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WEI Member News
TransCanada License for Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Approved by Alaska Legislature TransCanada Corporation has received the support of the Alaska Legislature to award the company a license for the Alaska Pipeline Project under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA). More MDU Resources to Acquire Intermountain Gas MDU Resources Group, a diversified natural resource company, has signed an agreement to acquire Intermountain Gas Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of privately held Intermountain Industries. The acquisition is a cash-for-stock transaction. More Parties File Settlement Stipulation with Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission Puget Sound Energy (PSE), utility subsidiary of Puget Energy, Puget Holdings LLC (Puget Holdings), a consortium of long-term infrastructure investors, the staff of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), the Industrial Customers of Northwest Utilities (ICNU), Northwest Industrial Gas Users (NWIGU), the Energy Project, the Northwest Energy Coalition, and The Kroger Company today filed a settlement stipulation with the UTC outlining the terms of their settlement agreement in the merger case being reviewed by the UTC. More Williams Signs $166 Million Deal for Barnett Shale Natural Gas Reserves Williams has agreed to purchase privately held Aspect Abundant Shale LP's and other parties' interests in north Texas' Barnett Shale for approximately $166 million cash. More Southern California Edison Begins Construction of World’s Largest Solar Panel Installation Project Southern California Edison has begun the installation of solar panels at the first of approximately 150 Southern California commercial rooftops that eventually will make up SCE’s two-square mile solar generation project. More El Paso Announces Raton Basin Pipeline Expansion El Paso, engaged in natural gas transmission, exploration and production, has announced the expansion of the Colorado Interstate Gas Company's natural gas pipeline transmission system which serves the Raton Basin. More HR BioPetroleum, Alexander & Baldwin, Hawaiian Electric and Maui Electric to Develop Algae Facility HR BioPetroleum, Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., Hawaiian Electric Company and Maui Electric Company, subsidiaries of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc., will pursue the joint development of a commercial-scale microalgae facility on Maui to produce lipid oil for conversion to bio-diesel and other valuable products, such as animal feed. More Northwestern Energy Files Application to Build Power Line NorthWestern Energy has filed an application with the state of Montana to build a major power transmission line, and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality has begun the work of posting the documents on its Web site. More
Pacific Power Renewable Projects Produce Enough Energy to Power 143,000 Homes Pacific Power customers are receiving the energy and the environmental benefits of the largest utility-owned renewable portfolio in the Northwest. More LADWP Is Most Solar-Integrated Public Power Utility in Nation The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has the most solar electric capacity among all public power utilities nationwide, according to a survey of the utility solar electricity market released in July. More Alaska Power & Telephone Company Unveils Progress on New Terrestrial Microwave Network The sweeping, multi-million-dollar microwave communications network that Alaska Power & Telephone Company is constructing on mountaintops throughout Southeast Alaska is nearing the halfway point and will be largely finished by year’s end, the company announced today. More Clark Public Utilities Awarded 2008 J. D. Power and Associates Distinction In a report issued today by J.D. Power and Associates, Clark Public Utilities ranked highest in customer satisfaction for residential electric service among midsize electricity providers in the Western United States. More Sierra Pacific Resources Gains Top Rankings in Solar Electric Power Association Poll Sierra Pacific Resources’ electric utilities were ranked second in the nation in four areas of the Solar Electric Power Association’s (SEPA) “Top 10 Solar Electric Utilities” poll released today. More
