Based on its preliminary findings in an investigation looking into the storm preparation and response practices of two energy utilities following widespread service disruptions after a windstorm last March, the commission ordered the two to show cause why they should not be fined for violating the terms of their own emergency response plans.
In a proceeding it described as among the most “complex litigations” to come before it in the last 20 years, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has adopted a settlement under which an electric and natural gas utility was awarded a small measure of rate relief for its electric operations, but the additional revenues are earmarked for moving up the timeline for decommissioning and remediating four coal-fired generating facilities located in Montana.
In a docket revolving around RG&E and NYSEG, the commission deemed reasonable their joint proposal to offer municipal customers the option of having the companies install utilityowned light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting systems.
A solar power project developer has maintained its track record of being unable to prevail in court when prosecuting a complaint about eligibility for purchased power contracts at an avoided-cost rate pursuant to the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA).
A federal appellate court has sustained a 2014 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling that addressed the sharing of “legacy” facility costs among participants in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a regional transmission organization (RTO) that prior to 2014 encompassed eight states in the lower Midwest section of the country, with the RTO overseeing approximately 50,000 miles of electric transmission lines.
New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has authorized Public Service Company of New Hampshire (d/b/a Eversource Energy) to proceed with its planned sale of the facilities remaining in its generation portfolio.
The commission noted that divestiture requirements were a cornerstone of New Hampshire’s electric restructuring initiative, upon which the state first embarked 20 years ago. According to the commission, once these last sales of generating units are complete, the two-decade process of restructuring New Hampshire’s electric industry likewise will be complete.
In a complex rate proceeding for two now-merged electric distribution utilities, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has determined that neither had proven a need for the full amount of rate relief sought, despite the passage of time since their last base rate cases. Consequently, the department ruled that out of the $56.1 million in additional revenues requested by NSTAR Electric Company, the utility should receive an increase of only $12.24 million.