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This site is tracking actions on energy
conservation, transmission line improvement, new generating capacity,
renewable energy, pricing and the development of new energy
supplies (see below or issue buttons to the left).
July 8
Recommendations
to improve and expand greenhouse gas reduction program submitted to
President Bush. The recommendations focus on the need to create
standardized, widely accepted, transparent accounting methods, support
independent verification of registry reports, and provide transferable
credits for a broad range of actions. President Bush's goal is to reduce the
greenhouse gas intensity of the American economy by 18 percent by
2012.
On a related note, EIA recently reported that U.S.
energy-related carbon dioxide emissions declined by 1.1 percent in 2001,
the first such decline since 1991. U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide
emissions have averaged 1.2 percent annual growth since 1990. Over the same
time period, total greenhouse gas intensity, or total greenhouse gas
emissions per unit of GDP, declined by 18.4 percent.
June 18
A new report has been prepared by the North American Energy Working Group, a
group of senior energy officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States.
"North
America - The Energy Picture" provides an energy overview of the
three countries including: economic data; energy data; supply and demand
trends; energy projections; and descriptions of infrastructure, laws, and
regulations. The NAEWG is also examining a broad range of issues, including
electricity regulation, energy efficiency, science and technology, natural
gas and critical infrastructure protection.
June 17
The Congressional General Accounting Office has issued a very critical
report of the way FERC has met the challenges presented by a deregulated
electricity market. "FERC is not adequately performing the oversight
that is needed to ensure that the prices produced by these markets are just
and reasonable, and therefore, it is not fulfilling its regulatory
mandate," said the GAO. The report, "Energy
Markets, Concerted Actions Needed by FERC to Confront Challenges That Impede
Effective Oversight," found FERC has not yet adequately revised its
regulatory and oversight approach to respond to the transition to
competitive energy markets.
June 16
A new report from the NAFTA Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
examines the environmental impacts of a growing, continental electricity
market. An expert advisory board drawn from Canada, Mexico, and the United
States guided the report "Environmental
Challenges and Opportunities of the Evolving North American Electricity
Market."
June 6
A report from the Lawrence Berkeley Lab analyzes California's response to
the electricity shortages last year. "California
Customer Load Reductions during the Electricity Crisis: Did They Help to
Keep the Lights On?" found that peak load reductions potentially
avoided between 50 and 160 hours of rolling blackouts and were due to
"extraordinary efforts by Californians to reduce electricity
consumption." The report looks at what measures were most
effective.
May 15
Comments are being requested on a new report "Assessing
the Potential for Renewable Energy on Federal Lands." This
draft report represents a partnering effort between the Department of
Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Department of Energy, National
Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to identify and evaluate renewable energy
resource potential for power production on federal lands. The objective of
this collaboration was to identify BLM planning units in the western states
with the highest potential for private-sector development of renewable
resources. This draft report is submitted for public comment through July
12, 2002. Comments should be directed to
Mike Kirby: Mike_Kirby@blm.gov or fax 303-236-6450
Doug Dahle: douglas_dahle@nrel.gov or fax 303-384-7411.
Please include the subject “Comments on Draft BLM Renewable Energy
Assessment Report” on e-mails or faxes.
April 18
New interactive wind maps
for the northwest region are now available on-line. There are maps for
Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and parts of northern
California, Nevada and Utah.
April 11
Western Governors request that President Bush appoint
someone from the West to FERC.
April 10
FERC has issued another paper in a series of initiatives on Standard Market
Design, entitled “Options
for Resolving Rate and Transition Issues in Standard Transmission Service
and Wholesale Electric Market Design.”
April 8
Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn formally
vetoed President Bush’s recommendation that Yucca Mountain be the
national nuclear waste disposal site and provided an eleven
page "Statement of Reasons" for the disapproval.
Close to 300 people attended Colorado's workshop
on Wind & Distributed Energy: Renewables for Rural Prosperity.
Presentations will be available at this web site.
The Arizona Corporation Commission has approved
the 1,080 MW La Paz Generating Facility in southwestern Arizona. The
plant will include a 100 kW solar array. It is expected to go online in
2005.
April 3
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has ordered Idaho Power Co. to
immediately form an Energy Efficiency Group in order to outline and implement
long-term conservation programs by May 2. The Commission had ordered the
company to form a group last November.
March 26
The D.C. Circuit Court has upheld
EPA's 1997 ambient air standards for fine particles and ground-level ozone.
With this final decision, EPA will move forward with programs to implement
those standards and help states meet them.
March 22
The Western Governors' Association and CEQ will host the Second
Environmental Summit on the West in Salt Lake City, Utah on April 24 -
26.
March 14
Western governors praise
Senate adoption of electric reliability amendment to energy bill.
March 12
Western governors wrote to Senator Craig Thomas on his amendment to electric
reliability language in the energy bill now being debated in the Senate.
Montana Power Company is now NorthWestern
Energy.
March 11
President Bush has signed a two-year extension
of the wind and biomass energy Production Tax Credit, to the end of
2003. The credit is part of the economic stimulus bill, H.R. 3090.
March 8
BPA is proposing a 79
mile 500 kV transmission line along the Oregon- Washington border.
March 5
A new study finds more evidence that fine particulates, such as emitted by
diesel-powered vehicles and coal-fired power plants, are significant contributors
to lung cancer and other cardiopulmonary diseases.
Western governors wrote Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham regarding eminent
domain and state preemption language found in the Senate energy bill.
March 1
Nevada Power plans to purchase 85
megawatts of wind power. The 60 wind turbines, to be built on DOE's
Nevada Test site, will be able to deliver power in late 2003.
February 26
The California "Summer of 2001 Conservation Report" has been
released. The report discusses the programs that helped the state cut
overall energy use by 6.7 percent and summer peak use by 10 percent.
February 25
President Bush Promotes Energy
Efficiency Through Technology.
February 13
BPA plans to look at alternatives
to transmission lines such as conservation, distributed generation,
pricing incentives, energy use curtailment and demand-side management.
To be effective, measures must be targeted in areas experiencing
transmission problems.
The Arizona Corporation Commission has agreed to Duke Energy's request to
construct a 600-megawatt
expansion of the Arlington Valley Energy Facility, currently under
construction in western Maricopa County, but also added two environmental
restrictions. The ACC is requiring groundwater recharge and the installation
of the most effective emission control equipment available.
February 8
The Arizona Corporation Commission has approved
the Southwest Valley
Transmission Line proposed by Arizona Public Service and the Salt River
Project. The 500 kilovolt power line will stretch approximately 37 miles
from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station to a substation in the
southwest valley community of Avondale, Arizona.
BPA has proposed a route for the Schultz-Hanford
Area 500-kV Transmission Line Project planned for central Washington.
The proposed 63-mile line would link BPA’s Schultz Substation, near
Ellensburg, to a new substation near the U.S. Department of Energy’s
Hanford Reservation.
