The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved PPL Electric Utilites’ proposed Northeast Pocono Reliability Project, a $335 million project that involves building new electrical substations and a new 230-kV power line running approximately 60 miles. PPL Electric Utilities submitted the project to the PUC in late December 2012, after soliciting public input at 13 community meetings in the project region. The utility is working with various agencies to secure necessary environmental permits. The project is estimated to be completed in 2017.

Georgia Power completed a statewide smart grid improvement project conducted through a multiyear Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) awarded by the Department of Energy (DOE). The $109 million project, which includes $52.5 million in funds from the DOE and $56.5 million from the company, is part of a larger $165 million agreement between Southern Company and the DOE under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Element Power US, owner and developer of the Mill Creek Wind Farm, and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations have entered into a PPA for a 200 MW wind energy facility to be built in Holt County, Missouri. The 200 MW project, once operational, will be the largest in the state of Missouri. The project currently has approximately 25,000 acres under lease with over 100 landowner partners. Element Power anticipates commencement of construction in Q3 2014, with expected commercial operation achieved by the end of December 2015.

Utility Partners of America (UPA) installed nearly 40,000 digital electric meters on behalf of Spokane, Washington-based Inland Power & Light (Inland P&L). UPA is providing complete installation services including a work order management system (WOMS), workflow development, a customer information system (CIS) interface and data and inventory management. The meters will provide Inland P&L with diagnostics that will help improve power quality, increase ways to optimize the electrical system and pinpoint outages.

Siemens received an order for the turnkey construction of the Bandirma II combined-cycle (gas and steam) power plant (CCPP) in Turkey. The purchaser is Enerjisa, a joint venture of Sabanci Holding and E.ON. Upon completion in the spring of 2016, this plant will have an installed capacity of around 600 MW and an efficiency of over 60 percent.

ConEdison Solutions (CES) signed a $56 million contract with the U.S. Army Reserve's 99th Regional Support Command (RSC) to provide energy efficiency services and operations and maintenance support at 90 sites in 11 states. The contract is a component of the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) program. Under this initiative, a limited number of qualified, private-sector energy service providers can provide energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation services to federally owned buildings and facilities.