OGE Energy chairman and CEO Pete Delaney stepped down from the CEO position to become the interim CEO of Enable Midstream Partners. In response, OGE named current president Sean Trauschke, as CEO. PJM Interconnection elected Terry Blackwell to the PJM board. Chesapeake Utilities appointed John R. Schimkaitis to serve as chairman of the board. Paul D. Koonce adds the role of president-Dominion Virginia Power to his responsibilities. And others...
When most people think of Georgia and energy, they think of Southern Company and coal. Well, all that’s changing now that the state is about to embrace a new law on July 1 to allow utilities to sell rooftop solar energy.
Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power acquired the 103-MW Butler solar facility from Community Energy. The facility, located on approximately 1,070 acres in Taylor County, Georgia, is expected to enter commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2016. Construction is slated to begin in September 2015, with First Solar managing the building, operations and maintenance of the facility.
Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power acquired two PV solar projects totaling 99 MW in Georgia - the 80-MW Decatur Parkway Solar Project and the 19-MW Decatur County Solar Project - from Tradewind Energy. The electricity and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by the 80-MW facility will be sold under a 25-year PPA with Georgia Power. Construction of the 80-MW facility is currently scheduled to begin this month. Georgia Power will purchase the energy generated from the 19-MW project under a 20-year PPA.
Georgia Power launched its new EV charger rebate program for business customers. The two-year program, informed by feedback from Georgia businesses, offers business customers a $500 rebate for installing 240-volt Level 2 (L2) chargers. The business customer program is part of a larger electric transportation pilot initiative which includes promoting public education, supporting community charging stations for public use, enhancing charging options at select Georgia Power facilities and offering rebates for residential customers who install EV chargers at their homes.
Georgia Power plans to build, own and operate three separate solar generation facilities on U.S. Army bases in Georgia. The generation facilities, each capable of producing approximately 30 MW of solar energy, will be located at Fort Stewart near Savannah, Fort Benning near Columbus and Fort Gordon near Augusta. Scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016, the facilities are expected to be the largest solar generation facilities operating on U.S. military bases.
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 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.