February 5
CEQ has sent a memorandum to the heads of all federal agencies which
emphasizes
the importance of including state, tribal and local governmental entities in
the preparation of federal Environmental Impact Statements.
January 24
BPA is holding meetings to discuss plans to upgrade
84 miles of transmission line in eastern Washington. The Grand
Coulee-Bell 500-kilovolt Transmission Line Project would increase
transmission capacity from 2,800 MW to 3,500 MW.
January 17
FERC has announced the creation
of a new Office of Market Oversight and Investigation that will take a
qualitative look at energy markets, make sense of what the data reveal about
the relative health of the markets, and follow up where necessary.
BPA announces that the Pacific Northwest saved
85 megawatts in 2001.
January 16
FERC is requesting comments on how it should handle information on critical
energy infrastructure facilities.
FERC has approved
the North Baja Pipeline project. The proposed project would provide up
to 500 MMcf per day of capacity from an interconnection point with El Paso
Natural Gas Company (El Paso) near Ehrenberg, Arizona, to a point on the
international border between Yuma, Arizona, and Mexicali, Baja California,
Mexico.
Calpine has announced it will complete
27 power projects (15,200 MW) currently under construction as scheduled
but construction of an additional 34 advanced-stage development projects
(15,100 MW) will be placed on hold pending further review. In the West, the
approximate number of projects under construction include: 3 in California,
1 in Arizona, 1 in Oregon, and 6 in Texas. The approximate number of western
projects under development that will be placed on hold include: 9 in
California, 2 in Colorado, 1 in Texas, and 1 in Alberta.
January 15
Omaha Public Power District has installed
a 660-kilowatt wind turbine and a landfill gas plant and is offering a
green pricing program. The wind turbine was installed on an innovative tower
that incorporates a lifting platform for installing the turbine.
The American Wind Energy Association reports that 1,694
MW of new wind generating capacity was installed in 16 states in 2001.
Of that, 900 MW were installed in Texas alone.
January 14
Duke Energy has three
natural gas fired power projects underway in western states: the
600-megawatt Luna project in New Mexico, the 620-megawatt Grays Harbor
project in Washington, and the 1,200-megawatt Moapa Energy project in
Nevada.
January 10
The proposed Desert
Crossing Gas Storage and Transportation system has announced an open
season. The storage facility will be located in northern Arizona and the
pipeline will run from the Kern River pipeline near Las Vegas to the El Paso
pipeline in southwest Arizona.
Energy Secretary Abraham has notified Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn that he
intends to recommend
to President Bush that the Yucca Mountain site is suitable for development
as the nation's long-term geological repository for nuclear waste.
The Congressional General Accounting Office issued a report
in December that found recommending the Yucca Mountain site "may be
premature." GAO noted: "On the basis of information we
reviewed, DOE will not be able to submit an acceptable application to NRC
within the express statutory time frames for several years because it will
take that long to resolve many technical issues."
January 9
Public Service Company of New Mexico will build a new
80-megawatt natural gas-fired generating station in Lordsburg.
January 7
FPL Energy announced that the 263-megawatt
Stateline wind energy project on the Washington-Oregon border went into
operation in mid-December.
January 4
PPL announces it will cancel
one power plant it planned to build in Washington State.
December 31
The California Energy Commission has released a new report on "Emergency
Conservation and Supply Response 2001." The report concludes
"The peak electrical demand for the summer was 48,597 megawatts, which
occurred on August 7, 2001. This peak was 12,528 megawatts less than the
peak predicted plus 7 percent reserve in a 1-in-10 summer. While the state
experienced about average temperatures this past summer, the success in
averting blackouts was largely due to the efforts to reduce demand and
increase supply. The efforts of individual Californians to conserve
electricity were particularly dramatic."
December 21
The Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska is planning to build
a wind-energy farm of up to 20 turbines in Kimball County,
Nebraska.
December 20
In response to an RFP, Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power
received 49
proposals to provide over 4,000 megawatts of power from renewable resources.
December 18
Avista sells one-half of Coyote Springs project
in Oregon to Mirant. The 280-megawatt, combined-cycle power project is scheduled to come on line in
mid-2002.
The Clean
Coal Power Initiative will hold a meeting and web cast on the first
solicitation on January 17. The CCPI Round 1 Solicitation is seeking
projects that: (1) demonstrate advanced coal-based technologies; and (2)
accelerate their deployment to commercial use.
December 14
BPA will purchase 90 MW from Stateline wind farm.
December 11
Montana Governor Lights Holiday Christmas Tree with Energy Efficient Lights.
December 6
FERC has delayed the California power refund case
indefinitely. The
administrative legal proceeding is over California 's demand for nearly $9
billion in refunds for alleged wholesale electricity overcharges last
winter.
December 5
Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power have filed for a reduction in
prices on power to be delivered in 2002 and 2003. The companies filed a
formal complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission claiming that
the prices for long-term wholesale power were "the product of markets found by the Commission to be dysfunctional and not competitive" and should come
under the same price caps the FERC imposed on spot power sales in the West last June.
December 4
Montana Power announces wind power purchase
December 3
Avista Corp has requested a ten percent rate hike from Washington State
regulators.
December 2
Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and sues Dynegy.
November 30
Nevada Power has requested a rate increase averaging 21
percent. The company said the increase is needed to recover the actual costs for
wholesale power and fuel it purchased for customers during the height of the
energy crisis.
November 26
RDI estimates that only four percent of new generation will be
coal-fired.
The Arizona Corporation Commission has denied a certificate of environmental
compatibility for the 720-megawatt Big Sandy project proposed by the Caithness Corporation.
November 20
Construction will begin soon on the Nine Canyon Wind Farm in
Washington State. The 48 MW project will be owned by Energy Northwest and will
generate power for nine public power utilities.
FERC is proposing to revise all market-based rate tariffs to prohibit anticompetitive behavior or the exercise of market power.
Press release
FERC Order
FERC also announced a new generation market power screen to apply to
market-based rate applications on an interim basis pending a generic review of new analytical methods for analyzing market power.
The California Energy Commission is predicting adequate supplies to meet
next summer's electricity demand as long as planned power plants are built
and current levels of conservation continue.
November 16
Governor Guinn has announced the nine members of the Nevada
renewable energy and energy conservation task force that will administer the newly created
Trust Fund for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation.
November 15
PNM breaks ground on 225 MW Afton Generating Station in southern New Mexico.
50 MW Rock River 1 wind farm goes on line in Wyoming.
November 14
BPA will purchase output of 50 MW Oregon wind
farm.
Reliant Energy breaks ground on 550 MW Bighorn project in southern Nevada.
The natural gas-fired plant will use "dry-cooling" technology.
October 18
DOE has announced a deal with six parties to build the upgrade of Path 15 in
California. The consortium includes: Pacific Gas & Electric, Trans-Elect
Inc., Kinder Morgan Power Co., PG&E National Energy Group, Williams Energy
Marketing and Trading Co., and the Western Area Power Administration.
