Customer Service
College Station Utilities, which serves College Station community members, has seen higher customer satisfaction since implementing text messaging. Customers benefit from the utility’s communication about outages, both planned and unplanned, through TextPower, an ARCOS company that provides mission-critical communications via text.
Bonds and Financing
Fitch Ratings in August affirmed the rating on New York Power Authority obligations at “AA-“.
Generation
Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, and Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) have entered into definitive agreements to collaborate on the development of up to 500 MW of baseload geothermal power at CTR’s Hell’s Kitchen project in Imperial County, California.
Energy Efficiency
The Pacific Northwest continues to make progress in acquiring cost-effective energy efficiency called for in the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 2021 Power Plan, NPCC reported on Sept. 11.
Electricity Markets
Lessons learned from previous events, close coordination with the local utility, and effective use of both demand response programs and a voltage reduction action greatly reduced the magnitude and duration of a load shed event in the Baltimore area on Aug. 11, PJM told stakeholders at the Sept. 11 meeting of the Operating Committee.
Electricity Markets
California state lawmakers on Sept. 13 approved a legislative package that includes the creation of an expanded Wildfire Fund and enabling the Pathways Initiative for a voluntary, west-wide regional electricity market.
Reliability
Oregon's Central Lincoln PUD recently provided an update about its new headquarters building, which is designed to withstand a major earthquake. Last spring, Central Lincoln’s Board of Directors made an important decision about the utility’s resilience during and after major events. They approved
Reliability
At its latest commission meeting, Arkansas public power utility West Memphis Utilities shared several updates that highlight how it is delivering safer, stronger, and more reliable service for the community. Topics covered at the meeting included: • Safety first: No new injuries were reported
Generation
Blackstone on Sept. 15 announced that private equity funds affiliated with Blackstone Energy Transition Partners have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Hill Top Energy Center, a 620-megawatt natural gas power plant in Western Pennsylvania for nearly $1 billion, from Ardian, a global private investment firm.
Electricity Markets
The American Public Power Association, joined by the Large Public Power Council and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, recently protested a petition filed by EDF Renewables seeking an order from FERC to reinstate the company’s solar plus storage project to Salt River Project's interconnection queue.