Santee Cooper

People (July 2015)

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...

Keeping a Lid on Coal Ash

EPA’s rule said to favor repurposing and recycling – over landfills or disposal ponds.

The EPA’s new final rule marks a turning point in the handling of coal fly ash. EPA has tried to balance the needs of utilities with existing coal ash deposits and the needs of communities that are worried that such ponds will leak into waterways, or even worse, burst open and wreak havoc. In the process, it’s pleased few.

People (May 2014)

PSEG names Tamara Linde as executive v.p. and general counsel upon Lon Bouknight’s retirement; NYISO elects Daniel B. More, formerly of Morgan Stanley, to its board of directors; Edison International announces board member France Cordova to resign in order to accept appointment by President Obama to serve as director of National Science Foundation.

Digest

ISO New England approves Northern Pass transmission project; Southern California Edison selects Quanta PAR to build Tehachapi transmission line segments; Pennsylvania PUC approves PPL $335 million grid project; Southern Company completes smart grid investments; U.S. Army Reserve contracts ConEdison Solutions for efficiency and maintenance support services; plus announcements and contracts involving Honeywell, Stor Generation, Salt River Project, Landis+Gyr, Abengoa, Constellation, and others.

Transactions (March 2014)

SCE&G acquires larger share of VC Summer nuclear project; APS buys SCE's share of Four Corners power plant; Allete (Minnesota Power) acquires from AES 231 MW of wind farms in four states; EdF acquires 194-MW Texas wind project; NRG issues $1.1 billion in bonds; ComEd floats $650 million in two tranches; plus transactions involving TransCanada, Alterra, PSEG, and others totaling $3.4 billion.

SCE&G to Acquire Increased Share of Nuclear Units from Santee Cooper

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.

Vendor Neutral

(November 2011) Hitachi Power Systems America wins contract from Westar Energy; City of Fort Collins selects Elster, Siemens Energy, eMeter and Tropos GridCom to provide systems for its AMI project; Energate to supply smart thermostats for Oklahoma Gas & Electric; Jackson Municipal Electric Department selects Survalent Technology for a new SCADA system; Eastern Nebraska Public Power District Consortium selects ABB to implement an advanced smart grid-based SCADA; plus announcements and contracts involving EnerSys, S&C Electric, Siemens and others.

Transactions (September 2011)

Gaz Métro buys Central Vermont Public Service; Tortoise Capital Resources acquires interest in Public Service of New Mexico; South Carolina Electric & Gas and Santee Cooper sell capacity, and more.

Vendor Neutral

(September 2011) Walgreens to install eVgo charging stations at 800 sites; Siemens and eMeter team up in Maryland; Glasgow muni installs Elster meters; ABB completes Mincom acquisition; JDSU acquires Quanta-Sol PV technology; Survalent installs SCADA system at tidal power project; PECO selects Telvent; plus announcements and contracts involving Trilliant, Sensus, S&C Electric, Navigant, Ernst & Young, PSE&G, Portland General Electric and others.

Waiting to Exhale

Courts Deliberate on the Fate of Order 2000: The transmission industry may have to wait even longer for a final decision on challenges to Order 2000 if FERC gets its way.

Though the D.C. Circuit Court could very well add to the delay in resolving some thorny issues of Order 2000, it appears that the court has essentially given the challengers a partial victory, even before a decision is rendered.