Portland General Electric Company (PGE) and the California Independent System Operator (ISO) filed an implementation agreement with FERC, paving the way for the Portland, Ore.-based utility to participate in the western energy imbalance market (EIM) starting in October 2017. The western EIM is a real-time energy wholesale market that automatically dispatches the lowest-cost electricity resources available to meet utility customer needs while optimizing use of renewable energy over a large geographic area.

NRG Energy agreed to sell two of its generating stations: the 525-MW Seward power plant in New Florence, Pennsylvania and the 352-MW Shelby County power plant in Neoga, Illinois. The Seward facility, which is located in the PJM Interconnection, is being acquired by Seward Generation, a Robindale Energy Services company. The Shelby County facility, which is located in the MISO Interconnection, is being acquired by an affiliate of Rockland Capital.

NextEra Energy Resources is planning a project to build, own and operate approximately 17 MW of solar facilities on three separate military installations on Oahu. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will build one ground-mounted fixed-tilt solar system, three carport solar systems and 10 rooftop solar systems. The systems will be comprised of approximately 71,000 Sharp solar modules. Site preparation is underway, and system construction is expected to begin in February 2016 and be completed by year end.

American Transmission Co. (ATC) contracted with HAZON Solutions to conduct a pilot program to evaluate using drones to inspect transmission lines on its system. The drone used by HAZON is approximately 25 pounds, 2.5 feet in diameter, has eight rotors and is equipped with a high-resolution camera. Drones are increasingly being used by utilities across the nation for inspection purposes. If the pilot program is successful, ATC will evaluate using drone technology in other parts of its service area.

Google signed a deal with EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) to purchase renewable energy for its data center. The PPA will provide Google with the full output of the 201-MW Great Western Wind Project located in Woodward and Ellis counties near the base of the Oklahoma panhandle. The project will commence construction in the first quarter of 2016 and be fully operational by end of the year. Great Western will be comprised of 30 V117 (unit capacity of 3.3 MW) and 51 V100 (unit capacity of 2.2 MW) wind turbines supplied by Vestas.

Thermal Energy Partners (TEP), acting through its subsidiary Nevis Renewable Energy International (NREI), and the Nevis Electric Company Limited (NEVLEC) signed a long-term agreement for 25 years of energy supply connected to a geothermal project on the island of Nevis. The first plant of its kind on the island will supply 9 MW of power that is immediately expandable to meet the ongoing power needs of Nevis and easily capable of exporting 40-50 MW of additional power to other islands.