October 16
Second windfarm provides another 30 MW of wind power for Colorado customers.
October 15
EPA has announced a new project to promote the use of combined heat and
power (CHP), also known as co-generation. In order to speed permitting, EPA
will publish draft guidance clarifying the Clean Air Act requirements for constructing CHP facilities.
October 10
Duke Energy plans to begin construction on three natural gas-fired power
plants this fall. The company has held a groundbreaking ceremony for the
first facility, a 600 MW plant in Satsop, Washington. Construction will begin soon on the 600-megawatt Luna Energy Facility in Deming, N.M., and the
1,200-megawatt Moapa Energy Facility, in Apex, Nev.
October 8
Northwest Natural Gas, headquartered in Portland, will acquire Portland
General Electric.
FERC orders four energy companies to refund rates charged in July 2001 in
California and other western states that were above the proxy market clearing price. FERC ruled that cost justifications submitted by
Dynegy, Mirant, Reliant, and Williams were either untimely filed and/or unsupported.
October 5
FERC has announced the agenda for the RTO workshops to be held in
Washington, DC on October 15 - 19. According to the announcement, the purpose of the workshops is to discuss core issues related to the
development of efficient electric markets in an era in which electric transmission systems will be operated by Regional Transmission
Organizations.
Sempra Energy and CMS Energy will develop a LNG terminal in northern Baja
California to bring natural gas supplies into northwestern Mexico and Southern
California.
October 4
Six southwest utilities have agreed to form WestConnect
RTO. The new
for-profit organization will replace Desert STAR. The six utilities are: Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, El Paso Electric Company, Public
Service Company of New Mexico, Tucson Electric Power Company and Texas-New Mexico Power Company.
October 2
The California ISO is urging continued conservation as plants begin to go
off-line for fall maintenance cycle. There could be as much as 9,300 MW
off-line at the end of October.
September 26
At its meeting today
FERC: approved the Western Electricity Coordinating Council; announced a meeting in Seattle on November 2 to examine energy
infrastructure issues and their implications for regional economic development; and said there will be commissioner-led RTO workshops in
Washington, D.C. from October 15 though 19.
September 24
A FERC Administrative Law Judge has recommended that FERC commissioners deny
the $1.9 billion in refunds sought by Pacific Northwest (PNW) municipal utilities and wholesale power buyers for power purchases when market prices
soared to record highs. The judge found: "Prices in the PNW during the period 12/25/00 - 6/20/01 were the result of a number of factors, the
shortage of supply, excess demand, drought, increased price in natural gas along with the price signals from the California markets. The PNW is a
competitive market and has been for a long time. The transactions involved in this proceeding resulted from bilateral agreements between the parties.
Under these circumstances the prices were not unreasonable or unjust and refunds should not be ordered in this proceeding."
The California Energy Commission has approved the construction of the 600 MW
Metcalf Energy Center in San Jose. Calpine and Bechtel Enterprises are scheduled to begin construction on the project this October with commercial
operation expected to serve the summer load of 2003.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has approved a 25
percent temporary electricity surcharge for Avista Utilities. The surcharge
will begin October 1 and run for 15 months.
September 20
The California PUC has voted to end the right of consumers to choose their
electricity provider. Customers who have switched will be allowed to remain
with those companies through the end of their contracts.
A federal appeals court ruled that California Gov. Gray Davis acted
illegally when he seized power contracts held by cash-strapped utilities
Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric at the height of the
state's energy crisis in January.
September 18
Two more peaker plants go on line in
California. There has been 1,815 MW added in California this year.
September 17
The California Power Authority is negotiating approximately 1320 MW of
renewable energy projects, comprised mainly of wind and bio-fuel.
Seattle agrees to
purchase wind power from Stateline Wind Generating Plant starting in January.
September 14
FERC has stated that it will approve the recovery of prudently incurred
costs tied to security needs.
September 5
Puget Sound Energy wants to expand its time-of-day pricing trial for 12
months. Data shows a five percent shift to off-peak hours.
September 4
Homeowners can now purchase solar power electric systems at the Home Depot
stores in San Diego.
September 2
Data from the California Energy Commission shows that Californians continued
to reduce peak demand during August 2001.
August 30
In comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Northwest Power
Planning Council is requesting several changes in FERC's price cap system in
order to make sure lower cost power will be available to the Northwest states this winter.
Reliant Energy has announced plans for an innovative air cooled natural gas
power plant southwest of Phoenix. Phase 1 is planned to go online in spring
2004 and will include a 580-megawatt, combined-cycle dry plant.
August 27
The Department of Energy has issued a Federal Register notice seeking applications from U.S. nuclear utilities/power generating companies to
conduct an Early Site Permit scoping study of potential sites for the
deployment of new nuclear power plants in the United States.
Great River Energy is focusing on three potential sites in North Dakota for
new Lignite Vision 21 coal plant.
August 23
Sempra Energy Solutions will offer commodity
supply, energy efficiency, on-site generation and co-generation,
infrastructure ownership and management, as well as facility operations and
maintenance to members of The Council of Energy Resources Tribes under
new agreement.
Ten additional western electric utilities have joined the original three in
protesting FERC actions setting wholesale price controls in the western
states. The Coalition for Western Markets has filed comments with FERC
requesting changes in the agency's price mitigation plan.
Calpine begins construction of 750 MW natural gas-fired plant near
Bakersfield, California.
August 21
FERC hearing begins on electricity crises in Pacific Northwest states.
Northwest states claim over $1 billion in overcharges and California claims
an additional $1.5 billion.
NERC drafts short "consensus" reliability bill to address Congressional
concerns. Enron and ELCON withhold support.
Puget Sound Energy asks for a rate
increase.
Aug. 17
Pinnacle West Energy plans to build 570 MW gas-fired plant 20 miles north of
Las Vegas.
August 16
Portland General Electric has brought a 24.5 MW natural gas unit online at
the Beaver Power Plant.
August 14
President Bush has announced that he will designate Pat Wood as chairman of
FERC.
August 2
The House of Representatives has approved a wide ranging energy bill, Securing
America's Future Energy Act H.R. 4. The bill would provide tax breaks
and incentives of $33.5 billion over 10 years, which is more than the
administration had requested, about $27 billion of the amount would go to
energy producers such as coal, oil, and nuclear industries. The bill also
includes incentives for buying hybrid gasoline-electric cars, solar panels,
some high-efficiency appliances and improvements in building energy
efficiency. The bill: eases restrictions on energy production on federal
lands; calls for a study on oil and gas leasing; increases funding to
help low-income families pay heating and cooling bills; expands research
into clean coal technology; reduces oil industry royalties on some kinds of
drilling and allow the industry to pay royalties in kind; requires a small
increase in the fuel economy of sport utility vehicles and light trucks; and
opens 2,000 acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling. The
bill does not address electricity deregulation, siting of power plants and
power lines, or renewal of liability insurance for nuclear power plants.
