ALLETE Clean Energy (ALLETE) finalized the purchase of wind farms in Minnesota, Iowa and Oregon from AES. ALLETE acquired the operating wind energy projects for $27 million and all three wind farms - with a total output of 231 MW - have PPAs in place for their entire electric output. ALLETE also signed in November an option agreement to acquire a fourth wind farm from AES in mid-2015. Pursuant to that option agreement, ALLETE will have an option to acquire the 101MW Armenia Mountain, Penn., wind farm.

Constellation signed an agreement with the City of Los Angeles to design, build and operate a 27-MW renewable energy power plant at L.A. Sanitation's Hyperion Treatment Plant. The new power plant, which will cost approximately $130 million to construct, will use digester gas produced at Hyperion as its primary fuel source. The power plant will produce steam and electricity that will be used to operate Hyperion's treatment operations.

Honeywell and power management company Stor Generation Ltd. launched a new smart grid program in the U.K. The companies will use Honeywell technology to temporarily trim energy use in commercial and industrial facilities, combining the excess power to help stabilize the electrical grid, and address country-wide carbon reduction and renewable energy commitments. Under the program, Stor Generation will pay facility owners to lower consumption when the call for electricity starts to outpace what power plants and renewable resources are able to produce.

South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) and Santee Cooper established an agreement for SCE&G to acquire from Santee Cooper a 5 percent ownership interest in the two new nuclear units which are currently under construction at V.C. Summer Station in Jenkinsville, S.C. Under the terms of the transaction, SCE&G will own 60 percent of the new nuclear units and Santee Cooper, 40 percent. The purchase price is anticipated to be approximately $500 million for the entire 5 percent interest based on current project cost.

EDF Renewable Energy announced a 20-year PPA with Southern California Edison (SCE), contracted through the California Renewable Auction Mechanism (RAM) competitive procurement program, for 19.8 MW wind project. The Patterson Pass Wind Project is a repowering effort whereby older technology is upgraded allowing for increased generation of clean energy with fewer wind turbines. Approximately 300 Nordtank and Bonus 65kW turbines, originally installed in 1985, will be removed as part of the development process.

Salt River Project (SRP) signed a long-term agreement with Landis+Gyr to update and expand its advanced metering and prepay technology in a phased, 10-year installation across their service territory. The utility plans to deploy Landis+Gyr's Gridstream RF network beginning this summer to support ongoing improvements to the technology used by its 142,000 prepay customers. SRP will begin installing more than one million Landis+Gyr E350 AX-SD meters to provide both credit and prepayment options for all their customers.