SMUD Makes the IDG Computerworld Annual List of Best Places to Work in Information Technology The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) was selected as one of the top workplaces for information technology (IT) professionals in the nation. SMUD ranked 40th in the nation among all companies and first in the West among small companies (2,500 employees or less). More Southwest Gas Receives Safety Award for 8th Consecutive Year Southwest Gas has been honored with the Industry Leader Accident Prevention Certificate award from the American Gas Association in recognition of its safety contributions to the natural gas industry for the eighth consecutive year. More SRP Highest-Ranked in West by Residential Customers Terasen Gas Sponsors Tribal Journeys Canoe Voyage Across Pacific Northwest Terasen Gas partnered with Cowichan Tribes to sponsor Tribal Journeys 2008, a celebration of Pacific Northwest First Nations and Metis culture, from July 18 to August 2, 2008. More Soldier’s Sacrifice Inspires Memorial to All Veterans Representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 614, government officials, PNM employees, family members and friends came together at the San Juan Generating Station in Waterflow, New Mexico two days before the Fourth of July to unveil a memorial to all veterans inspired by one soldier’s sacrifice. More
On the Move
Robert L. Boughner Elected Director of Southwest Gas Corporation More
PNM Resources Names Donald Schwanz New Director More
News
Premiers Agree on Efficiency but Not Emissions Reductions Unable to reach a nationwide agreement on a tactic for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Canadian provincial and territorial leaders instead pledged to battle high energy prices. More
Arizona Utilities Among Groups Questioning Western Climate Initiative The recently released initial draft of the seven-state and four-province plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, known as the Western Climate Initiative, would have participants reduce emissions by 15 percent by 2020, partly by means of a cap-and-trade program. More
33 Percent Renewables Will Challenge Grid Operators As the Northwest strains to balance high-wind and -water situations and a tornado drives wind generation in Alberta to 100 percent output, the California Independent System Operator is taking notes.
NW Grid Under Pressure from Wind, Snowmelt The spring of 2008 brought more than the usual amount of water and wind to the Pacific Northwest, which might seem like a good thing for a region where hydro- and wind-power dominates the market. More
Projected NW Wind Power Too Great for Current Grid Enthusiasm for wind power in the Northwest is so high that utilities and independent developers are prepared to more than quadruple the region’s wind power capacity—but a recent assessment by the BPA indicates the current transmission infrastructure can’t handle that much more supply. More
Revamped California Grid Connection Approval Process Still Looks Long California’s Independent System Operator has drafted a streamlined plan designed to speed approval for adding new solar and wind resources to the grid. More Texas Green-Lights Giant Wind-Power Transmission Project Utility officials in Texas have granted preliminary approval for a $4.9 billion plan to build new transmission lines that would deliver wind power from West Texas to the state’s urban centers. More Oregon PUC Rules on Third-Party Solar Financing Following a request by Pacific Power, Oregon’s PUC has issued regulatory clarification declaring that the owners of third-party solar projects are not electricity service suppliers. More Climate Change to Bring More Heat Waves to California Earth scientists and climate researchers are predicting more frequent “extreme-heat events” for California that promise to raise the risk of power shortages in the state’s metropolitan areas. More U.S. Energy Firms Have Adequate Credit Access The credit crunch, which has affected the majority of the corporate sector, is not expected to significantly affect energy companies. More Utah Moves to 4-Day Workweek to Save Energy The state of Utah is switching thousands of government employees to a four-day workweek in an effort to reduce state energy costs as well as consumer gasoline expenses. More
Power Companies Test New Technologies for Overdue Grid Upgrades Recently, executives and engineers gathered with the media to officially start the flow of power through the $60 million Holbrook Superconductor project. More Utah Site Eyed for Nuclear Development An industrial park near Green River, Utah is being eyed by developers as a possible site for the state’s first nuclear reactor. New Processes Could Make Hydrogen Fuel Cells Cheaper Hydrogen would likely be the clean fuel of choice if the components of hydrogen fuel cells were less expensive. The high price tag results from the costly platinum that serves as a catalyst for both splitting and recombining the component molecules of water. More Tidal Turbine Coming Online in Ireland In July, the world’s largest tidal turbine was set to start generating electricity off the coast of Northern Ireland. More
Western Natural Gas Market Review More
Western LNG Update
Global LNG Supply May Be Jeopardized by International Conflict More
FERC Takes Bradwood Landing Vote Off Agenda More
Mitsubishi to Develop Alaska LNG Project More
Oregon Sends LNG Terminal Plan Back to County More
Oregon Commissioners Request Delay in Pipeline Approval Process More
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August 2008 News Team |
August 2008
2009 Dates
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