August 1
A DOE study shows efficient appliances yield dramatic energy and water
savings. The study of actual home appliance use (energy efficient clothes
washers, clothes dryers, dishwashers, and other products) was conducted in
50 volunteer homes in Wilsonville and Lafayette, Oregon.
According to data from the California Energy Commission, the state's
electricity consumption was down 11 percent in July compared with a year
ago. See the California Energy Commission's analysis of consumption for
July.
July 31
President Bush has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to
only purchase products that use no more than one watt in their standby power
consuming mode.
Texaco will install a photovoltaic system to help power an oil field in
California. The first phase will be 400 kilowatts but could be increased to
one megawatt.
Edison Electric Institute has published a new study on "The California
Electricity Crisis: Lessons for Other States."
July 30
PG&E charges homeowners $600,000 for large solar system to tie into
grid.
July 27
California Governor Davis has endorsed a plan to increase California's
usage of renewable power from 12 percent to 17 percent by 2006.
July 26
DOE has published proposed regulations governing the efficiency of central
air conditioning systems and heat pumps in the Federal Register. The
proposed standards would increase the seasonal energy efficiency ratio, or
SEER, for new central air conditioners and heat pumps by 20 percent to a 12
SEER. Current law sets that standard at 10 SEER. The public has 75 days to
submit written comments.
July 25
FERC has ordered an expedited fact-finding hearing to calculate refunds for
spot market transactions in California. The Commission also ordered an
evidentiary proceeding to discuss refunds for the Pacific Northwest. This
proceeding will last no longer than 30 days. The FERC order directs refunds
for the period from October 2, 2000 through June 20, 2001 and applies the
refund liability to spot sales through California's organized markets
operated by the ISO and the PX.
July 23
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced that thirteen proposals have been
received to build the Path 15 expansion. The Western Area Power
Administration is now in the process of reviewing the 13 proposals submitted
by the July 13th deadline and will make a recommendation to the Secretary of
Energy within 30 days. The agency is also
updating its environmental studies on Path 15 and will seek public comments
through public meetings to be held in late August.
The Burbank Landfill Gas Microturbine Power Plant, which uses the Capstone microturbine system, began producing nearly 300 kilowatts of electricity.
July 21
Mirant has said it may shut down 600 MW of its Pittsburgh plant next year if
it does not receive air emission waivers from California state officials.
At issue are four peaker units, natural gas-fired boilers and turbines built
in 1954. Air pollution standards that cover the plant are scheduled to get
tighter at the end of the year, but the cost of bringing the four units into
compliance with the new standards would be exorbitant, Mirant said.
July 20
Tucson Electric Power takes steps to add two coal-fired units to the
Springerville Generating Station. The company notes that improvements in
the emission control capabilities of units 1 and 2, combined with the use of
enhanced technologies on units 3 and 4, will result in the addition of 760 megawatts of capacity at the station, with an
overall reduction in SO2 and NOx emissions below current levels.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said on Thursday that conservation alone would not have enough impact on long-term U.S. energy supplies to enable the rest of the nation to avoid a California-style crisis of power blackouts and high
prices. Speaking at a meeting of San Francisco-area business
leaders, Abraham said the United States also needed to upgrade its
transmission system to ensure there is not only adequate power but also a
reliable supply.
July 19
An industry group will study the impact of wind generation on electric
system operations. The project will analyze the impacts of significant amounts of intermittent generation - such as wind
plants - on the real-time operations and short-term planning of electric power systems.
July 18
Avista Corp. has requested an energy surcharge of 36.9 percent in Washington
and 14.7 percent in Idaho. The proposed surcharge would be applied as a uniform percentage increase to the rates for all customer classes in each
state. The temporary surcharge would be effect until the end of 2003.
An expert panel assembled by the Consumer Energy Council of America has determined that
distributed generation can significantly improve the
infrastructure of the nation's electric system.
TransAlta announced today that Pierce Power LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary
of the company, has received all the necessary regulatory approvals for a
new simple-cycle gas-fired power plant to be built in Frederickson,
Washington. The 154 MW plant will consist of seven portable GE gas-fired
turbines installed on a site leased in Pierce County for a 14-month period.
July 17
In a comprehensive review of DOE's R&D efforts to advance
energy-efficient and fossil-fuel technologies, a committee of the National Research Council
found these programs have yielded significant economic, environmental, and national security
benefits. Three energy-efficiency programs, costing approximately $11 million, produced nearly three-quarters of this benefit.
Nearly one in three Californians have slashed their power use by 20
percent or more from a year ago, qualifying for a state-backed 20 percent refund on
their electricity bills.
July 16
90 megawatt peaker plant goes on line in San Diego.
EPRI has released a study on the cost to the U.S. economy of power outages
and disturbances.
EPRI issues report on the costs of electric disturbances
July 12
Neutrogena Corporation and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
have
completed installation of a 200 kilowatt, $1.4 million solar power
system at the company’s headquarters, located near LAX.
The Bonneville Power Administration will fund approximately $10 million
worth of projects aimed at helping fish affected by this year's power
emergency operations.
July 11
On behalf of the Western Governors' Association, Chairman and Idaho Gov.
Kempthorne urges Congress to support
the rapid enactment of electricity reliability legislation.
California Governor Davis announces that the eleventh peaker plant has been
licensed. The eleven plants will provide 925 megawatts when they all come
on line.
July 10
Demand for solar photovoltaic and water-heating systems has outstripped supply at all
levels, from manufacturers to installers. In California, 653 solar systems were installed in the last three months, and another 1,300 are under construction, says the California Energy Commission.
American Indian tribal leaders joined a group of Middleton,
Idaho residents Monday in opposition to
the proposed power plant site southeast of Middleton favored by Ida-West Energy Co.
Fueled by increasing energy prices and a push for more fossil fuels, oil and
natural gas exploration is on the rise in the Rocky Mountain states. And
that means new jobs and new business after a long dry spell.
July 9
Southern California Gas Co. is offering rebates to customers who install
microturbines, small gas turbines, non-diesel internal combustion engines,
solar power (photovoltaics), wind turbines and fuel cells, all of which must
be interconnected with the utility grid to qualify for the program. Higher
incentives are tied to the use of renewable or super-clean generation
technologies.
None of the nearly 30 power plants planned for the Pacific Northwest will operate on hydropower but
will instead rely on natural gas, wind and coal to generate
energy.
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality will
vote on legislation encouraging conservation and promoting energy efficiency
this week. The Subcommittee will meet on Tuesday for opening statements on
the "The Energy Advancement and Conservation Act of 2001."
It may be a little warmer inside Mesa, Arizona city buildings, but officials
say higher air-conditioning settings and other energy-saving processes have already reduced energy usage by 9 percent overall from mid-May to mid-June.
