Public Power Current

The Energy Information Administration on Feb. 1 detailed its plans to focus on evaluating the electricity consumption associated with cryptocurrency mining activity.

Consumers Energy, a Michigan investor-owned utility, announced on Feb. 2 that it will issue a request for proposals this month to identify potential buyers for its 13 Michigan hydroelectric dams.

Short-term outages caused by extreme weather have a minimal impact on most solar panels, but further work is needed to develop a clearer picture of the potential impacts, according to research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Texas public power utility CPS Energy recently detailed how it has successfully met the challenge of procuring transformers.

The New York Power Authority on Jan. 31 filed a petition with the New York State Public Service Commission to establish the Renewable Energy Access and Community Help program to provide electric bill credits for low-income households across the state.

The Bonneville Power Administration on Jan. 30 detailed how plunging temperatures across the Pacific Northwest that stayed below freezing for four days from Jan. 12-16 were no match for the Federal Columbia River Power System.

Recent extreme weather events have shown that the Lower Snake River Dams are an irreplaceable resource not just in the future but right now -- both in terms of energy, capacity, and other grid services key to maintaining reliable electricity, Scott Corwin, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association, said in a statement for the record submitted to key House members on Jan. 29.

Fred Christie, the Chief Information Officer for Maryland public power utility Easton Utilities, has been selected to participate in the 2024 Operational Technology Defender Fellowship, a highly selective education program created, funded, and led by the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response.