Transmission & Distribution

NRG discloses nearly $1B hit from Texas grid collapse

The power producer is working to recover some of is losses from the devastating winter storm that wreaked havoc with the Lone Star State's electric grid and gas pipelines.

By Scott Voorhis • May 07, 2021

ERCOT looks to 'restore trust,' identifies 3 unlikely summer blackout scenarios after winter disaster

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has issued a summer assessment with new details on potentially devastating scenarios, though the grid operator maintains they have little chance of occurring.

By Robert Walton • May 07, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Trendline

Grid Resiliency

Utilities and grid operators are facing increasing threats from climate change as well as cyber and physical attacks, and are deploying a variety of responses, with some adjustments in the age of COVID-19.

By Utility Dive staff

NYISO head eyes new technologies to reach zero emissions, saying renewables and storage not enough

The New York ISO is on track to distribute 70% renewable energy by 2030, its CEO says, but eliminating carbon emissions and replacing natural gas by 2040 will require the use of emerging technologies.

By Emma Penrod • May 06, 2021

Equity, security and load: FERC conference considers the challenges and potential of electrification

U.S. electricity load could double by 2050. The industry is focused on how to meet that need equitably and securely, panelists at a recent technical conference said.

By Robert Walton • May 03, 2021

Opinion

Power markets are not ready to maximize infrastructure investments

The returns on capital generated from the investments made by the Biden administration's jobs plan will depend on how well they are leveraged within power markets, the author writes.

By Ben Hertz-Shargel • April 30, 2021

DOE offers over $8B in transmission loans for clean energy projects

An independent analysis identified 22 "shovel-ready" transmission projects in the U.S. that would require over $33 billion of investments to bring more than 60 GW of clean energy online.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • April 28, 2021

Opinion

FERC Chair Glick might be right on transmission incentives, but his timing is not

Glick may be correct that current transmission incentives are a product and a symptom of a broken process, but the timing of a new proposal is suboptimal for a number of reasons, the author writes.

By Michael McKenna • April 28, 2021

Deep Dive

Biden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan meets power system needs but leaves room for political dealing

The Biden infrastructure spend would rapidly transition the U.S. power sector in ways utilities like, but Congress is expected to seek changes.

By Herman K. Trabish • April 28, 2021

Deep Dive

California's dilemma: How to control skyrocketing electric rates while building the grid of the future

New ideas include income-based rates, publicly-funded infrastructure, utility entrepreneurship, and customer-funded wildfire insurance.

By Herman K. Trabish • April 26, 2021

Power grid upgrades absent in Senate Republicans' $568B counter to Biden infrastructure proposal

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va., told reporters that Republicans were open to discussion on including broader climate policy, and that spending on roads and highways could include funds for EV infrastructure.

By Catherine Morehouse • April 23, 2021

PG&E gets initial approval to securitize $7.5B of wildfire costs, despite ratepayer impact concerns

"The only guarantee [here] is the ratepayers have to pay regardless. That’s the problem there in a nutshell," one ratepayer advocate said. 

By Kavya Balaraman • April 23, 2021

PG&E, other IOUs failed on 'obligation to promote safety' during 2019 power shut-offs, regulators say

The three utilities collectively shut off power to more than 2.1 million households, businesses and other customer accounts in late 2019.

By Kavya Balaraman • April 21, 2021

Democrats tested over boosting transmission, not pipelines, as bill directs FERC to improve regional planning

One political hurdle in transmission policy is how to heighten regulatory pressure on the pipeline sector while building electric transmission as efficiently as possible, said Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill.

By Catherine Morehouse • April 20, 2021

DOE launches 100-day grid security push as Biden ends Trump ban on some Chinese-made equipment

The initiative will focus on the security of electric utilities’ industrial control systems, while also examining ways to secure the energy sector supply chain.

By Robert Walton • April 20, 2021

ConEd and GI Energy advance new model for storage deployment with Bronx project

Through a lease agreement with a local business, the utility says it can "expand the universe" for battery sites.

By Jason Plautz • April 19, 2021

Deep Dive

As Biden targets 100% clean electricity, strategies emerge to reliably integrate rising renewables

A power system based on portfolios of increasingly cost-effective utility-scale and distributed renewables is emerging and driving new operational and market solutions to make it work reliably.

By Herman K. Trabish • April 19, 2021

Glick, Chatterjee clash on RTO expansion incentive as FERC announces transmission initiatives

Commission staff projected that consumers will eventually save $350 million annually without the incentive, but Commissioner Neil Chatterjee called the move "short-sighted" and said it delays needed reforms.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • April 16, 2021

California puts PG&E under enhanced oversight due to wildfire prevention work lapses

The process involves additional reporting requirements and the possibility, down the line, of revoking PG&E's operational certificate.

By Kavya Balaraman • April 16, 2021

NERC finding 25% of utilities exposed to SolarWinds hack indicates growing ICS vulnerabilities, analysts say

Security experts warn it may be too soon to tell whether follow-on activity has occurred.  

By Robert Walton • April 15, 2021

Duke, Dominion, other utility executives lay out critical steps to achieve decarbonization targets

To continue increasing renewable investments, utilities need to communicate details about what the money is funding and have access to streamlined permitting applications for transmission infrastructure, executives said.

By Jason Plautz • April 15, 2021

Biden's infrastructure plan goes big on EVs, but his first budget starts small, analysts say

The Biden administration's infrastructure plan includes $174 billion to electrify transportation, but the Fiscal Year 2022 budget request starts cautiously.

By Robert Walton • April 14, 2021

White House considers doubling Obama-era carbon reduction targets: BNEF

President Joe Biden could also announce a plan next week to reduce economy-wide carbon dioxide emissions by 50% in the next decade, according to BNEF.

By Robert Walton • April 14, 2021

Q&A

Taking Charge: FERC Commissioner Christie on his 'across the board' respect for state authority

"The state regulators know much more about their own states than I did as a Virginia regulator and that I will as a FERC commissioner," said Commissioner Mark Christie in a wide-ranging interview with Utility Dive.

By Catherine Morehouse • April 13, 2021

PG&E bid to securitize $7.5B in wildfire costs could hit ratepayers hard, consumer advocates warn

"If there is a shortfall, that means that PG&E’s customers will be forced to pay higher rates to fund PG&E’s wildfire liabilities. Another word for that is bailout,” said Tom Long, legal director at The Utility Reform Network.

By Kavya Balaraman • April 12, 2021

Opinion

Plenty of low-hanging fruit: How FERC can catalyze transmission infrastructure

Effective near-term actions the commission can take include subjecting more regional projects to competition, while allowing new entrants at the local level, the authors write.

By Devin Hartman and Beth Garza • April 09, 2021