Energy usage dropped even further at the Mesa City Plaza and police buildings (17 percent) and in the Mesa Community Center (22
percent). The City Council also has treated city workers to a relaxed dress code
throughout the week this summer.
Given the troubles in other states, especially neighboring California, some
Arizonans question whether this state's deregulation plans should proceed.
Others, such as Arizona Gov. Jane Hull, argue that Arizona should stay the
course with deregulation, saying Arizona's plan should avoid some of the
pitfalls of other states.
Third new power plant opens in California.
Talks to resolve the pricing dispute between California power users and
providers ended Monday with no resolution. Now the FERC
administrative law judge overseeing the talks will issue a recommendation on what should be
refunded to California.
The Western Area Power Administration has agreed to speed up
environmental studies to approve a proposed power line that would fix the long-standing "Tote 3" electric transmission bottleneck from Wyoming to Colorado's Front Range.
Carbon County, Wyoming's Planning Commission unanimously approved a special-use permit for Clipper Windpower LLC to build 14
turbines east of McFadden and north of Bosler Reservoir. The turbines would be
capable of generating a combined 21 megawatts, said S
July 6
Wyoming ranchers and farmers have formed a group to represent their interests when companies want to lay
pipelines or power lines through their property. Energy Corridors Inc. results from the increasing need for energy transmission out of the Powder River Basin, where coal bed
methane gas drilling is active.
Arizona now has a comprehensive plan to reduce energy use in state
government, Governor Jane Dee Hull said today. The plan is designed to decrease electricity consumption in all buildings
and offices owned or leased by state agencies and especially to decrease electricity consumption during peak-demand periods from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has given El Paso Energy Corp.
permission to reopen a
damaged pipeline that carries natural gas from New Mexico to Southern
California.
July 5
Despite all the talk about new power projects in Campbell County, WY only half of the 1,880 coal-fired megawatts
now on the drawing board might ever come to fruition, according to air quality experts.
Many power projects tend to fall through the cracks because of scarce financing, but it is the increasingly stringent air quality
controls that seriously limit new coal-fired electric generation.
One Arizona utility rescued another when a rare set of generating station
outages threatened the area's power supplies.
European study shows bugs can
damage efficiency of wind turbines.
July 3
Rolling blackouts hit southern Nevada
yesterday. Consumers are urged to
conserve power today to avoid repeat.
California narrowly avoids
blackouts.
A plan by scientists and several of the state's utilities to reduce electricity
usage by turning down the voltage on the state's power grid has received the
endorsement of Gov. Gray
Davis.
Duke Energy releases operating logs for January.
July 2
Public Service Company of New Mexico has announced plans to build a new
gas-fired plant in southern New Mexico. The plant will provide power to
Texas-New Mexico Power in addition to PNM.
New 540 MW Sutter Energy Project is ready to start producing
power. The Calpine plant uses natural gas with very low emissions, and 90 percent less
ground water because of a huge air-cooled condenser which recycles all cooling water. The plant is also highly automated, requiring just 25 people
to keep it running fulltime.
California goes to Stage 2 alert, avoids blackouts.
Montana Governor Judy Martz announced today the members of the Montana Power
Authority. The MPA will be responsible for developing long-term energy policy recommendations for the Governor and issuing up to $500 million in revenue bonds to construct or purchase additional generation and transmission capacity in Montana.
Montana Power Company announced that 15 companies submitted 23 proposals to
generate 1,650 megawatts (MW) of wind power in response to a request for 150
MW of wind power.
July 1
California Governor Davis announces the state conserved 12 percent in June
compared to last year. While overall electricity use continued its downward trend, electricity used during peak times also declined by 14
percent. The California Energy Commission has published data which shows the reduced
demand.
June 29
Sumas Energy 2 submits second revised application to State of
Washington for 660 MW natural gas fired project. Project was denied in February.
BPA will raise rates 46 percent beginning on October
1. The agency had been predicting wholesale rate increase of 250 percent or more unless
utilities agreed to load reduction plans.
BPA will not provide summer spill for migrating
salmon.
June 28
President Bush submits his energy plan to
Congress. President Bush also announces an energy savings plan for the White
House.
EPRI says technology
can help resolve western power crisis.
Southern California Gas Co. broke ground on a new Central Energy Plant that
will provide electricity, heating, and cooling at its three-building Pico
Rivera site. A microturbine will generate 75 kilowatts of electricity for
the site, and the waste heat from the microturbine will be used to help
drive a super-efficient natural gas absorption chiller.
June 27
New 320 MW natural gas plant goes on line in California.
June 25
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announces that BPA will add 830 MW of wind
power. BPA intends to sign pre-development agreements for seven wind power
projects.
BPA, Golden Northwest Aluminum agree to delay power deliveries for six
months, pursue wind energy.
June 21
The city of Bonners Ferry and BPA sign agreement to reduce the amount of
power that this northern Idaho city plans to buy from BPA by 10 percent, or
0.59 megawatt, for one year starting in October 2001.
Utah Gov. Michael O. Leavitt today announced the creation of a proactive statewide energy conservation effort.
Called "PowerForward," the program is a collaborative, statewide effort among the state of Utah, the media, and public and private utility companies aimed at increasing awareness of energy issues and
encouraging conservation.
June 20
DOE has released a new report "The
Impact of Wholesale Electricity Price Controls on California Summer
Reliability"
June 19
Under a plan called "poop to power" by Mayor Dick Murphy, the city
added 1.35 megawatts to the power generation capability of its waste water treatment plant Monday. The power--enough for 1,000 homes--will be generated by a hydroelectric turbine at the city's Point Loma plant. The city already produces 16 megawatts of power, with half sold to the grid.
Southern California Edison reaches agreement with small generators to bring
power back online.
Calpine cleared one of the last hurdles to its power plant in South San Jose on Monday when key energy officials endorsed the project but insisted on some environmental mitigation measures.
Calpine will be forced to install technology to reduce air emissions and noise, and the latter adjustment could add $5 million to the estimated $300 million to $400 million price tag for the Metcalf Energy Center.
Madera Power, a biomass-fueled generation facility located near Fresno,
California, has begun operations and is supplying up to 25 megawatts of
electricity to the California market.
The California ISO is examining ways to increase wind generation in the
state. (Attachment 1
-- Attachment 2
-- Attachment 3)
The Montana state Land Board on Monday told the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to
determine which state-owned
lands would be the most attractive for leasing by developers of wind-power projects. Money from leases would go to public
education.
June 18
FERC has agreed to expand price
mitigation plan to ten other western states in addition to California.
Williams will expand Northwest Pipeline in Washington
State. Construction on the new pipeline segments is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2002.
California announces agreement with San Diego Gas and
Electric.
Under the new requirements for early notification of blackouts, the California ISO has issued a "Power Watch."
Due to rising temperatures,
Stage 1 and 2 are likely to be called for Monday and Tuesday and Stage 3 and
rolling blackouts is a possibility, the ISO said.
