RMEL eNews

Industry Information

Grid Operators Cancel Travel, Shift to Remote Meetings, as Industry Preps for Broad Coronavirus Absenteeism

Independent System Operators (ISO) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) responsible for operating the nation's electric grid are working to limit the spread of the coronavirus, as EEI signaled companies need to prepare to continue delivering electricity with a smaller workforce.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/grid-operators-cancel-travel-shift-to-remote-meetings-as-industry-preps-f/573988/ to view the full article online.

Eversource, 7 Others Propose 36 ISO-NE Transmission Upgrades to Offset Loss of Exelon's Mystic Station

Eight different developers have proposed 36 transmission upgrades designed to help ISO New England address reliability issues created by the two-stage closure of Exelon's Mystic Generating Station in the early 2020s.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/eversource-7-others-propose-36-iso-ne-transmission-upgrades-to-offset-loss/573621/ to view the full article online.

Exelon's Peach Bottom Becomes Second U.S. Nuclear Plant to get License Approval to 80 Years

Exelon's Peach Bottom plant became the second nuclear power reactor in the U.S. to get permission to operate out to 80 years, after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved another 20-year extension on Friday.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/exelons-peach-bottom-becomes-second-us-nuclear-plant-to-get-license-approv/573690/ to view the full article online.

Why is Texas a Ripe Market for Hybrid Energy Storage?

Hybrid energy storage is positioning energy storage at the same transmission node as a solar or wind or any other resource. Solar plus storage is a popular combination in the industry right now due to Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for commercial solar projects. Another reason why solar plus storage is favored is, storage increases the capacity value of solar.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/2020/03/10/why-is-texas-a-ripe-market-for-hybrid-energy-storage/ to view the full article online.

U.S. Department of Energy Selects Technology Project to Receive $1.5M for Near-Zero Water Consumption at Power Plants

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) selected one project to receive approximately $1.5 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development under the second closing of funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002001, Crosscutting Research for Coal-Fueled Power Plants.

Visit https://www.energy.gov/fe/articles/us-department-energy-selects-technology-project-receive-15m-near-zero-water-consumption to view the full article online.

NREL Boosts Speed and Accuracy of Wind Plant Optimization Model

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a new version of its FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State (FLORIS) model for wind plant performance optimization.

Visit https://electricenergyonline.com/article/energy/category/wind/141/821442/nrel-boosts-speed-and-accuracy-of-wind-plant-optimization-model.html to view the full article online.

U.S. Natural Gas Production Grew Again in 2019, Increasing by 10%

U.S. natural gas production grew by 9.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2019, a 10% increase from 2018.

Visit https://www.eia.gov/ to view the full article online.

For Utilities, Coronavirus Puts Resource Management in Focus

Each year, the U.S. federal government gives states and hospitals approximately $1 billion for disaster preparedness.

Visit https://www.power-grid.com/2020/03/09/for-utilities-coronavirus-puts-resource-management-in-focus/ to view the full article online.

Gas-fired History: EIA Report Shows U.S. Production Reaching 100 Billion Cubic Feet Per Day

In a week which has rocked worldwide oil prices, the latest federal statistics show that daily U.S. natural gas production rose yet again in 2019, likely ensuring continued historic low prices for gas used in power generation.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/2020/03/10/gas-fired-history-eia-report-shows-u-s-production-reaching-100-billion-cubic-feet-per-day/ to view the full article online.

SPP Announces 2020 Transmission Expansion Plan and Electricity Storage Recommendations

The board of directors of Southwest Power Pool (SPP) approved the 2020 SPP Transmission Expansion Plan Report, which contains a comprehensive list of transmission projects in the SPP region, at a gathering of the utility's stakeholders in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Jan. 27-28.

Visit https://www.tdworld.com/overhead-transmission/article/21123289/spp-announces-2020-transmission-expansion-plan-and-electricity-storage-recommendations to view the full article online.

Member Announcements

Tom Kent named new NPPD President, CEO

Current Nebraska Public Power District Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Thomas Kent was officially named as President and Chief Executive Officer of the utility, following approval by the Board of Directors Thursday. A native of Tilden, Neb., Kent has been with the utility for 30 years, including the last nine years in his current position. He replaces Pat Pope who announced in February he was stepping down from his position at the end of April and will focus on e-connectivity and future generation strategies for NPPD as a special assistant to the CEO.

Visit https://www.nppd.com/press-releases/tom-kent-named-new-nppd-president-ceo to view the full article online.

APS and Advanced Energy Economy Announce Arizona Clean Energy Future Project

Arizona Public Service and national business organization Advanced Energy Economy announced Arizona Clean Energy Future, a joint project to develop solutions to help APS achieve its ambitious goals for clean energy and support electrification of the transportation sector.

Visit https://www.aps.com/en/About/Our-Company/Newsroom/Articles/APS-and-Advanced-Energy-Economy-announce-Arizona-Clean-Energy-Future-Project to view the full article online.

