WEI Member News
ATCO Electric To Prepare Application To Construct Major Edmonton-Calgary Transmission Line
ATCO Electric has been authorized by the Alberta Minister of Energy to prepare a facilities application to build and operate a new high-voltage transmission line along a corridor on the east side of the province between Edmonton and Calgary. More
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Avista Submits 2009 Resource Plan
Avista has submitted its 2009 Electric Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to state regulators. The plan details projected growth in demand for energy and new resources needed to serve customers. More
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Bioenergy Projects Given Green Light to Start Producing Clean, Made-in-BC Energy
The British Columbia Utilities Commission has accepted the utility's electricity purchase agreements with four biomass projects. More
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BP Wind Energy and NorthWestern Energy Welcome SD Governor to First Wind Project in Hand County
BP Wind Energy and NorthWestern Energy welcomed South Dakota Governor Michael Rounds at a wind turbine blade signing event to celebrate the move into full construction of the Titan I Wind Farm in Hand County, South Dakota. More
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Chelan County PUD Financial Update Shows Same Year-End Losses
In spite of cutbacks in large projects, days off without pay and a temporary electric rate surcharge, Chelan County PUD commissioners were told recently that the PUD still expects a loss of $18 million to $20 million by year end. The loss in Utility Services net assets had been forecast previously in that range. More
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First Solar, Southern California Edison Sign Contracts for 550 MW of Photovoltaic Solar Electricity
First Solar, Inc. and Southern California Edison (SCE) announced agreements to build two large-scale solar power projects in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California. The installations, which will be among the largest of their kind, will have a generation capacity of 550 megawatts of photovoltaic solar electricity, enough to provide power to approximately 170,000 homes. The agreements are subject to approval by the California Public Utilities Commission. More
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Landfill Biogas Proposal Could Comfortably Heat 300 Homes with Renewable Energy
Terasen Gas and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) are working together to explore biogas recovery from the regional landfill site in Salmon Arm. The project would involve capturing waste methane and upgrading it to pipeline-quality natural gas to be used to heat homes. More
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Mayor Villaraigosa Announces New Record in Energy, Water Savings at LADWP
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced two record-setting achievements that the City of Los Angeles and its Department of Water and Power have made in energy efficiency and water conservation. More
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New Oregon Trail Fire Monument Dedicated
On Friday, Aug. 21, a group of residents of the Oregon Trail Heights subdivision, Boise City fire and police personnel and Idaho Power staff gathered to dedicate a monument recognizing those who bravely fought the Oregon Trail fire and helped rebuild the neighborhood community. Idaho Power and the city worked with homeowners to select the site for the monument at the entrance to the subdivision on Eastgate Drive in southeast Boise. The Homeowners Association took ownership of the monument after the event. More
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NV Energy Partners with Nonprofits to Distribute Energy Efficient Lights
Local residents who give blood, donate to the Friends of MS or adopt a pet from one of three animal shelters in the Reno-Sparks-Incline Village area are eligible to receive free, energy efficient compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) from NV Energy. More
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NW Natural Files for Double Digit Rate Decreases in Oregon, Washington
Northwest Natural Gas Company, dba NW Natural filed requests with the Public Utility Commission of Oregon (OPUC) and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) for rate decreases.
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PacifiCorp Adds More Wind Generation to Portfolio
PacifiCorp announced a power purchase agreement to acquire the full output of a 200-megawatt wind-powered electric generating project to be built north of Glenrock. More
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PGE to Participate in Largest Electric Vehicle Project in U.S. History
Portland General Electric welcomed news that PGE was named a strategic participant and the state of Oregon was named one of five test markets for the largest rollout of electric vehicles and an associated charging station network in United States history. More
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Snohomish PUD’s Low-Impact Hydro Sites Tap Local Waterways
Well designed, low-impact hydropower systems blend in with natural settings and pose few environmental impacts. They’re typically located outside of sensitive areas, such as designated wilderness sites, and above impassible barriers, such as waterfalls, so as not to affect fish populations. More
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SRP and Tessera Solar Announce 1.5 MW Maricopa Solar Plant with Stirling Energy Systems SunCatcher Technology in Peoria, Arizona
Tessera Solar and SRP unveiled plans to partner on a 1.5-megawatt (MW) solar project, Maricopa Solar LLC, in Peoria, Arizona, located in the West Valley of the greater Phoenix area. Maricopa Solar will be the first commercial-scale solar facility built using the innovative SunCatcher™ concentrating solar-thermal technology, manufactured by Scottsdale, Arizona-based Stirling Energy Systems (SES). More
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Williams Signs $258 Million Deal for Additional Piceance Basin Properties
Williams announced that it has agreed to purchase additional properties in the Piceance Valley, east of the company's existing assets, from a private company for approximately $258 million. The parties expect the transaction to close near the end of the third quarter. More
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Rest of the West
NAIOP Colorado, Xcel Energy and Denver Water Partner to Promote Commercial-Sector Conservation
Three of Colorado’s leading organizations, NAIOP Colorado, Xcel Energy and Denver Water, have formed a groundbreaking partnership to promote energy and water conservation in office buildings, warehouses and other commercial real estate in the Denver metropolitan area. Known as ResourceSmart Colorado, this program aims to make a significant difference in improving the energy and water efficiency of Colorado’s commercial real estate sector. More
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PG&E to Build Plant to Store Wind Energy
PG&E announced it is seeking to build its first-ever facility that would pump compressed air into an underground cavern using wind energy produced during nonpeak hours, and release it to generate electricity during periods of peak demand. More
