Transmission & Distribution: Page
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Deep Dive
California's last nuclear plant is poised to shut down. What happens next?
A large amount of carbon-free energy will come offline once the Diablo Canyon power plant retires, raising questions around how the state will replace it.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 23, 2021 -
Tri-State's clean energy, cost reduction efforts have not quelled member exit interest
At least seven rural electric cooperatives want to know what it would cost to leave the service of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, and they say the utility is "stonewalling."
By Robert Walton • March 22, 2021 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
TrendlineTop 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 -
Bipartisan House lawmakers to reintroduce grid security bill after Texas outages, SolarWinds attack
The Grid Security Research and Development Act was passed last year by the House but was later withdrawn due to procedural issues.
By Robert Walton • March 19, 2021 -
Rhode Island court clears way for PPL acquisition of National Grid's Narragansett Electric
The Superior Court's decision followed a settlement agreement between PPL and the Rhode Island attorney general's office.
By Robert Walton • Updated May 24, 2022 -
Renewables industry questions whether Duke, Southern SEEM proposal would limit competition
In comments filed with federal regulators, stakeholders said utilities' proposal to create a Southeast Energy Exchange Market has the potential to bring more renewables onto the grid, if implemented correctly.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 17, 2021 -
Yujin Kim/Utility Dive
Q&ATaking Charge: Commissioner Clements on FERC's 'make or break' role amid the energy transition
In a comprehensive interview with Utility Dive, Allison Clements laid out her thoughts on FERC's role following the mass outages in Texas, the need for transmission reform and more.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 16, 2021 -
Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive
Analysts point to $500B investment gap in climate resilience for electric utilities
Investor owned utilities in the U.S. are seeing a gap in investment to adequately prepare energy systems for a changing environment, ICF said in a new report.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 9, 2021 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by jhorrocks via Getty Images
Deep Dive'A total mindshift': Utilities replace gas peakers, 'old school' demand response with flexible DERs
Utility-customer cooperation can balance renewables' variability with flexibility without using "blunt" demand response or natural gas.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 8, 2021 -
Catherine Morehouse/Utility Dive
Xcel proposes $1.7B transmission investment in Colorado to unlock nearly 5.5 GW new renewables
The proposal would allow the utility to reduce emissions in its Colorado territory by an estimated 85% below 2005 levels by 2030.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 4, 2021 -
House Democrats introduce bill with pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035
The bill would include major changes to the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and require economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 3, 2021 -
Deep Dive
Texas must increase ties to the national grid and DER to avoid another power catastrophe, analysts say
Planning for inter-regional transmission and distributed resources could do what ERCOT's competitive, energy-only market didn't – keep the heat and lights on, energy advisors say.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 2, 2021 -
National Academies call on Congress to address 'persistent under-investment in electric innovation'
NASEM's report recommends that the U.S. double government spending on energy research to keep pace with the need for new grid technologies and other nations.
By Emma Penrod • Feb. 26, 2021 -
Department of Energy
OpinionTo catalyze transmission development, end the utility protection racket
Current policies reinforce an anachronistic approach that fails to spur the regional projects needed to decarbonize the power sector and mitigate extreme weather impacts, writes Harvard Electricity Law Initiative's Ari Peskoe.
By Ari Peskoe • Feb. 25, 2021 -
OpinionThe real problem in Texas: Deregulation
In a deregulated market, one where one company generates power, another delivers it, and another sells it, there’s little incentive not to cut corners, the author writes.
By Paul Griffin • Feb. 24, 2021 -
Texas grid operator makes progress restoring power, will end emergency conditions today
Utilities can now restore service to any load dropped during Texas' massive outage, but some are still struggling with ice damage.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 19, 2021 -
FERC to reopen 1999 policy on gas project approvals, add environmental justice considerations
Though the vote was unanimous, commissioners had differing opinions on the necessity of proceeding, and to what extent policy should change.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021 -
Congress, Texas should 'rethink' ERCOT's 'go it alone approach': FERC Chair Glick
"Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business," former Governor of Texas and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said earlier this week.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021 -
Opinion
The Texas electricity crisis and the energy transition
Although the political and national debate is turning into a proxy debate on energy resources, the most immediate concern is that the current failure threatens public health and safety, the authors write.
By Alex Gilbert and Morgan Bazilian • Feb. 19, 2021 -
Opinion
No state is an island — Transmission keeps the lights on
DOE and FERC could work together with states on inter-regional transmission plans, ultimately leading to a Macro Grid to share power across the country, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid's Rob Gramlich writes.
By Rob Gramlich • Feb. 18, 2021 -
Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive
FERC, NERC to investigate mass outages across ERCOT, SPP, MISO
Increased demand from extreme cold weather, limited gas supplies and frozen equipment at thermal plants were the primary causes of rolling blackouts triggered largely across Texas, according to officials.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 16, 2021 -
Elizabeth Regan, Industry Dive/Utility Dive
FERC reliance on ratepayers to fund utility cybersecurity insufficient to meet rising threat, analysts say
A proposal to provide incentives for security investments is a good start, but is limited by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's own ratemaking authority, analysts said.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 16, 2021 -
Glick sees consensus on FERC considering climate, environmental justice in siting gas infrastructure
The chairman said he was "heartened" by Commissioner Neil Chatterjee's previous comments, indicating that he was open to reassessing how the commission approves pipelines and other gas infrastructure.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 12, 2021 -
California IOUs plan to spend $11B on wildfire prevention in 2021 and 2022 after record-breaking fire season
The utilities are also aiming to reduce the impact of wildfire-related safety shut-offs on their customers.
By Kavya Balaraman • Feb. 9, 2021 -
Opinion
Collaboration, not confrontation: Setting the stage for success between FERC and the states
Concrete, achievable wins are within grasp, but only if FERC learns the lessons of the past, writes former Commissioner Tony Clark.
Feb. 2, 2021 -
'This is just the beginning': Southwest Power Pool begins operating Western imbalance market
The five-minute balancing market is expected to help utilities integrate more renewable resources, but there are some concerns about the creation of a transmission seam in Colorado.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 2, 2021
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