The Salt River Project is preparing to pay consumers to relinquish control of their thermostats during times of peak energy
consumption. Under a pilot program being rolled out by SRP later this summer, 300 to 500
customers will be given special radio-controlled thermostats that can be remotely adjusted by the utility.
Calif. State officials will travel to Southern California this week to hear from local residents about a
proposed high voltage transmission line that would crisscross area subdivisions and
vineyards. The $271 million Valley- Rainbow Project would connect San Diego Gas & Electric Co.'s grid to that of Southern California Edison, helping link the southern portion of the state to power plants being built elsewhere in the Southwest and Mexico.
Gov. Gary Locke has asked the federal government to study whether extending daylight-saving time would save significant
amounts of energy without damaging the economy in some unforeseen way.
June 15
Nevada regulators intend to write guidelines for waiving pollution restraints at the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin during periods of electric shortage in Nevada and California.
BPA and California officials have reached agreement on a plan that outlines
when and how BPA may be able to help California during this summer’s
anticipated energy shortages.
June 14
NorthWestern will build 240 MW natural gas plant near Great Falls,
Montana. First 80MW unit will come on line in fall 2001.
About 200 people attended a public comment session on Public Service Co. of New Mexico's
plan to build a
345,000-volt transmission line through Southern
Arizona. It would link a power switchyard near the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix and the Santa Ana Substation 60 miles into Mexico.
The Fresno (Calif.) Chamber of Commerce officially announced its new Rapid Response Program, which focuses on small and medium businesses and
offers them
free consultants' services to identify ways to hold down energy costs.
Alcoa to idle
Wenatchee, Washington, smelter for 15 months.
BPA and Benton PUD have signed
a load reduction agreement that will reduce the utility’s demand on BPA by
10 percent (21 average MW) for one year starting in October 2001.
Puget Sound Energy and BPA have also reached an agreement to reduce the
amount of power purchased from BPA. For five years starting in October
2001, PSE will exchange 368 average megawatts a year for monetary benefits for 820,000 PSE
customers. In addition, an agreement between BPA and Vera Water
& Power will
reduce
the utility’s demand on BPA by 10 percent (2.4 average MW) for one year
starting in October 2001.
June 13
In a major address at the Montana Energy Forum, an upbeat Montana Governor
Martz urged Montanans to join state efforts to reduce energy consumption by 10% saying, "There is no greater way for Montanans to be a part of the solution than to conserve energy."
Gov. Jim Geringer today announced the completion of the first installation of a wind turbine at Curt Gowdy State
Park, located 24 miles west of Cheyenne. The 20 kw vertical axis wind turbine, manufactured by Terra Moya Aqua, Inc., a Wyoming company, will produce electricity to power buildings such as park headquarters and the employee residences at
the park.
California Governor Davis today announced the licensing of the tenth summer-reliability (or
"peaker") power plant by the California Energy Commission
under the expedited emergency review process. The Chula Vista 2 Peaker Generating
Station Project will add 58 megawatts to the electrical grid this summer, and 62.4 megawatts in 2002.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has scheduled an unusual Monday meeting to
discuss electricity pricing in California, a sign the panel will expand its efforts to rein in high wholesale
rates.
Western Area Power Administration is
requesting that
parties interested in "participating in financing and co-ownership of
system additions needed to relieve the constraint on Path 15" contact
WAPA by July 12. There is also a Federal
Register notice and Path
15 information sheet.
California officials have agreed to purchase power for years to come at prices higher than those now being paid in the daily spot
market, according to confidential government records.
A $160 million pipeline expansion has been approved to transport coal
bed methane from the Powder River Basin, nearly tripling the line's capacity.
Wyoming Interstate Co. recently received permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build the 155-mile line parallel to its 2-year-old Medicine Bow Lateral Pipeline.
June 12
Gov. Gary Locke met today with utility executives on the continuing energy crisis and
agreed that the problems have not abated despite the recent drop in wholesale energy
costs. The discussions were part of an on-going series of meetings with utility and energy association
representatives to ensure that Washington continues to have affordable, reliable and renewable sources of energy.
Seattle City Light has signed
a load reduction agreement that will reduce
the utility’s demand on BPA by 49.3 average megawatts.
FERC ordered an expanded inquiry into into whether El Paso Corp. drove up
the price of natural gas destined for California last year by improperly
favoring gas marketing companies it owns in bidding for transportation capacity on one of its pipelines.
FERC orders rehearing into California PUC's complaint concerning
allegations of affiliate abuse and violation of the Affiliate Standards.
California Governor Davis signs order which will allow natural gas plants to
operate this summer even if in violation of air emission limits.
June 11
Prices for natural gas
drop in California as more suppliers start to serve state. However, prices could rise again this summer as demand for
electricity generation rises.
June 10
A 324 MW natural gas generation plant will be built at the Port of Tacoma.
California Governor Davis today signed Executive Order D-39-01, which authorizes the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to implement voluntary, emergency load curtailment programs for commercial, industrial or
other large businesses. In exchange for agreeing to reduce electricity usage during power emergencies, the DWR will offer financial incentives to participating customers.
June 8
Calpine Corporation plans to build a 600-megawatt electric generating
facility to be located in southwestern Riverside County, California. The
proposed Inland Empire Energy Center will feed directly into Southern California Edison's power grid and is intended to serve the rapidly growing
counties of Riverside and San Bernardino. Construction is scheduled to begin
in mid-2002, with commercial operation targeted for late 2004.
Nevada Governor Guinn has signed legislation which will require Nevada
utilities to increase the amount of renewable energy they purchase.
The California ISO asks FERC to revoke market-based rate authority for Duke,
Dynegy, Mirant and Reliant.
June 7
Arizona Gov. Jane Hull unveiled an advertising campaign Wednesday to rekindle the flame of energy conservation in
Arizona, asking people to turn up thermostats and take other simple steps.
If it works, the voluntary program will reduce demand for electricity this summer by 250 megawatts, enough to supply about 200,000 homes, as well as lower costs for utilities and reduce the chance of rolling blackouts.
Arizona Governor Hull also announced the formation of the Arizona Energy
Efficiency Alliance. The Arizona Energy Efficiency Alliance is a coalition
of utility executives, state officials, energy use experts and major
employers working to ensure an adequate energy supply in the state.
Washington Gov. Gary Locke today addressed agriculture, business, education,
environmental and transportation leaders from across Washington to promote
renewable energy sources at sustainability
summit .
Calpine announced its new 540-megawatt South Point Energy Center in Arizona
is generating and selling electricity into the wholesale power market. The
plant is located at the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation in Mohave County, Arizona and will sell power in the Arizona, California, Nevada market.
Should electric utilities charge consumers more during times of heavy demand such as hot summer days? Does current regulation discourage the construction of coal-fired or even nuclear plants? How should
energy -efficient technologies be addressed? Those are some of the questions being asked by the
Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which launched an inquiry into electricity planning issues
Wednesday.
