Heatwave, wildfires heighten urgency for Western RTO: Glick, Clements

Some ex-FERC commissioners and chairs have urged FERC to tackle this unilaterally, but Chair Richard Glick and Commissioner Allison Clements believe such a policy should come from Western stakeholders themselves.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 16, 2021

Sen. Lankford voices doubts over Democratic clean energy standard, calling it 'punitive' for fossil fuels

Democrats are advancing clean energy funding and policy through a variety of legislative pathways, but Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., doubts how much will make it into a final bill.

By Robert Walton • July 16, 2021

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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 to meet the rising challenges.

By Utility Dive staff

FERC launches proceeding to reform transmission policy

“This is the beginning of a very long process,” said Commissioner Mark Christie.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 16, 2021

Clean electricity standard lands spot in $3.5 trillion Democratic-backed infrastructure deal

Efforts to pass a national standard that would require utilities across the country to slash emissions took a step forward Wednesday.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 15, 2021

Senators clash over policy to increase FERC transmission siting authority

Proposed legislation could allow federal regulators to override state authority in siting transmission where demand and congestion are high. One Republican proposed eliminating it, sparking a Senate committee debate.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 15, 2021

Congress to examine ransomware threat as NERC, FERC call for 'continued vigilance' to secure electric grid

The SolarWinds attack "changed the cybersecurity game for the electricity industry," according to Lila Kee, chief product officer at GlobalSign, a provider of digital identity solutions.

By Robert Walton • July 14, 2021

As Google, Microsoft and others pursue 24x7 clean energy, RMI report shows how they can do it better

Research from RMI shows 24x7 matching of demand and clean electricity can drive costs "well above" simply meeting annual renewable procurement targets due to the cost of battery storage.

By Robert Walton • July 14, 2021

Western officials reckon with reliability challenges as heat and 'wildcard' wildfire threaten grid

Regulators will have to figure out which resources can be brought online "that can really take us off the edge," the head of the California Independent System Operator said. 

By Kavya Balaraman • July 13, 2021

'Doesn't make sense': Analysts pan omissions in MISO's first electrification impact analysis

MISO’s first electrification-focused planning study was a "good start" by accentuating uncertainties on the rate and pace of the transition, but missed what storage needs will be and what least-regrets solutions offer, experts said.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2021

Southern California Edison plans for 38,000 EV charging stations, in largest IOU effort of its kind

Southern California Edison wants tens of thousands of new EV charging stations across its service territory, as more and more electric vehicles hit the roads.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 13, 2021

Fix Texas electricity — and hurry!

A report from former Texas regulators and staff offers 20 recommendations following the February outages. Nearly all apply to cold weather outages as well as the grid operator's generation shortfall and demand surprises in June.

By Alison Silverstein • July 12, 2021

As Chatterjee's tenure ends, FERC could be 'single most impactful agency' on climate: Rep. Casten

The question of who will fill Commissioner Neil Chatterjee's seat took on new urgency last week as the commissioner announced that July would, probably, be his last open meeting.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 12, 2021

PJM Board approves new MOPR plan in effort to placate states, FERC

The plan aims to accommodate state policies, mitigate buyer side market power and be a long-lasting, resilient solution, according to PJM officials.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 9, 2021

New England and the South shoulder the nation's highest energy costs, WalletHub survey finds

Consumers in New England and the Southeast face some of the highest energy costs in the country, potentially accelerating a shift towards solar and other distributed resource solutions.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 8, 2021

Groups ask Congress for first-of-its-kind cost analysis of RTOs amid market expansion debate

Though markets were restructured in the early 2000s and some studies have pointed to their benefits, a more comprehensive cost analysis has never been done.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 8, 2021

As utilities risk missing carbon reduction targets, analysts stress need for organizational change

Sierra Club and the Smart Electric Power Alliance published separate analyses on the shortcomings of utilities in their net zero emissions pledges, finding a common solution in new organizational approaches.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 1, 2021

Transmission developer files complaint with FERC against PJM's 'Catch-22' on merchant-owned transmission

Under PJM's market rules, merchant-developed transmission projects have to be evaluated in the generation interconnection queue, causing years of delay for the SOO Green HVDC Link.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 1, 2021

Biden administration, House Dems talk up need for interconnection reform

As extreme heat strains electricity grids, the Department of Energy calls for robust reform to boost reliability and clean energy development. 

By Jason Plautz • June 30, 2021

South Carolina regulators OK a dramatically revamped Dominion IRP

The modified integrated resource plan calls for shuttering the company's coal-fired plants in the state within the decade while also relying more on renewable sources of power.

By Scott Van Voorhis • June 28, 2021

New York passes flurry of legislation in wake of frustrations over PSEG Long Island storm performance

Lawmakers in New York have passed a series of bills taking aim at PSEG Long Island over its performance during tropical storm Isaias, which left hundreds of thousands of the utility's customers without power for days last August.

By Scott Van Voorhis • June 25, 2021

White House agrees to bipartisan infrastructure deal with $73B in power grid spending

The deal comes after months of wrangling between the White House and lawmakers over how large an infrastructure package should be and how to pay for it.

By Jason Plautz • June 25, 2021

Consumers Energy to end Michigan coal use by 2025, but critics wary of plan to buy existing gas plants

The utility plans to eliminate coal 15 years ahead of its current track, and by 2040 it would deliver more than 60% renewable energy.  

By Robert Walton • June 24, 2021

House passes broad bipartisan measure to help states fund energy cybersecurity efforts

The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced eight bipartisan bills to the full House, aimed at bolstering national cybersecurity and protecting critical infrastructure.

By Robert Walton • Updated July 22, 2021

'An unprecedented mess': DC Circuit rejects FERC approval of existing Spire gas pipeline

"FERC's ostrich-like approach flies in the face of the guidelines set forth in the Certificate Policy Statement" on natural gas pipelines, the court said.

By Catherine Morehouse • June 23, 2021

US grid needs overhaul to keep up with renewable revolution, says GE exec, Sen. Heinrich

The infrastructure package Congress is debating must include tens of billions of dollars to modernize the aging U.S. electric grid, a U.S. senator and industry experts said last week.

By Scott Van Voorhis • June 22, 2021