Dominion to halve emissions from gas infrastructure in next decade

Renewable energy advocates were unimpressed by the commitment, saying the best way for Dominion to reduce methane emissions is to stop building pipelines.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 13, 2019

Glick calls for 'new approach' to capacity markets in wide-ranging NARUC talk

The FERC regulator’s hour-long address contrasted with that of his colleague Commissioner Bernard McNamee, who spoke for 11 minutes and addressed no specific policy issues.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 13, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

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

Consumers in retail competition markets saved $300B over the past decade, trade group says

Traditional monopoly environments leave consumers to absorb the costs of declines in plant utilization, the Retail Energy Supply Association finds in a new report.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 12, 2019

Minnesota's case study: Investing in utility upgrades to boost energy efficiency

The state's Department of Commerce worked with stakeholders to better understand how to encourage over 100 utilities to take advantage of an energy efficiency incentive.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 11, 2019

With 288 storage and generation projects lined up, California eases interconnection process

The California ISO Board of Governors approved network upgrade definitions, minimum acceptance criteria and validation procedures for interconnection requests, as a result of a year-long stakeholder process.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 8, 2019

All PG&E customers at risk of proactive shutoffs under proposed fire mitigation plan

All California utilities submitted their plans Wednesday, and critics of PG&E say the expanded shutoff policy is ineffective and necessitated by the utility's "repeated criminal behavior."

By Robert Walton • Feb. 8, 2019

New York regulators move to address Con Edison's moratorium on new gas service

The PSC has approved $223 million in measures to lower gas demand on ConEd's system and will hold a public meeting Feb. 13 to review the changing market conditions behind the utility's action.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 8, 2019

Oncor teams with IBM to streamline vegetation management and reduce outages

Vegetation overgrowth is a leading cause of service interruption for utility companies and has been a key issue for Pacific Gas & Electric, whose equipment has been linked to several of California's recent wildfires.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 6, 2019

Michigan Gov cites extreme weather, Consumers gas shortage in signing clean energy order

Gretchen Whitmer, D, committed the state to the U.S. emissions reduction target under the Paris Climate Agreement, noting the urgency of her actions in the context of extreme weather events last week.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 5, 2019

Massachusetts opens revenue stream to advance solar-plus-storage

Regulators issued orders to clarify net metering and capacity ownership rights for such projects, which are expected to unlock the potential of a commercial storage market in the state.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 5, 2019

Atlantic Coast Pipeline delayed to 2020, Dominion adds $1B to cost estimate

The company has requested a hearing before the full 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on permits a court panel rejected in December and says it has options that could include legislation or a battle in the U.S. Supreme Court.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 4, 2019

Moving beyond business as usual to a resilient power system for California

PG&E's bankruptcy provides an opportunity for new legislation that would shift our energy system to one that doesn't rely on remote power generation requiring thousands of miles of expensive, inefficient and dangerous transmission lines.

By John Sarter • Feb. 4, 2019

Deloitte: Nation states, organized crime and angry employees threaten utility cybersecurity

The electric utility sector faces growing threat of cyber attacks as technology and a more distributed grid increase access points, according to a new report.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 1, 2019

Consumers urges Michiganders to reduce gas usage after compressor station fire

The gas service disruption came as the Polar Vortex battered the Midwest and White House officials consider emergency action on gas infrastructure.

By Gavin Bade • Jan. 31, 2019

Judge says PG&E violated probation, citing 'clear pattern' of fire ignitions

"Does a judge turn a blind eye and let PG&E continue what you're doing, let you keep killing people?" William Alsup asked the company in a court hearing Wednesday, the Mercury News reported.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 31, 2019

Texas lawmaker pushes for pipeline safety after deadly gas leak explosion

Rep. Rafael Anchia, D, filed a series of bills to increase oversight of natural gas pipelines in the state. Industry lobbyists are already in opposition.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2019

Southwest Power Pool to launch reliability coordinator service as part of 2019 priorities

The regional transmission operator, which has served as a reliability coordinator in the East for more than two decades, scheduled RC services in the West to go live in December.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2019

Blue state environmental wave grows as New Mexico governor signs clean energy order

The order directs state agencies to set a variety of standards for emissions, energy efficiency and infrastructure, targeting a 45% reduction in carbon emissions below 2005 levels by 2030.

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 30, 2019

Vermont regulators advance first of 3 Green Mountain Power solar-plus-storage projects

The utility seeks to use these projects to lower regional system costs and forward capacity market costs in the ISO-New England region.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 29, 2019

CPUC Commissioner: 'Creating a new risk evaluation paradigm' in the face of California's wildfires

"Utilities will now be required to evaluate risks in a much more transparent, uniform and quantitatively rigorous way," writes Clifford Rechtschaffen, a commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission.

By Clifford Rechtschaffen • Jan. 29, 2019

Cal Fire concludes PG&E did not cause 2017 Tubbs Fire, sending shares soaring

Officials said a private electrical system caused the deadly fire, but the utility remains in financial jeopardy for its involvement in other blazes and is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 24, 2019

PG&E balks at judge's potential $150B probation terms as it faces bankruptcy

The judge overseeing PG&E's probation related to the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion is considering new conditions the utility says are infeasible, and a U.S. attorney says could interfere with other state and federal efforts.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 24, 2019

Tendril grows its load monitoring operations to help shift peak demand

With its latest acquisition of nonintrusive load monitoring technology to process data from advanced metering infrastructure, the company wants to help utilities flatten their loads without help from their customers.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 24, 2019

PG&E, NextEra face off in bankruptcy-related FERC filings

Pacific Gas & Electric expects the bankruptcy process to stretch two years, or possibly longer, leaving developers worried about getting paid for their existing power purchase agreements.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 23, 2019

Gas outages hit 10K in Rhode Island after issue on Algonquin pipeline

Pipeline operator Enbridge reported an explosion on a pipeline that serves Algonquin earlier in the day, but later said the incidents were not connected. 

By Gavin Bade • Updated Jan. 22, 2019