Public Power Current

The recent announcement by the administration of California Gov. Gavin Newsom of the “most ambitious water plan in California history” is another milestone in the California Municipal Utilities Association's multi-year leadership in advancing pragmatic solutions that will expand water supply while being responsive to changing climate and ensuring water availability for future generations, CMUA said on Feb. 27.

Oregon public power utility Eugene Water & Electric Board and the University of Oregon are extending a study that seeks to better understand if running UO’s on-site combined heat and power (CHP) generator during short periods of peak winter demand can support a cleaner, more reliable grid.

LS Power Grid California, an affiliate of LS Power and its transmission subsidiary, LS Power Grid, announced that it recently began construction of the Manning Substation in Fresno County, Calif.

The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced a funding opportunity of $171.5 million to support next-generation geothermal field-scale tests for both electricity generation and exploration drilling to support characterization and potential confirmation of promising geothermal prospects.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Washington’s final Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program proposal, clearing the way for the Washington State Broadband Office to begin awarding $736 million in federal funding and $112 million in state match funding to bring high-speed internet to every part of the state.

The PJM Interconnection has moved ahead with two steps directed by the PJM Board of Managers as part of the larger initiative to address the electricity supply-demand imbalance largely driven by data center growth, it said on March 2.

The Truckee Donner Public Utility District Board of Directors kicked off their January and February board meetings by approving capital investments in TDPUD’s water system, learning about enhancements to TDPUD’s electric reliability tracking and approving a power cost adjustment credit to customers, the California public power utility reported.

Energy Northwest, in partnership with Columbia Basin College (CBC) and Washington State University Tri Cities (WSU Tri Cities), has acquired and installed an educational small modular reactor (SMR) simulator to help train the region’s future clean energy workforce.