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

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

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

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

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

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

Missouri Senate passes bill revamping utility rate increases after filibuster

This is the second iteration of an earlier bill that attempts to streamline utility rate increases, but critics say it will still hurt consumers. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 12, 2018

Rate design for a DER future: Designing rates to better integrate and value distributed energy resources

This is the third in an occasional series from Advanced Energy Economy that addresses how the power sector can successfully transition to a 21st Century Electricity System.

By Coley Girouard • Feb. 12, 2018

Connecticut wants to boost renewables goal to 40% by 2030

The state's finalized Comprehensive Energy Strategy addresses grid modernization, distributed generation and ensuring energy efficiency is given the opportunity to compete and grow. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 9, 2018

SCE&G, Dominion lobby regulators to approve merger amid push to halt Summer cost recovery

If lawmakers halt SCE&G from billing customers for the failed VC Summer nuclear development, it could scuttle the merger with Dominion. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 9, 2018

California PUC establishes new utility planning process to reach carbon goals

For the two-year process, regulators will evaluate the appropriate greenhouse gas emission planning targets for the electric sector the first year and consider proposals to meet those targets the following year. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 9, 2018

Malware found in Entergy's corporate network raises MISO alert

The utility said the malware has been removed and was never a threat to the company's energy operations.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 8, 2018

Report: Massachusetts could re-open RFP for clean energy after Northern Pass rejection

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources is trying to determine if Northern Pass is still feasible following a rejection of the project in New Hampshire. 

By Robert Walton • Feb. 8, 2018

Court filings stave off Sabal Trail pipeline shutdown, for now

The D.C. Circuit was set to put the pipeline on hold this week, but last-minute filings from FERC and pipeline owners appear to have bought the project some time. 

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 8, 2018