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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Bonds and Financing
Fitch Ratings in August affirmed the rating on New York Power Authority obligations at “AA-“.