The PJM Interconnection’s Board of Managers has authorized changes to its Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. The Board on Aug. 7 approved several new baseline reliability projects; scope and cost changes to four existing projects; and the cancellation of three baseline projects that are no longer required.

Renewable energy provider Pivot Energy on Aug. 8 announced a five-year framework agreement with Microsoft to develop up to 500 megawatts alternating current (MWac) of community-scale solar energy projects across the United States between 2025 and 2029.

Chelan PUD customer-owners recently weighed in on how the Washington State PUD should evaluate requests for large amounts of power.

The Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority on July 24 said that the remobilization of the Wärtsilä Phase 2 New Generation project at the Randolph Harley Power Plant and the completion of the final battery module installation for a battery energy storage system.

FirstLight on Aug. 6 announced a new power purchase agreement with Burlington Electric Department, a Vermont public power utility. Through the agreement, which kicked off in July, FirstLight will deliver Burlington, Vermont over 54 gigawatt hours of hydropower and associated VT-1 renewable energy credits through 2025 from FirstLight’s Shepaug Generating Station in Connecticut.

Coal stockpiles at U.S. electric power plants totaled 138 million short tons at the end of May, the most since the first half of 2020 when the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic reduced electricity demand and coal consumption, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Aug. 5.