Utility of the Year: NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy is investing in green hydrogen, solar energy and grid resilience, even as the company's effort to expand via M&A have come up dry.

By Utility Dive Team • Dec. 9, 2020

Executive of the Year: Ben Fowke, Xcel Energy

Fowke, who also chairs utility trade group Edison Electric Institute, has kept Xcel committed to a pathway for eliminating carbon emissions, stakeholders say.

By Utility Dive Team • Dec. 9, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Sustainability

Companies are pursuing increasingly ambitous sustainability goals around clean energy, but integrating rising amounts of renewables, minimizing environmental impacts, and achieving carbon reduction targets can be challenging.

By Utility Dive staff

The Utility Dive Awards for 2020

The winners exemplified leadership in a time of crisis by working toward economic means of transitioning the power sector.

By Utility Dive Team • Dec. 9, 2020

Google calls for more RTOs, designs 'intelligent platform' to meet 24/7 clean energy goal

The development of new software and access to more RTOs are key to achieving Google's goal of eliminating its remaining reliance on coal and gas, the company's global energy markets and policy chief tells NARUC.

By Emma Penrod • Dec. 4, 2020

Vineyard says change to larger GE wind turbines doesn't require permit change

Vineyard Wind finished a technical review at the end of January, prompting the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to restart the permitting for its 800 MW project.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Updated Jan. 28, 2021

Utility customers owe up to $40B in COVID-19 debt, but who will pay it?

Shutoff moratoria have provided a reprieve for some on 2020 power bills, but still-mounting debt needs forgiveness or securitization, analysts say.

By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 3, 2020

Mississippi Power plans 'smart neighborhood' with Tesla batteries, Solar Roofs

The community of up to 150 homes will also feature automation along with energy-efficient equipment and appliances like smart thermostats and refrigerators.

By Cailin Crowe • Dec. 1, 2020

Moody's, S&P lower FirstEnergy credit rating to 'junk' amid more potential fallout from corruption probe

Meanwhile, a federal judge on Tuesday ordered lawyers for former FirstEnergy subsidiary FirstEnergy Solutions to explain their involvement, if any, in a scheme to pass legislation to subsidize two nuclear plants.

By John Funk • Nov. 25, 2020

How to best manage ESG disclosures

Environmental, social and governance reporting will likely become mandatory for public companies, specialists say. CFOs should figure out best practices now.

By Ted Knutson • Nov. 25, 2020

Ohio PUC Chairman Samuel Randazzo abruptly resigns four days after FBI searched his home

The FBI raided Randazzo's Columbus home early Monday morning with a sealed search warrant thought to be connected to an ongoing investigation into political corruption and the bailout of two Ohio nuclear power plants.

By John Funk • Nov. 21, 2020

Why capital markets are continuing to finance utilities facing rising flood and other climate change impacts

In a sample of 18 utility disclosures on climate risks analyzed by Utility Dive, 13 stated flooding and heavy storms were a short-to-mid term threat.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 20, 2020

sPower merger allows AES to ramp up 24/7 clean energy product offerings to customers like Google

Though not the first company to offer a 24/7 power product, an analyst says streamlining renewable generation and storage offerings is a smart move amid growing corporate demand.

By Emma Penrod • Nov. 20, 2020

PG&E taps Consumers Energy chief Patricia Poppe as new CEO after months-long search

Poppe was chosen in part because of her track record on implementing a strong safety culture, interim CEO Bill Smith said Wednesday.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 19, 2020

Wildfires pushed PG&E into bankruptcy. Should other utilities be worried?

Catastrophic wildfires, which can lead to billions of dollars in damages, present a unique financial risk that the utility sector will want to get ahead of, experts say.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 19, 2020

Calculating the costs of climate change in the energy, waste sectors

Waste Dive, Utility Dive and Smart Cities Dive teamed up for a series presenting the way their sectors are evaluating the impacts and costs of mitigating climate change.

By Nami Sumida • Nov. 18, 2020

Climate risks are accelerating. Here's what Duke, PG&E and 16 other utilities expect to pay.

Utility Dive took a closer look at how climate risks are threatening utilities — and how much it's going to cost to mitigate them.

By Utility Dive Editors • Nov. 18, 2020

Tesla rival Nikola says Biden administration bodes well for its business model

The electric vehicle manufacturer's outward optimism hasn't camouflaged its troubles. Net losses are up, and the uncertain GM deal looms large.

By S.L. Fuller • Nov. 12, 2020

Did Evergy reject a $15B bid from NextEra? Maybe — but not recently.

Reuters, citing anonymous sources, reported on Monday that NextEra made a bid to acquire Kansas-based Evergy and the offer was recently rejected. The two utilities had been in talks, but that process was terminated months ago.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 11, 2020

Fed flags climate change as financial risk, seeks transparency from banks

The declaration comes as TD Bank committed Monday to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 for the projects it finances.

By Dan Ennis • Nov. 10, 2020

Could COVID-19 provide a windfall to utilities from shifting demand? Report says yes, but it's complicated

The global pandemic's impact on energy consumption is still being investigated, but a Tufts University researcher expects utilities could benefit financially. Edison Electric Institute disputes the report's conclusions.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 10, 2020

Dominion claims it's 3rd largest utility owner of solar, continues clean energy transition in Virginia

The utility divested some of its natural gas transmission assets and announced the addition of 500 MW of solar earlier this week.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 9, 2020

Black & Veatch leaving coal projects in the dust

The engineering and construction company announced it will honor its coal-based projects, but it is transitioning to more sustainable energy projects.

By Zachary Phillips • Nov. 4, 2020

Facing credit downgrades after firing CEO, FirstEnergy board launches further internal investigation

The company received credit downgrades recently and is the subject of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, its new management team told analysts Monday.

By John Funk • Updated Nov. 5, 2020

FirstEnergy fires CEO, 2 other top executives in wake of $61M political bribery scandal

Thursday's dismissals came on the same day as guilty pleas from two of four lobbyists charged in a federal racketeering probe related to Ohio's nuclear and coal plant subsidy bill.

By John Funk • Oct. 30, 2020

PG&E says it could face significant liability due to September Zogg Fire

State fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire, which has not yet been determined.

By Kavya Balaraman • Oct. 30, 2020