Biden orders voluntary cybersecurity performance goals for electric utilities, other critical sectors

The president on Wednesday signed a national security memorandum that also expands and formally establishes a cross-sector Industrial Control System Cybersecurity Initiative, which was piloted by the electric sector.

By Robert Walton • July 29, 2021

DOE says new building codes to cut energy costs by $138B, but EV backers see failure to advance charging

A requirement that new homes be wired for electric vehicle charging was not included in the final version after the National Association of Home Builders argued such provisions are outside the scope of the codes.

By Robert Walton • July 28, 2021

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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

House grills FERC about commission's regulatory authority on cybersecurity, pipeline climate impacts

"There's no doubt that ... the biggest threat facing the electric grid today is cybersecurity," FERC Chair Richard Glick said during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 28, 2021

A brighter day for distribution co-ops? FERC's Tri-State proceeding and reformation of the G&T model

Stakeholders might not look to Tupac Shakur in the first instance when analyzing the troubles of the generation and transmission model. But recent developments at FERC suggest perhaps they should, the authors write.

By Ray Gifford and Matt Larson • July 27, 2021

Berkshire Hathaway Energy 'not where we want to be' on cybersecurity, says executive

Assessment of risk and strategy depends on the technologies or services companies use for vulnerability alerts, according to energy executives during a Dragos webcast.

By Samantha Schwartz • July 27, 2021

NextEra adds 1,840 MW renewables and storage to more than 15 GW backlog in Q2

NextEra Energy is nearing the halfway mark in its campaign to roll out 30 million solar panels across Florida by 2030, the multistate utility said Friday in its second quarter earnings report. 

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 26, 2021

EPRI-NERC partner to improve resilience, resource adequacy after Texas and California blackouts

The Electric Power Research Institute is working to identify "adequacy assessment metrics and criteria for low-carbon systems" and develop models for future climate and extreme weather scenarios.

By Robert Walton • July 26, 2021

AEP seeing 'credible interest' from potential buyers of Kentucky Power subsidiary, CEO says

AEP is ramping up its push to build more renewable generation, executives said Thursday, as the company detailed an increase in second quarter earnings amid a rebounding economy and interest in its Kentucky subsidiary.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 23, 2021

Avangrid touts green hydrogen proposals under DOE initiative, raises 2021 earnings outlook

Avangrid filed several proposals with the Department of Energy, including a plan to build a 20 MW electrolyzer and hydrogen storage complex in Connecticut, to be powered by offshore wind and other renewable sources.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 22, 2021

As Pepco outlines plan to meet DC climate goals, consumer advocates say equity must be a focus

The utility must establish by October whether an upcoming suite of climate-focused proposals will be eligible for new performance incentives.

By Robert Walton • July 21, 2021

Avangrid, PNM report progress with merger critics as criminal probe of Iberdrola raises new questions

As the utilities work to win over the remaining critics of their proposed $8.3 billion merger, the New Mexico hearing examiner wants more information about a criminal investigation into the activities of Avangrid's parent company.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 21, 2021

Cost allocation remains key challenge for FERC ahead of transmission reform, Glick says

"When you're talking about money — when you're talking about who pays and how much — that's always a difficult issue," FERC Chair Richard Glick said in an interview with Utility Dive.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 20, 2021

PG&E equipment may be linked with another Northern California wildfire, utility reports

California officials collected portions of a PG&E 12 kV power line, including conductors, jumpers and insulators, as part of their investigation into the fire, the utility reported to state regulators. 

By Kavya Balaraman • July 20, 2021

Gridlock in transmission queues spotlights need for FERC action on planning

FERC is calling for stakeholder input to address the backlog in transmission queues holding 70% of the renewables needed for Biden's policy goals.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 19, 2021

Heatwave, wildfires heighten urgency for Western RTO: Glick, Clements

Some ex-FERC commissioners and chairs have urged FERC to tackle this unilaterally, but Chair Richard Glick and Commissioner Allison Clements believe such a policy should come from Western stakeholders themselves.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 16, 2021

Sen. Lankford voices doubts over Democratic clean energy standard, calling it 'punitive' for fossil fuels

Democrats are advancing clean energy funding and policy through a variety of legislative pathways, but Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., doubts how much will make it into a final bill.

By Robert Walton • July 16, 2021

FERC launches proceeding to reform transmission policy

“This is the beginning of a very long process,” said Commissioner Mark Christie.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 16, 2021

Clean electricity standard lands spot in $3.5 trillion Democratic-backed infrastructure deal

Efforts to pass a national standard that would require utilities across the country to slash emissions took a step forward Wednesday.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 15, 2021

Senators clash over policy to increase FERC transmission siting authority

Proposed legislation could allow federal regulators to override state authority in siting transmission where demand and congestion are high. One Republican proposed eliminating it, sparking a Senate committee debate.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 15, 2021

Congress to examine ransomware threat as NERC, FERC call for 'continued vigilance' to secure electric grid

The SolarWinds attack "changed the cybersecurity game for the electricity industry," according to Lila Kee, chief product officer at GlobalSign, a provider of digital identity solutions.

By Robert Walton • July 14, 2021

As Google, Microsoft and others pursue 24x7 clean energy, RMI report shows how they can do it better

Research from RMI shows 24x7 matching of demand and clean electricity can drive costs "well above" simply meeting annual renewable procurement targets due to the cost of battery storage.

By Robert Walton • July 14, 2021

Western officials reckon with reliability challenges as heat and 'wildcard' wildfire threaten grid

Regulators will have to figure out which resources can be brought online "that can really take us off the edge," the head of the California Independent System Operator said. 

By Kavya Balaraman • July 13, 2021

'Doesn't make sense': Analysts pan omissions in MISO's first electrification impact analysis

MISO’s first electrification-focused planning study was a "good start" by accentuating uncertainties on the rate and pace of the transition, but missed what storage needs will be and what least-regrets solutions offer, experts said.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2021

Southern California Edison plans for 38,000 EV charging stations, in largest IOU effort of its kind

Southern California Edison wants tens of thousands of new EV charging stations across its service territory, as more and more electric vehicles hit the roads.

By Scott Van Voorhis • July 13, 2021

Fix Texas electricity — and hurry!

A report from former Texas regulators and staff offers 20 recommendations following the February outages. Nearly all apply to cold weather outages as well as the grid operator's generation shortfall and demand surprises in June.

By Alison Silverstein • July 12, 2021