Grain Belt Express transmission project heads to Missouri Supreme Court

A central issue is a controversial ruling over whether counties must agree to infrastructure development before regulators can approve a project.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 28, 2018

FERC staff: Eversource, Avangrid did not withhold pipeline capacity

An October report from the Environmental Defense Fund asserted the two utilities had artificially constrained capacity on the Algonquin pipeline, driving up power prices in New England.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 28, 2018

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

Report: Dominion rate review bill could land on Virginia governer's desk next week

The Senate version of a bill to overhaul utilities' rate review has been approved by the House of Delegates, and the House bill was advanced by a Senate committee this week. Each chamber will also need to approve the other's amendments.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 27, 2018

PJM: Reliability strong during January cold snap, but pricing reforms needed

The nation's largest electricity market performed well during January's "bomb cyclone," its grid operator said, but a spike in uplift charges reveals the need for pricing reforms. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 27, 2018

SEU 2018 survey: Utilities shaken, not moved, by Trump policies

Utility Dive's fifth annual State of the Electric Utility survey shows a sector committed to the clean energy transition, but wary of policies coming out of Washington.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 27, 2018

Vectren Indiana to close three coal plants

The utility plans to replace the capacity with solar and natural gas, but plans to keep running the coal plants until after 2023, the deadline for the gas plant to come online if approved. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 26, 2018

California energy agency predicts rising power demand

The California Energy Commission on Feb. 21 released its updated demand forecast, which sees higher consumption driven by electric vehicles and climate change. 

By Peter Maloney • Feb. 23, 2018

ConEd's hybrid service model for large microgrid could become standard

The utility worked on a giant multi-use real estate project to deliver power the way developers wanted.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 21, 2018

DOE 'would never use' emergency order for uneconomic plants, Walker says

"It's never come to my attention, nobody's talked about it, nobody in my department is doing anything with it," DOE Assistant Secretary Bruce Walker said of a potential 202(c) order to prop up coal plants. 

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 20, 2018

Are recent disasters enough to spur utilities to take climate change seriously?

Sector expert Allison Silverstein argues utilities need a new paradigm in long-term grid planning.

By Krysti Shallenberger • Feb. 20, 2018

Massachusetts will replace Northern Pass if project doesn't nab NH permit

Central Maine Power's New England Clean Energy Connect has been selected to replace the Northern Pass Transmission project should it fail to secure its New Hampshire permit by March 27.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 16, 2018

Update: Federal judge approves $300M loan to Puerto Rico's utility

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority said that without the loan, the island would be subject to more blackouts. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 16, 2018

MISO monitor says lack of authority hurt operator's performance during January cold snap

A frigid cold snap in January forced almost 10 GW of capacity offline, revealing weaknesses in the Midcontinent ISO. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 15, 2018

Moody's pans White House plan to divest TVA, BPA

Both the Tennessee Valley Authority and Bonneville Power Administration are well managed and selling them would be credit negative, according to the ratings agency.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 15, 2018

FERC issues storage, reliability orders, calls conference on aggregated DERs

The commission directed grid operators to design rules that allow storage to provide energy, capacity and ancillary services, as well as set wholesale prices as buyers and sellers. 

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 15, 2018

New ISO-NE report warns fuel supply could harm reliability

The finding echoes similar warnings the grid operator produced earlier this year following a cold snap in late December and early January. 

By Peter Maloney • Feb. 14, 2018

FERC advances transmission line to serve Massachusetts' offshore wind industry

Anbaric Development Partners wants to construct a 2,000 MW to 2,400 MW offshore wind transmission system in southern New England.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 14, 2018

New DOE office to focus on cybersecurity, grid threats

Almost $100 million for the new Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) was included in President Trump’s 2019 budget request.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 14, 2018

If it ain't broke, don't fix it: NYPA transforms utility maintenance with data-driven approach

The New York Power Authority's new monitoring and diagnostic approach may soon be used by utilities around the country.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 14, 2018

Resilience, pipelines & PURPA: FERC regulators preview major issues at NARUC

State utility regulators heard from all five federal energy regulators at a conference in Washington this week.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 14, 2018

Democrats deal Dominion a blow in debate over Virginia utility reform

The 96-1 vote in favor of additional limits on Dominion was actually closer than it seems.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 13, 2018

California regulators first to allow multiple revenue streams for energy storage

The state has approved rules that increase the ways for energy storage systems to make money, for example, through frequency regulation, capacity or spinning reserve services.        

Feb. 13, 2018

Is the third pillar of electricity delivery preventing the building of the first two?

Utilities and distributed energy resource advocates agree the grid needs new technologies to serve 21st century demand, but they differ over what upgrades should come first and what they should cost.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 13, 2018

Trump seeks 2-year deadline for infrastructure reviews in new plan

A new legislative outline would roll back EPA authority over environmental impact statements and set a new, shorter statute of limitations on permitting decisions. 

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 13, 2018

HECO's $205M grid modernization plan nabs regulatory approval

The utility's six-year plan focuses on near-term improvements that help prepare the distribution grid for Hawaii's 100% renewables mandate. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 12, 2018