Public Power Current

Sharp increases in peak demand forecasts and the potential for higher generator retirements are raising concerns for electric reliability over the next 10 years, according to the latest Long-Term Reliability Assessment from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

A settlement agreement was filed on Dec. 14 in federal district court in Oregon that sets commitments made by the U.S. Government and implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding, “Columbia River Basin Restoration Initiative,” between the United States, the States of Oregon and Washington, the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Yakama Tribes and environmental non-profit organizations.

Falling battery prices could result in the global electric vehicle market reaching cost parity, without subsidies, with internal combustion engine vehicles around the middle of the decade, according to Goldman Sachs Research.

The board of directors of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance recently honored winners of the 2023 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards and Seattle City Light Chief Customer Officer Craig Smith received the Tom Eckman Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award for Lifetime Achievement.

South Dakota-based joint action agency Heartland Energy recently launched a flame-resistant clothing store available to customers beginning in January.

After an extensive search, Tennessee public power utility Columbia Power & Water Systems recently announced the hiring of a new president and CEO, Jonathan Hardin.

The American Public Power Association is urging the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service to provide timely guidance on domestic content requirements for purposes of qualifying for elective payment of energy tax credits.

Geothermal heat pumps have the potential to substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions while also lowering the need for new transmission lines, according to the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.