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San Diego Selected as Target Market for Largest Transportation Electrification Project in US History
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation (eTec) today announced that eTec, a leader in the research, development and testing of advanced transportation and energy systems, has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to implement the largest transportation electrification project in U.S. history through a $99.8 million grant. More
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On the Move
David Carpenter, Rocky Miracle Promoted at El Paso Electric More
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Robert Stewart, Rob Stillwell Are New Executives at NV Energy More
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DaVonna Johnson Is Seattle City Light’s New Human Resources Officer More
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Advantage IQ Founder Keith Bass Returns to His Roots More
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News
Favorable Natural Gas Terms Could Make Senators Vote for Climate Bill
Despite the fact that climate change regulations are likely to prove a boon for natural gas, some lawmakers in states boasting new shale gas finds are now pushing for natural gas incentives to be added to the bill moving through Congress. More
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EIA Analysis Shows Climate Bill Pain Will Come When Rules Get Tough
An analysis of the Waxman-Markey bill from the Energy Information Administration concluded that the free allowances handed out as compromises will limit price increases to consumers over the next decade, but that as those allowances are phased out power prices will rise sharply. More
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With Yucca Project Uncertain, Nuclear Waste May Stay Above Ground
A group of university experts on nuclear waste policy have said that Congress must change the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to ensure that utilities have the funding to safely secure spent nuclear fuel above ground. More
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Climate Change Could Bring Security Crises
The giant storms, drought, pandemics and mass migration that could accompany global warming may require costly military and humanitarian intervention, say military and intelligence analysts. More
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CO2 Reductions Will Require “Full Portfolio” of Technologies, Says EPRI
A report from the Electric Power Research Institute said that the costs of greenhouse gas reduction could only be kept under control if the problem is addressed from multiple directions, reports the New York Times. More
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LEED Certification Program to Start Tracking Actual Efficiency
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification—known as LEED certification—is awarded based on a building’s design and construction. But in August, the program announced it will begin collecting actual energy use information from the buildings it certifies. More
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California Releases First State Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation
With the release of its comprehensive plan to guide the state’s adaptation to climate change, California’s Natural Resources Agency summarized the latest science about the possible impacts of climate change and provided recommendations on managing those impacts. More
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Achieving California’s Ambitious Energy Plan Difficult and Costly
Obtaining 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 would be good news for California’s environment and would help guard its market against future price fluctuations—but reaching that goal will be difficult and costly. More
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CFTC May Seek to Regulate Carbon Spot Contract
Saying it may play a role in setting market prices, the CFTC is proposing to regulate the carbon spot market, known as the Carbon Financial Instrument, listed at the Chicago Climate Exchange. More
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Limits on Energy Futures Markets Could Make Energy Prices More Volatile
As the CFTC evaluates imposing position limits on commodity tracking funds and higher margin requirements on over-the-counter energy trades, some wonder whether the maligned commodities market may in fact be protecting stakeholders from other sorts of price volatility. More
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Gas Prices Hit 7-Year Low in August
Expanded domestic production in conjunction with weak demand from residential and industrial customers brought gas to its lowest price in seven years in August when an Energy Department report revealed that late summer of 2009 saw a record quantity of gas in storage. More
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Electricity Demand Down, Prices Soft
PJM Interconnection saw demand fall by more than 4 percent in the first half of 2009, pushing wholesale prices in the region down almost 40 percent—from $66.40 per MWh to $40 per MWh. More
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UK Must Choose Between Nuclear or “Clean” Coal
Britain, which aims to reduce its dependence on foreign energy and curtail its contributions to global warming, is trying to decide whether its energy future will be nuclear powered or whether it will lie in coal plants built to capture and sequester emissions. More
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Power-Saving Device Causes Controversy in France
The maker of an electricity management device that helps customers reduce usage during times of peak demand was recently directed by French regulators to pay the power company for the energy saved, prompting a firestorm of public criticism. More
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Hydrocarbons Could be Formed from Inorganic Matter in Earth’s Depths
Researchers from the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory were able to form ethane, butane, propane, molecular hydrogen and graphite by subjecting methane to pressures exceeding 20 thousand times atmospheric pressure and temperatures up to 2,240 degrees Fahrenheit. More
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Western Natural Gas Market Review More
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Western LNG Update
Kitimat LNG Secures Additional Supply for Proposed Export Facility More
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North American LNG Export Said to Make Economic Sense More
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Senator Works to Slow LNG Export Development More
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Gazprom Will Ship to US this Winter More
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Despite Absent Shipments, Sempra Plant Is Contracted at Full Capacity More
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Unconventional Gas Sources Reduce Urgency of LNG Import Terminals More
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Astoria Port Commission Extends Disputed Lease More
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