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El Paso Corporation Moving Forward With Ruby Pipeline Project El Paso Corporation announced that its subsidiary, Ruby Pipeline, LLC, has received more than 1.1 billion cubic feet per day of binding commitments from customers under 10- to 15-year contracts and is moving forward with the pipeline project, subject to regulatory approvals. More 245 MW Project is Nation’s First for New Solar Tower Technology Southern California Edison signed a contract to procure an additional 245 megawatts of solar power for its customers with Pasadena, Calif.-based eSolar in the nation’s first commercial effort using power tower solar thermal technology. More Sempra Pipelines & Storage Seeks Partnership Stake in Sunstone Sunstone Pipeline, a venture of Williams and TransCanada Corporation, announced that Sempra Pipelines & Storage, a unit of Sempra Energy, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the existing partners to acquire a 25 percent ownership interest in Sunstone Pipeline and for a Sempra Energy affiliate to contract for a significant amount of capacity in the proposed natural gas pipeline. More NorthWestern Announces Agreement to Sell Its Interest in Coal-Fired Plant NorthWestern Corporation d/b/a NorthWestern Energy reported that it has entered into a definitive purchase and sale agreement with Bicent (Montana) Power Company, LLC, an affiliate of Beowulf Energy and Natural Gas Partners, for Bicent to purchase NorthWestern’s approximately 30 percent ownership interest in Colstrip Unit 4, a 740-megawatt coal-fired electric generating facility located in Colstrip, Montana, for $404 million in cash, subject to certain working capital adjustments. More TransCanada Applies to the National Energy Board to Establish Jurisdiction over the Alberta System TransCanada Corporation today announced that TransCanada PipeLines Limited filed an application with the National Energy Board to establish federal regulation for TransCanada’s Alberta System. More Ultra-Energy-Efficient House is “Home of the Future” Construction is underway on one of the newest examples of “green” home design. The “Home of the Future,” as it is being called, is being built in the Sacramento suburb of Folsom. More Seattle City Light Acquires Habitat for Salmon, Endangered Birds BC Hydro Launches Clean Power Call to Develop New Energy Solutions BC Hydro has launched its Clean Power Call, designed to encourage the development of clean or renewable energy alternatives. More
Sierra Pacific Resources Recognized for Safety Achievements For the second consecutive year, Sierra Pacific Resources has been recognized for significant achievement in the area of accident prevention and workplace safety by the American Gas Association. SRP Wins NERO Energy-Efficiency Award M-Power, the largest electricity pre-payment program in North America and a popular option for Salt River Project customers who tend to more closely monitor their energy usage, has earned national attention and a top accolade from the National Energy Resources Organization. More ATCO Gas Participates In New Calgary Subdivision Using Renewable Energy ATCO Gas has partnered with Avalon Master Builder and Ener-West Geo-Energy Services Inc. to install renewable energy technology in 40 homes. More Groovefest Goes Green for 2nd Year Thanks to Blue Sky Energy The Groovefest American Music Festival went green for a second consecutive year, thanks to 12 megawatt-hours of renewable wind energy provided through Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program. More Joint Energy Audit Program Aimed at Small Business Launches in Uptown Rutland FortisBC, Terasen Gas, and the City of Kelowna, in partnership with the Clean Air Foundation, have launched a new pilot program to help small businesses conserve energy, save money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More
Puget Sound Energy Presents School District with $45K in Grants Puget Sound Energy presented the Federal Way School District a $25,000 solar power grant and a $20,000 Resource Conservation Manager grant during the school board’s monthly meeting at the Federal Way City Hall. More
On the Move
Alan Oshima Appointed to HECO Board of Directors More
HECO President & CEO T. Michael May to Retire at End of 2008 More
Jorge Carrasco Re-Confirmed as Seattle City Light Superintendent More
Southern California Edison Elects Ross Ridenoure Senior VP and Chief Nuclear Officer More
Paul De Martini Named Southern California Edison Vice President More
LADWP Names Cindy Montañez to Its Executive Team More
News
$100 CO2 Fees Could Double Western Electricity Prices An EPRI draft analysis projects that potentially large carbon fees associated with CO2 restrictions could double Western electricity prices. More
Ambitious California CO2 Plan to Create Conflict In the wake of the U.S. Congress’s failed cap-and-trade plan, California regulators are proposing rules that would limit the emission of greenhouse gases. More
EU Carbon Market Has Struggled with Numerous Problems The three-year-old European Union carbon market has faced a number of difficulties, including the effects of politicians and industries steering carbon credits trade toward their own enrichment instead of toward useful reductions in greenhouse gases. More
U.S. Firms Seek to Shape Carbon Reductions Strategy While some corporate leaders and environmental organizations agree that curbing carbon emissions is an environmental necessity, they are often at odds on the question of how best to impose such limits. More
Canadian Lawmakers Reject Carbon Tax Plan After two days of meetings, Canadian leaders rejected a plan by Liberal leader Stephane Dion to institute a carbon tax. More
Texas Acts to Curtail Electricity-Price Spikes The Electric Reliability Council of Texas recently changed its rules to curtail recent electricity price spikes. More Transmission for Large-Scale Renewables is Opposed Remote spots like the Mojave Desert would appear to be ideal locations for large-scale renewables projects operating on wind, sun or geothermal energy. But increasingly, a battle is being fought over how to get that power to market. More Pacific Power Asks to Clarify “Net-Metering” Practices Pacific Power has asked Oregon regulators to determine whether arrangements that permit businesses to reduce taxes by selling power directly to public entities are in violation of utility laws. More Hot Summer Could Drive Natural Gas Prices Even Higher An unusually hot summer and the attendant electricity demand driven by air-conditioner use could drive natural gas futures prices to record highs. More Palin Pipeline Proposal Faces Legislative Scrutiny Starting in the beginning of June, Gov. Palin has a 60-day window in which to persuade the Alaska Legislature that TransCanada Corp. should be granted a license to build a pipeline to ship natural gas from the state’s North Slope region to markets in the continental U.S. More FERC Allows SCE to Complete AZ Override Application The FERC has granted Southern California Edison the go-ahead to complete the reports and other steps entailed in protesting Arizona’s denial of their proposed interstate transmission line project. More
PJM Customers Hope to Benefit from Windfall Profits Complaint A coalition has filed a complaint with the FERC charging that power suppliers in the PJM wholesale energy market received windfall profits as a result of flawed market rules. More Hawaii Hosts Many Pilot Renewables Projects Hawaii, surrounded by potential sources of solar, wave and geothermal energy, is becoming a center for cutting-edge renewables ventures. More BMW Developing Hybrid Formula One Race Car In March, the Paris-based governing body for Formula One racing, Federation Internationale de L’Automobile, presented new rules allowing racing teams to use fuel-saving technologies in their cars. As a result, BMW is developing a car that uses hybrid technology. Polymer-based Solar Cell Could be Printable A team of scientists at New Jersey Institute of Technology has developed a way to build solar cells from polymers, rather than from purified silicon. More
Western Natural Gas Market Review More
Western LNG Update
Petronas CEO Says LNG Prices Will Stay Closely Tied to Crude Oil More
Oregon PUC Memo Supports LNG Import Plans More
Developers of Competing Oregon LNG Projects Exchange Fire More
Bradwood Landing Sponsors Say Project Would Help Salmon More
Embattled Long Beach LNG Project Abandoned More
Developers Rebut Oregon DOE Study and State FERC Request More
DOE Extends Permit for Alaskan LNG Facility More
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July
2008 News Team |
July 2008
2009 Dates
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