supply and demand and the decisions being made today that will impact the power system for years to come. 

By Utility Dive staff

EPA to push coal ash rule revisions at DC Circuit hearing

Oral arguments are scheduled for Monday before the D.C. Circuit Court in Utility Solid Waste Activities Group v. EPA.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 19, 2017

Virginia regulators approve draft carbon cap-and-trade plan

The draft regulatory package, approved unanimously by the State Air Pollution Control Board, would link Virginia with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and aim to cut power sector emissions 30% between 2020 and 2030.

By Gavin Bade • Nov. 17, 2017

FERC rejects New York petition for rehearing over Millennium pipeline project, setting up court battle

Meanwhile, North Carolina regulators asked FERC to reconsider the 14% equity return granted to developers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. 

By Robert Walton • Nov. 17, 2017

Does C-C-A spell the end of the regulated electric utility in California?

Alternative providers may deliver more than 85% of the Golden State's electricity by the mid-2020s, and there is a lot of uncertainty about how much they will be regulated.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 17, 2017

SCE&G proposes new gas, solar generation to replace failed Summer nuke expansion

The utility would continue to collect $29.5 million per month from ratepayers for the cancelled reactors under a new plan submitted to regulators. 

By Robert Walton • Nov. 17, 2017

Chatterjee pans 'hyperbolic' reaction to his interim NOPR pitch

Chatterjee said his temporary plan means "we've moved past" debating the DOE NOPR, and that many critics of his proposal "frankly don't understand it."

By Gavin Bade • Nov. 16, 2017

US eyes safety rules for small modular reactors, as nuclear touted at UN climate meeting

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has released a regulatory basis document supporting new rules to tackle emergency preparedness requirements for small modular reactors.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 16, 2017

PJM price formation proposal would dramatically change how prices are set in the RTO

A proposal from the grid operator to incentivize "inflexible" generation could fit squarely within the Trump administration's efforts to save baseload generation in power markets.

By Peter Maloney • Nov. 16, 2017

PPL Corp. to shutter 2 older coal-fired units in Kentucky

Following the closure, Kentucky Utilities and Louisville Gas and Electric Co. will have mothballed eight coal-fired units in about five years.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 16, 2017

EPA: 85% of US counties meet latest ozone standards, but other designations delayed

The agency has concluded that 2,646 counties, two tribal areas and five territories meet the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for the pollutant.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 16, 2017

Exclusive: Chatterjee details interim plan to save coal, nuclear plants

The acting FERC chairman wants RTOs and ISOs to update their tariffs to keep coal and nuclear plants online as his commission considers broader changes to wholesale market compensation. 

By Gavin Bade • Nov. 15, 2017

NERC: Growing gas reliance demands new planning strategies

A new report calls for regulators to consider fuel diversity as they evaluate electric system plans and establish energy policy objectives. 

By Robert Walton • Nov. 15, 2017

GE refocuses on power sector as a core business in new turnaround plan

The company's stock took a pounding in the wake of its investor update, with its performance hurt by slow power sector sales.

By Peter Maloney • Nov. 15, 2017

CPUC: California utilities could hit 50% renewables by 2020

California requires investor-owned utilities to procure half of their power mix from renewables by 2030. All three of the state's major IOUs are tracking ahead of that goal.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 15, 2017

FERC storage/DER integration proposal gets high marks, but other priorities loom

The commission’s proposed rule raises important issues, but could face delays as it tackles the grid resilience NOPR and other matters.

By Peter Maloney • Nov. 14, 2017

Industry group says more than 2k CCS plants needed to meet Paris climate goals

The Global CCS Institute believes that when the full-lifecycle of projects is considered, carbon capture and sequestration can compete with the falling cost of renewables.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 14, 2017

Dominion Virginia to pursue relicensing of North Anna nuke

Earlier this year, the company paused expansion plans at the facility in the wake of the Westinghouse Electric bankruptcy. 

By Robert Walton • Nov. 14, 2017

DOE confident FERC will 'dutifully' finalize a price formation rule, senior advisor says

Sean Cunningham, head of the DOE's Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis, told the NARUC annual conference that baseload power should be "revived, not reviled" in the U.S.

By Gavin Bade • Nov. 14, 2017

As feds focus on baseload, grid modernization is sweeping the nation

More than 30 states are considering far-reaching modernization and utility business model reforms, including new initiatives to integrate battery storage into grid planning processes. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 14, 2017

South Carolina lawmakers aim to reform utility regulatory model in wake of V.C. Summer disaster

Lawmakers in the state House of Representatives filed a suite of bills, including one that would authorize SCANA, one of the V.C. Summer owners, to give ratepayers a refund. 

By Peter Maloney • Nov. 13, 2017

US states, businesses highlight climate efforts at UN meeting in Bonn

"There is nothing Washington can do to stop us," former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said of the efforts.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 13, 2017

Bloomberg: Duke to spend $200M converting North Carolina coal units to gas

The Belews Creek coal-fired plant will be converted to enable a 50-50 mix of gas and coal, according to CEO Lynn Good.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 10, 2017

Rhode Island lays out strategy for grid modernization

Gov. Gina Raimondo has directed the Public Utilities Commission and other agencies to develop a more dynamic regulatory framework aimed at advancing cleaner, affordable and reliable energy.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 10, 2017