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Gary Gibson, President and CEO of City Utilities of Springfield, Mo., on April 24 announced his plan to retire in early 2025. He has held numerous leadership roles at CU and with many utility industry organizations during his 34-year career.
Reliability
The American Public Power Association and other trade groups asked Congress to expand domestic manufacturing capacity for distribution transformers. The groups said that a Department of Energy final rule on energy efficiency standards does not solve the shortage of distribution transformers.
Community Engagement
Washington State auditors have determined that Jefferson PUD complies with applicable state laws, regulations, and its own policies in all areas examined. The reports determined the PUD provided adequate controls over the safeguarding of public resources.
Energy Efficiency
The Efficiency Works Homes program and Energy Outreach Colorado recently formalized a partnership to provide a broader range of support for income-qualified customers, Platte River Power Authority said. Efficiency Works provides guidance and resources for customers to use energy effectively, "work toward a noncarbon energy future and build strong, resilient communities for those served by Platte River Power Authority in Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland,” Platte River noted.
Grid Modernization
The Board of Trustees for Texas public power utility CPS Energy approved a contract selecting Oracle America as the vendor for the utility’s new Enterprise Resource Planning platform. The approved contract for the software is valued at $70 million.
Distributed Energy Resources
Vennela Yadhati, Vice President for Renewable Project Development at the New York Power Authority, has been recognized on the list of Trailblazers in Clean Energy by City & State New York.
Grid Modernization
The Lansing Board of Water & Light, a Michigan public power utility, has launched a new demand response program for its residential electric customers. The program allows eligible customers with certain brands and models of smart thermostats to reduce energy usage by allowing the BWL to slightly adjust the thermostat settings during “energy events.”
Customer Service
For Georgetown, Texas, a public power community, one of the unexpected benefits of using TextPower has been the quiet. After the city started using TextPower, the volume of people phoning in outages dropped precipitously.