DOE

Georgia Power, DOE Finalize Vogtle Nuclear Project Loan Guarantees

Georgia Power secured approximately $3.46 billion in loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) toward the construction of the Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 nuclear expansion project. The project is the first U.S. nuclear project to receive funding through the DOE program. Along with Georgia Power's portion of the two 1,100-MW reactors, the remaining ownership is split among Oglethorpe Power, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG Power) and Dalton Utilities.

Georgia Power Completes $109 Million Smart Grid Improvement Project

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.

Embracing Disruption

Developing a leadership role for utilities in alternative technologies.

Faced with aging assets, rising operating costs, growing regulatory risks, and flat demand growth, utilities are challenged to remain competitive in an evolving energy market. The answer might be for utilities to establish a leadership position and pursue a more flexible mission.

Nuclear Policy Half-Life

Interim steps toward solving America’s spent-fuel dilemma.

New legislation could clear the path toward a sustainable strategy for storing spent nuclear fuel. Complexities and disagreements, however, might scuttle the effort.

California Center for Sustainable Energy Selected to Lead U.S. DOE Regional Clean Energy Partnership

The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) received $2.2 million over four years from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to provide support and technical assistance throughout California, Nevada and Hawaii to drive wider development of cogeneration energy technologies as solutions to the nation’s energy issues. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy selected San Diego-based CCSE to direct the Pacific regional combined heat and power technical assistance partnership (CHP-TAP), one of seven regional partnerships.

Walking the Fuzzy Bright Line

The legality of state ROFR laws under FERC Order 1000.

States have passed laws to bypass FERC Order 1000 and its reforms favoring private grid developers. Could those laws themselves fall under attack?

AMI Logjam

Market forces and fickle policies have delayed the smart meter revolution.

Low energy prices have weakened the business case for advanced metering. Regaining momentum might depend on innovation to strengthen the benefits.

Smart Grid Dilemma

Concerned stakeholders seek an equitable cost-benefit ratio for all ratepayers.

Fairness in paying for grid modernization is an essential element for successful smart grid projects.

Dominion Joins DOE Effort to Promote Workplace Charging for Electric Vehicles

Dominion is one of the first 48 companies to join the U.S. Department of Energy's workplace charging challenge, which is designed to help increase the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging for electric vehicles. Dominion installed two separately metered electric vehicle charging stations as a pilot program at its Tredegar campus in downtown Richmond. The stations have two lockable power outlets used by employees who pay a monthly fee that covers the cost of electricity and gradually reimburses the company for the installation.

Digest

DOE funds B&W to develop and license small modular reactor technology; Panda awards 758-MW combined cycle contract to Bechtel; AEP picks Open Systems International to manage SPP and PJM generation assets; GDF Suez teams up with Viridity Energy for DR services; NRG and PJM go live with University of Delaware V2G project; Minnesota Power energizes new substation serving taconite mine; FP&L completes 4.5-million smart meter rollout; plus contracts and announcements from Duke, FirstSolar, Iberdrola, SRP, ABB, Elster, Siemens, and others.