Two power companies that have proposed plants for northeast of Las Vegas at Apex have been
granted the right to lease rights to 1,400 acre feet of water a year over 25 years at an as-yet unspecified rate.
In return for having been granted the water rights, the companies agreed to supply the Las Vegas Water District
with 500 megawatts of power a year at below-market rates.
June 6
The Deseret Generation and Transmission Corp. is looking at building an 80-megawatt plant next to the company's Deserado Coal Mine outside Rangely or 35 miles southwest of Rangely next to the company's existing coal-fired power plant at Bonanza, Utah.
California will install over 3,400 real time electric meters in commercial
and industrial facilities located in the Los Angeles area to save as much as
240 megawatts in peak electricity demand this summer.
PacifiCorp will buy all the energy produced by the new SeaWest Wind
Power farm in southeast Wyoming over the next 20 years. The new wind farm
- Rock River I - will produce enough electricity to power 27,000 homes.
To better track the energy savings, Montana plans to develop a system
that monitors reduction of electricity use on a daily, monthly and annual
basis for each state-owned building.
Southern Nevada Water Authority will launch a $200,000 advertising campaign on Friday that emphasizes that pumping and treating water for residents and businesses consumes vast quantities of
electricity. The authority has run ads to encourage water conservation in the past, but this is the first time it has connected water and power conservation.
June 5
With utilities promising to curtail power purchases and aluminum smelters shut down for two years, the Bonneville Power Administration may be able to
keep its wholesale price increases below 100 percent when rates go up Oct.
1.
Puget Sound Energy says real-time electricity pricing will lead to lower
costs.
After a decade in which almost no coal-fired power plants were built in the United States, suddenly
34 coal plants are being planned across the
country to meet increasing power needs, analysts said on Tuesday.
The Wyoming Water Development Office will look into opportunities across the state for generating
hydropower as it reviews plans for Wyoming's river basins, office Director Mike Besson said last week.
June 4
Following the lead of their counterparts in Oregon, the
ID Public Utilities Commission approved a conservation program that rewards customers reducing their monthly demand by 10 percent from a year ago by reducing their bills by 10
percent.
Arizona Gov. Jane Hull is asking Arizona's local governments to help save energy by adopting the same conservation measures as the
state.
Californian
residents used 11 percent less electricity this May compared to last year. Overall peak demand for electricity use dropped by 10 percent in May compared to one year ago.
FERC has approved a plan to permit a temporary increase in hydroelectric
generation at the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project in Washington State.
June 1
Southern Idaho is sitting atop some of the largest reserves of geothermal
energy in the nation, and experts say tapping that resource could take a
significant bite out of escalating power bills.
BPA will continue limiting amount of water that is released for
fish.
Idaho Falls Power signs load reduction agreement with
BPA.
The new Wyoming Energy Commission has begun discussing how to provide more power lines
and power plants to help meet the nation's demand for more electricity. The 15-member commission, led by
non-voting Chairman Gov. Jim Geringer, held its first meeting Wednesday. The
commission plans to meet monthly and present a report for the Legislature by Dec. 15.
An environmental group on Thursday announced a door-to-door summer campaign to talk 250,000 Californians into energy
conservation. The California Public Interest Research Group wants to encourage citizens statewide to reduce electricity use and urge their elected officials to expand solar, wind and geothermal power.
To avoid having all price controls removed from its electricity markets, California officials said they will
ask the federal government today to let
the agency that monitors most of the state's power grid qualify as a so-called regional transmission
organization.
Calif. Governor Gray Davis announced today that California has signed a 10-year agreement with GWF Energy
to provide a total of 430 megawatts of electricity to the State beginning September 1,
2001. The power will be supplied by GWF's 90 megawatt Hanford Energy Park Peaker
Plant. Two additional plants by the company are expected to be built and in operation in California by 2002
May 31
Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Administrator Christine Todd Whitman toured
the Arizona Public Service Solar Test and Research Center (STAR) in Tempe, a
development and test site for solar electric generation technology.
Following their tour of STAR, Hull and Whitman toured Desert Vista High
School, an energy efficient school in Tempe.
More than two dozen large businesses and public institutions have
cut their energy use by 11 percent and collected $1.7 million as a reward under a special credit program offered by
Eugene, Oregon's municipal utility.
A spokesman for the Salt River Project confirmed that
"rotating
blackouts" of up to 20 minutes are possible in Arizona this
summer, given SRP's shrinking ability to generate more electricity in a pinch.
California ISO called a Stage 2 alert this morning. There are record high
temperatures in parts of the state. As this graph
illustrates, there is a potential for rolling blackouts by this afternoon.
California licenses 16th
plant. The 530 MW natural gas plant, Contra Costa Power Plant Unit 8, will be built by Mirant Delta LLC and is
scheduled to be online in early 2003.
May 30
A new hydroelectric facility is to begin generating power Wednesday, a full year earlier than initially
expected. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will run four turbines at the Diamond Valley Lake reservoir capable of producing 13 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power about 9,750 homes.
Eastern Washington public utility Franklin PUD will reduce its share of BPA
power by 9.5 average megawatts for one year. Another Washington State PUD, Pend Oreille,
will reduce its share of BPA
power by 4 average megawatts through March 2003.
PG&E announced an open season for natural gas transmission
capacity,
inviting suppliers and large commercial and industrial users to submit
requests for firm capacity service on the company's pipelines within
California.
A new web site maintained by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows
real time electricity demand in California along with capacity that is available to meet the
load. In addition to serving as a real-time
management tool for energy users, the site will help consumers better
understand the sources of the state’s energy shortages -- for example, how
much capacity is offline at a given time, how much power needs to be
imported from outside the state to make up for the shortfall, and how supply
and demand change throughout the day.
Kennecott Utah Copper's decision to idle its north concentrator in Magna and lay off 235 workers may provide PacifiCorp customers in Utah with an unexpected gift: lower rates.
Utah's largest electric utility has struck a deal with the copper-mining giant to give Kennecott a credit on its monthly power bill for the estimated 20 to 25 megawatts of electricity the
concentrator no longer needs.
Seattle City Light's electrical rates yesterday went up for the third time this
year as the City Council approved a 9.3 percent increase effective July 1.
The increase comes on the heels of a 10 percent increase on New Year's Day and an 18 percent increase in
March. Council members cautioned that rates will go up a fourth time -- by about 22 percent -- in October.
May 29
PG&E comments on plan to have WAPA expand Path 15.
Under a plan to cut electricity use, Xcel will pay
Colorado homeowners $25 for the option to cycle their air conditioners off and on during the hottest days of the
season.
As part of the ongoing effort to implement a key recommendation of President
Bush’s National Energy Policy, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today called for a transmission infrastructure that ensures reliable electricity
supplies.
Letter from 10 economists expressing concern that FERC has failed to set
just and reasonable wholesale prices for electricity in California.
