US House committee probes possible corruption at Puerto Rico's utility

The Natural Resources Committee is demanding answers from Puerto Rico's utility regarding a range of allegations, including mismanagement of power restoration efforts following Hurricane Maria.

By Robert Walton • March 13, 2018

Northern Pass dealt fresh setback as siting board delays rehearing decision

The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee is unlikely to decide whether to restart its review of Northern Pass before May, meaning Massachusetts could choose a different project to meet clean energy goals.

By Robert Walton • March 12, 2018

Explore the 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 to meet the rising challenges.

By Utility Dive staff

New TVA rate plan includes lower energy prices, grid access charge

The federally-owned utility says its proposed rate structure will "better align wholesale rates with the underlying costs" to serve its 154 local power companies. 

By Robert Walton • March 12, 2018

From smart grid to neural grid: Well, how do I get there?

The interplay of smart infrastructure, end-user devices, and applications and services, is what takes the smart grid of today into the Neural Grid future, Navigant's Richelle Elberg writes.

By Richelle Elberg • March 9, 2018

Energy sector condemns Trump steel, aluminum tariffs

The duties on imported metal commodities will raise prices for power sector infrastructure projects, trade groups said, and could derail Trump's "energy dominance" agenda.

By Peter Maloney • March 9, 2018

Sempra nabs Texas regulatory approval to buy Oncor

After numerous rejections, Oncor finally has a suitor that satisfies the state Public Utility Commission. Sempra hopes to close the sale this year. 

By Robert Walton • March 8, 2018

Are utilities missing out on the opportunity to use old coal sites for solar?

Two coal-to-solar projects show there can be benefits from taking on the costs of coal site remediation and repurposing – but it is a site-by-site question.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 8, 2018

GE aims to enhance solar, wind power performance with new storage platform

The company wants to make inroads into the utility-scale storage market with Reservoir, a modular, four-hour duration battery system.

By Peter Maloney • March 7, 2018

Canada approves disputed Northern Pass transmission line

But if the project is to go forward, Eversource Energy must convince regulators in New Hampshire to reconsider their denial of the 192-mile transmission project.

By Robert Walton • March 7, 2018

Maryland is 290K shy of its EV goal; Can a broad stakeholder process get it there?

State regulators brought utilities, customer advocates and charging companies to the table. The result could be the second largest charging network in the nation.

By Robert Walton • March 7, 2018

Puerto Rico regulators, federal oversight board wrestle for control of PREPA

Puerto Rico's utility regulators say the Financial Oversight and Management Board is trying to wrest control of the island's utility and its energy future.

By Robert Walton • March 6, 2018

Time-travel, utility-style: Outlines of the utility of the future appear

Rocky Mountain Institute experts identify price, data and interconnection as the keys to success for the utility of the future, whether it's an expanded monopoly or a distribution system platform.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 5, 2018

California ISO proposes more granularity in day-ahead market

The grid operator is proposing to transition the day-ahead market from hourly to 15-minute granularity to ensure there is sufficient capability to meet increasingly steeper ramps.

By Robert Walton • March 2, 2018

Updated: Nor'easter slams East Coast, cutting power to 2M

The powerful winter storm resulted in more than 2,000 flight cancellations, school closings and a massive recovery operation for utilities. In the Washington, D.C., area, outages peaked at more than half a million.

By Robert Walton • March 2, 2018

Transmission fault cuts power to Puerto Rico capital

800,000 residents lost power in the North and East of the country five months after Hurricane Maria destroyed the island's grid.

By Gavin Bade • March 1, 2018

FERC approves Westar, Great Plains Energy merger

The $14 billion deal still needs approval from Kansas regulators, though staff of the Kansas Corporation Commission has recommended the deal be allowed.

By Robert Walton • March 1, 2018

Northern Pass developers ask New Hampshire to reconsider permit denial

Eversource Energy said it would develop a $200 million Forward NH Fund to further economic development and clean energy as one way to court approval. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 28, 2018

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

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