Basin Electric to Sponsor Teachers to Attend 2020 Lignite Energy Council Teacher Seminar

The Lignite Energy Council (LEC) is conducting the 2020 Teacher Seminar, “Energy, Economics and Environment,” at the Bismarck (North Dakota) State College in Bismarck, June 8-11. Basin Electric will pay for travel costs for teachers from South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, and Iowa who reside within Basin Electric’s service territory, and LEC will cover the rest.

Visit https://www.basinelectric.com/news-center/news-briefs/basin-electric-sponsor-teachers-attend-2020-lignite-energy-council-teacher to view the full article online.

Itron and CPS Energy Expand Collaboration to Improve Energy and Water Literacy with Smart Energy Education Initiative

Itron, Inc., which is innovating the way utilities and cities manage energy and water, and CPS Energy, the nation’s largest municipally owned energy and natural gas utility in the city of San Antonio, Texas, have expanded their collaboration to improve energy-water literacy and launched a new online resource aimed at providing interactive educational resources and materials to educate communities and inspire the next generation talent pipeline.

Visit https://newsroom.cpsenergy.com/itron-and-cps-energy-expand-collaboration-to-improve-energy-and-water-literacy-with-smart-energy-education-initiative/ to view the full article online.

Evergy Announces Agreement with Elliott Management

Evergy, Inc., a vertically integrated, regulated, investor-owned electric utility, announced that it has entered into an agreement with affiliates of Elliott Management Corporation, which currently own an economic interest equivalent to approximately 10 million shares of Evergy’s common stock.

Visit http://www.evergyinc.com/news-releases/news-release-details/evergy-announces-agreement-elliott-management to view the full article online.

NPPD Cutting Ribbon on New Community Solar Facility

The time has come to celebrate the launch of a new community solar farm with the official ribbon cutting for the Scottsbluff II project.

Visit https://www.nppd.com/press-releases/nppd-cutting-ribbon-on-new-community-solar-facility to view the full article online.

NextEra Energy is recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 13th time

NextEra Energy, Inc. has been recognized once again as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

Visit http://newsroom.nexteraenergy.com/2020-02-25-NextEra-Energy-is-recognized-as-one-of-the-Worlds-Most-Ethical-Companies-for-the-13th-time to view the full article online.

OPPD gets High Marks for Reliable Power

Omaha Public Power District works continually to help ensure electric service reliability for its customers. During their committee meetings this week, the OPPD Board of Directors received a status update on those efforts, as the monitoring report for Strategic Directive (SD) 4: Reliability was presented.

Visit https://www.oppd.com/news-resources/news-releases/2020/february/oppd-gets-high-marks-for-reliable-power/ to view the full article online.

Platte River Hosting Focus Groups for IRP

Platte River will sponsor focus group sessions with residents and business owners to discuss energy portfolio options as part of the organization’s 2020 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

Visit https://www.prpa.org/media-releases/platte-river-hosting-focus-groups-for-irp/ to view the full article online.

Wildhorse Mountain Wind Facility in Oklahoma is Operational

Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, announced that the 100-megawatt (MW) Wildhorse Mountain Wind Facility in Pushmataha County, Okla., is now operational.

Visit https://www.southerncompany.com/newsroom/2020/feb-2020/wildhorse-mountain-wind-facility-operational.html to view the full article online.

Phoenix, SRP to Celebrate Grand Canalscape Opening

The award-winning Grand Canalscape project, a 12-mile multi-use trail stretching from the I-17 freeway to the Tempe border, will marked its completion with a public grand celebration. The free ceremonial grand opening will be held along the Grand Canal north bank from just east of Central Avenue between Central High School and Brophy College Preparatory Academy.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/phoenix-srp-to-celebrate-grand-canalscape-opening/ to view the full article online.

United Power Announces Robbins as Acting CEO

United Power Board Chair, James Vigesaa, announced at an all-employee meeting yesterday, that CEO John Parker is on a medical leave transitioning into retirement. Chief Operating Officer, Bryant Robbins, has been named as Acting CEO, effective immediately.

Visit https://www.unitedpower.com/united-power-announces-robbins-acting-ceo to view the full article online.

EVs vs. Conventional Vehicles: Try Our New Comparison Tool

Are you considering an electric vehicle (EV) for your next new car? Tucson Electric Power’s new EV Comparison tool can help you evaluate the costs and benefits of buying a new EV instead of a gas-powered vehicle.

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/evs-vs-conventional-vehicles-try-our-new-comparison-tool/ to view the full article online.

First All-Employee Meeting Covers Engineering, Wildfires

The first All-Employee Meeting of 2020 was held Jan. 15 at Headquarters in Lakewood, Colorado, with the presenters discussing a wide range of topics.

Visit https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsFeatures/2020/Pages/first-all-employee-meeting.aspx to view the full article online.

Rocky Mountain Electrical League