Regulation & Policy

Glick: FERC to outline plan to tackle transmission 'certainly' by the end of summer

Planning and cost allocation are two of the larger-scale keys to building out the amount of transmission necessary to bring the power grid to 100% carbon-free power under President Biden's 2035 timeline, according to Glick.

By Catherine Morehouse • June 11, 2021

National Grid encourages FERC to provide better incentives for grid-enhancing technology

Xcel Energy, on a panel, agreed with many of the hurdles a National Grid representative laid out, including operational, technological and financial barriers.

By Catherine Morehouse • June 10, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Trendline

Utility Business Model Reform

Utilities and regulators around the country are exploring new business models, from updated rate structures to performance-based regulation, in order to meet evolving policy and business priorities.

By Utility Dive staff

North Carolina unveils ambitious offshore wind power plan, targeting 8 GW by 2040

Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order on Wednesday making North Carolina the latest state with an offshore wind target, as the budding sector draws increasing interest from investors and the federal government.

By Scott Voorhis • June 10, 2021

Colonial CEO defends oversight response, urges transparency on ransomware

Private industry needs more immediate and detailed threat intelligence to prevent these attacks from happening in the future, CEO Joseph Blount told the House Committee on Homeland Security.

By David Jones • June 10, 2021

California PUC considers sending utilities back to drawing board on hydrogen blending proposal

“This isn’t the commission slamming the door on hydrogen research — they’re just saying that the utilities don’t have a blank check," said Sara Gersen, clean energy senior attorney with Earthjustice.

By Kavya Balaraman • June 09, 2021

Duke, Southern other utilities provide more details to FERC on proposed Southeast energy market

The commission had asked the utilities, which also include Dominion Energy and TVA, among others, to provide more details on their proposal to form a centralized energy exchange market.

By Catherine Morehouse • June 09, 2021

Colorado legislators direct all transmission utilities to join an organized wholesale market by 2030

The passage of Senate Bill 72 is not only an indicator of the growing interest of Western states in regional power markets, but it could also put pressure on other states to create similar policies, one analyst said.

By Emma Penrod • June 08, 2021

Fate of Illinois nuclear plants in balance after 3 fail to clear PJM auction and subsidy plan stalls

Three Illinois nuclear plants failed to land power contracts at the PJM capacity auction, generating additional uncertainty about their future.

By Scott Voorhis • June 07, 2021

New England states push for governance changes in ISO-NE, ahead of anticipated MOPR reform

To quell state frustrations, regulators say conversations will have to move beyond reforming the controversial minimum price rule.

By Catherine Morehouse • June 07, 2021

Avangrid faces tough questions from New Mexico regulators in final hurdle to $8.3B PNM merger

The company is facing scrutiny over $60 million in penalties and cost disallowances levied against its utility subsidiaries across several states for service issues.

By Scott Voorhis • June 07, 2021

Opinion

'An unlikely alliance': US investor-owned utilities and NGOs partner to advance new carbon-free tech

The Edison Electric Institute and the Clean Air Task Force announce an initiative to support a slate of emerging carbon-free technologies.

By Ben Fowke and Armond Cohen • June 04, 2021

Texas lawmakers approve bill mandating power plant weatherization, market reforms

Senate Bill 3, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, mandates weatherization standards and makes some market reforms, but it will not require renewable energy providers to pay for reliability guarantees.

By Emma Penrod • UPDATED: June 9, 2021 at 9:17 a.m.

Opinion

The Texas Big Freeze: Holistic policy design for a clean and resilient grid

Energy Innovation evaluates a set of lessons from Texas' February power outages that regulators and grid operators can apply around the country, while it cautions against inadequate responses to the crisis.

By Dan Esposito and Eric Gimon • June 04, 2021

FERC should expand organized markets across the US, former chairs and commissioners say

Although momentum for RTO expansion is growing, resistance to the shift is strong in some markets where the more competitive structure doesn't exist.

By Catherine Morehouse • June 03, 2021

California PUC proposes rules to accelerate near-term EV charger deployment

Facing a potential deficit in the number of chargers needed to meet the state's electric vehicle goals, the state gives utilities more flexibility to install new infrastructure. 

By Jason Plautz • June 03, 2021

Nuclear capacity increases by 4.5 GW in long-delayed 'MOPRed' PJM auction, coal loses 8 GW

Total costs dropped $4.4 billion and prices dropped to $50/MW-day during PJM’s years-delayed capacity auction, due to lower load forecasts, which translate to lower reliability requirements, according to the grid operator.

By Catherine Morehouse • June 03, 2021

California utilities highlight reliability, cost concerns as state charts path to 100% clean power

"California has been a leader in decarbonization... how do we also ensure we’re a leader in making sure we’re planning for reliability as the grid changes?" asked one utility representative.

By Kavya Balaraman • June 03, 2021

Opinion

The Texas Big Freeze: How much were markets to blame for widespread outages?

Rather than abandoning markets, regulators and lawmakers should correct them through smart policy that bolsters readiness for future climate-driven disasters while facilitating grid decarbonization, the authors write.

By Dan Esposito and Eric Gimon • June 03, 2021

Transition away from natural gas necessary to meet climate goals but creates equity concerns, experts say

The U.S. may have a handle on how to decarbonize electricity, a panel of regulators and lawmakers concluded, but eliminating dependence on natural gas without burdening low-income populations is another matter.

By Emma Penrod • June 02, 2021

Nevada passes clean energy bill requiring state to join RTO, accelerating $2B transmission project

The bill also requires utilities to forecast a path to achieve an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2005 levels by the end of the decade.

By Jason Plautz • June 02, 2021

Opinion

The Texas Big Freeze: How a changing climate pushed the state's power grid to the brink

Energy Innovation explains what drove the extended Texas outages in February in a series on resiliency against extreme events.

By Dan Esposito and Eric Gimon • June 02, 2021

Biden proposes more than $2B for clean energy infrastructure, $14B+ increase in climate spending

Biden's first proposed budget includes sizable increases in spending for climate change mitigation, research, EVs and clean energy infrastructure.

By Emma Penrod • June 01, 2021

Deep Dive

Xcel's record-low-price procurement highlights benefits of all-source competitive solicitations

The utility's Colorado division showed how competitive bidding benefits customers if regulators protect the quality of the process.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 01, 2021

Opinion

Local communities want to lead the fight for clean energy

Local governments want to step up and advance all-electric buildings because they know it's good for communities, public health, affordability, reliability and our planet, the author writes.

By Alejandra Mejia Cunningham • June 01, 2021

Opinion

The dangers of 'out of sight, out of mind' gas ban policies

Counter to electrification advocates' goals, natural gas bans would increase, rather than decrease, the share of the country's energy mix coming from gas in its least-efficient form — natural gas-fired power plants, the author writes.

By Dave Schryver • June 01, 2021