Puerto Rico’s grid threatened by FERC cap on LNG storage facility: PREPA

The liquefied natural gas limit affects operations at two power plants that supply 40% of Puerto Rico’s electricity, according to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 24, 2022

ISO-NE, ERCOT, MISO face possible capacity shortfalls in extreme winter weather: FERC

Reviving retired coal plants to address reliability and gas concerns is “fantasyland,” Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard Glick said. “It's not going to happen.”

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 21, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources. 

By Utility Dive staff

PPL’s Rhode Island utility issues solicitation for up to 1,000 MW of offshore wind

A Nov. 1 bidders conference is the first step in Rhode Island Energy’s procurement, which could supply up to 30% of the Ocean State’s electricity in 2030.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 20, 2022

Xcel, First Solar, other clean energy companies warn building standard change threatens wind, solar projects

“The stated goal of FEMA’s proposal is increased grid reliability, but when you needlessly make it harder to build resilient clean energy, the obvious effect is a reduction in reliability,” the Solar Energy Industries Association CEO said.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 19, 2022

NextEra, Invenergy, other developers, clean energy groups take issue with FERC’s interconnection reform plan

NextEra Energy sees the plan as "a mixed bag of proposals of differing value that collectively fall short of remedying the significant issues currently facing renewable generation developers seeking grid interconnections."

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 17, 2022

NGOs sue EPA to force it to act on Texas’s plan exempting 8 coal-fired plants from particulate matter limits

The Lone Star State’s long-time interpretation of national health-based air quality standards has resulted in significant increases in particulate matter pollution, environmental groups say.

By Elizabeth McCarthy • Oct. 15, 2022

CAISO calls for near-term power procurement, even with possible Diablo Canyon extension

The California Public Utilities Commission is considering requiring utilities and others to line up near-term power supplies to make up for project delays in earlier procurements.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 11, 2022

Generators navigating MISO interconnection queue have seen costs triple in 4 years: Berkeley Lab

The increase is being driven by the need for broader network upgrades outside of the interconnection substation, researchers concluded.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 10, 2022

California offshore wind lease auction for up to 3 GW advances with BOEM assessment

Algonquin Power Fund, Avangrid Renewables, Equinor Wind US, Ørsted North America and Shell New Energies US are among the companies qualified to bid in any upcoming lease auction, according to the federal agency.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 7, 2022

FERC rejects complaint from generators seeking strict MOPR in New York

The agency’s decision “should be the final nail in the MOPR’s coffin,” Sarah Ladin, senior attorney at the Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law, said Friday.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 23, 2022

DOE opens $7B hydrogen hub funding opportunity, issues draft production standard

Six to 10 hubs are to be developed by the agency’s hydrogen hub program with funding through the bipartisan infrastructure law.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 23, 2022

NYPA burns up to 44% green hydrogen in GE turbine in first such retrofit of a US natural gas plant

Fuel blends from 5% to 44% hydrogen were tried in the demonstration project.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 23, 2022

FERC commissioners pursue market, non-market answers to ISO-NE’s ‘dire’ winter reliability risks

“The region is still heavily reliant on [liquefied natural gas] imports, and that's just not sustainable,” Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard Glick said.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 23, 2022

New York launches 2 GW renewable energy solicitation as natural gas prices drive up electricity bills

The solicitation encourages renewables paired with energy storage technologies, sets minimum U.S. iron and steel purchase requirements, and gives special consideration to projects benefiting disadvantaged communities.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 22, 2022

Solar power constituted half of all global capacity additions last year, followed by wind: BloombergNEF

However, coal-fired generation surged in 2021 to record levels, driving up the power sector’s carbon emissions by 7%, the research firm said Wednesday.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 21, 2022

Competitive Power Ventures set to build $3B, 1.8 GW natural gas plant with carbon capture in West Virginia

The project was enabled by expanded tax credits for alternative energy projects in the Inflation Reduction Act.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 21, 2022

SoCalGas, SDG&E outline plan for hydrogen blending demonstration projects in California

The utilities intend to use a phased approach to blending hydrogen into utility distribution infrastructure at a 5% level and above.

By Kavya Balaraman • Sept. 20, 2022

Bloom Energy to produce emissions-free hydrogen at Xcel Energy’s Prairie Island nuclear plant

The demonstration project is designed to create “immediate and scalable pathways” for producing cost-efficient and clean hydrogen, the companies said Monday.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 19, 2022

Biden administration launches floating offshore wind initiative with 15 GW target by 2035

The administration also aims to cut the cost of floating wind technology to $45/MWh.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 16, 2022

Microsoft partners with UK nonprofit on software to help coal plants transition to nuclear power

Microsoft and TerraPraxis believe that more digital tools could help some 2,400 coal-fired power plants around the world decarbonize — and potentially transition to nuclear generation.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 16, 2022

Minnesota PUC approves Xcel Energy’s 460-MW solar project to replace Sherco coal-fired generation

Xcel expects the Inflation Reduction Act will reduce the project’s cost for ratepayers by about 30%.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 16, 2022

Coal plant sites could host 265 GW of advanced nuclear, costing 35% less than greenfield projects: DOE

“Repowering coal plants with advanced nuclear energy advances decarbonization while taking advantage of a local workforce,” Judi Greenwald, Nuclear Innovation Alliance executive director, said Tuesday.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 14, 2022

IRA ‘turbocharging’ of clean energy tax credits could boost NextEra, AES, other renewable developers: S&P

Brookfield Renewable Partners, Clearway Energy and Pattern Energy Group are among other companies that also could benefit by providing electricity to make green hydrogen, S&P analysts said in a Sept. 8 report.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 13, 2022

A decade after FERC tried to tackle New England gas issues, concerns remain and solutions are uncertain

“We’re going into this winter basically crossing our fingers and hoping,” James Danly, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission commissioner, said.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 13, 2022

Congress should require FERC, NERC to monitor gas pipeline capacity to ensure reliability, manufacturers say

The federal agencies should delay nuclear and coal-fired power plant retirements if the shutdowns would lead to gas pipeline constraints, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America said Friday.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 12, 2022