A proposed high-voltage Idaho Power Co. transmission line between Boise and
Caldwell will be the subject of open houses today in Boise and Wednesday in Caldwell.
A U.S. appeals court has turned down a lawsuit filed by California
legislators trying to force FERC to impose price caps.
May 28
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has directed the Western Area Power
Administration (WAPA) to take the first step toward building the necessary transmission capacity to relieve the bottleneck in California's Path
15.
May 25
The Senate has approved President Bush's FERC
nominees.
Clark Public Utility District agrees to reduce power purchase from
BPA.
California Governor Davis has announced legal steps the state is taking to
stop high rates charged by some energy companies.
The California Energy Commission has released a new report, "Natural Gas
Infrastructure Issues." According to the report, if planned
infrastructure improvements are completed, the state will have adequate natural gas
supplies next winter.
Western coalition urges Secretary Abraham to support federal electricity
reliability legislation that contains key provisions endorsed by western
governors.
With the coming Memorial Day weekend scheduled to kick off a summer of skyrocketing energy demands in the West,
Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne said today that Idaho
has become the first state in the nation to receive federal approval to bring additional power generation on line by modifying operating requirements at hydroelectric
facilities.
A new natural gas-fired electricity plant west of Phoenix - one of a new
generation of "combined cycle" generators - is the largest of its kind in
North America, its Dallas-based developers said Thursday.
Calif. Governor Gray Davis today announced 73 more megawatts from a Redding power plant will be available to meet California's demand for
electricity this summer. The California Energy Commission approved the City of Redding's request to eliminate limitations on their existing power plant, allowing it to run at maximum capacity to meet summer peak
demand and energy shortages.
Reliant Energy has reduced the price of power from three plants in the Los
Angeles area in anticipation that air quality officials will lift operating restrictions and allow the plants to operate additional hours this summer.
Utah's Legislature's Public Utilities and Technology Interim Committee
Wednesday heard
testimony on implementing a program that allows customers of a major utility to generate their own power that can be sold back for use on the utility's grid.
The Bonneville Power Administration said yesterday that Portland-based PacifiCorp has agreed to take less electricity than it had originally signed up
for, the latest in a series of agreements BPA hopes will hold in check a rate increase planned for October.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will continue marking up the
"Electricity Emergency Relief Act" today. Arguments over price controls in
Western electricity markets delayed a vote on Thursday.
A federal advisory panel Thursday urged the Bush administration to identify
the five most promising areas to drill for natural gas in coastal waters off
California and other states.
May 24
Mirant Corp. has agreed
to provide California with 500 MW of power under a 19 month contract
beginning on June 1.
PacfiCorp will reduce the amount of power it buys from BPA for next five
years.
The Nevada Assembly approved Assembly Bill 661 which allows large customers -- those who purchase at least 1 megawatt of power -- to purchase electricity from companies other than Sierra Pacific Power and Nevada
Power.
A major electricity supplier said Thursday it will sharply cut prices for power from three Southern California plants in anticipation that air quality monitors will let the plants release more pollution this summer.
California Governor Davis announces
a blackout warning plan.
Xcel Energy in Colorado is forecasting it will have to buy electricity, probably at premium prices, on at least eight days this summer to cover heavy demand.
To reduce those expensive purchases, the state's largest utility is seeking permission from regulators to pay big electricity users
to curtail their power during peak times.
The nation's nuclear utilities are preparing to build at least 50 power plants in the next 20
years, the industry's top officials announced today.
May 23
AZ Gov. Jane Hull is urging Arizonans to cut down electricity use - or at least shift when they use it.
Pinnacle West Energy dedicated its new natural-gas-fired electricity generating plant
in Phoenix Tuesday, the first large power plant built in the Valley in a quarter-century.
The 120-megawatt plant is one of four new Arizona plants starting up this summer that together will generate 2,000 megawatts, about what is now under construction in all of Southern California.
Desperately seeking megawatts, San Diego Gas & Electric Co. wants to pay local industries to fire up their high-polluting emergency diesel
generators this summer to relieve the electricity grid and avoid rolling
blackouts.
With Silicon Valley electricity demands expected to surpass supply next year, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has
received approval to build a 7.3-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line from Fremont to San Jose and a new substation to serve northeast San Jose.
Some employees in Clovis City, Calif., will work 10-hour days Monday through Thursday between June 11 and Aug.
24. City Council members unanimously approved a proposal Monday night that will cut the city's energy bills while keeping the doors of city hall open for extended hours from Monday to Thursday.
May 22
Eleven
new power plants are in the planning or construction phase for Arizona.
Governor Gray Davis today signed
legislation to speed siting of power plants in California. The bill contains a series of provisions designed to encourage the expedited siting of clean new electric generation in California, including expedited permitting timelines, air emission offsets, and waivers of standby charges for small distributed generation facilities.
FERC is requesting comments on a request that price caps be reimposed
in the California natural gas market. Comments should be filed within 20
days.
The House Resources Committee Subcommittee on Energy & Mineral Resources
holds a hearing on "Short-term Solutions for Increasing Energy Supply
from the Public Lands."
California's legislative leaders have asked a federal appeals court to order
federal regulators to cap wholesale electricity prices.
Mexican Energy Secretary Ernesto Martens said yesterday that Mexico won't set any limit on the number of power plants in Baja California supplying electricity north of the
border.
Sierra Pacific Resources on Monday said it intends to make a $5 million contribution to help low-income customers pay their bills.
May 21
Pinnacle West Energy will bring a new 120 MW natural gas plant located near
Phoenix on-line on May 22.
BPA and Columbia Falls Aluminum Company, located near Kalispell, Mont., have
reached an agreement to close the plant for up to two
years.
The California ISO is developing an emergency
blackout notification system that would go into effect on June 1. The ISO expects to issue 24-hour forecasts
generally detailing when and where blackouts can be expected. The ISO has also developed a draft white paper on:
The Development of
Electric System Emergencies and the Emergency Response Communication Network.
California has licensed another "peaker" plant. Calpine Corporation's
135-megawatt Gilroy City Project is expected to come on-line by September 30,
2001.
May 19
Governor Davis, several elected officials, and members of the California Conservation Corps
(CCC) in 11 different cities statewide, walked through neighborhoods, distributing compact fluorescent
light bulbs and information on conservation measures for residential households. The
PowerWalk was created when the Governor signed AB 29X
which provided $20 million for the creation of the Mobile Efficiency Light Brigade
(PowerWalk).
A California Senate committee heard additional details on allegations of
electric companies taking advantage of the state's deregulation. The head of
the PUC testified that records show several plants in the state cut
production and then benefited when prices rose.
May 18
FERC is proposing to direct natural gas sellers and transporters serving the
California market to provide additional information as the agency continues
to investigate allegations of price gouging and market abuse. FERC noted
that it is "concerned that the price disparity between California and the
rest of the country continues."
Utilities in Phoenix say they are building power plants in the metropolitan area because
power-line constraints limit how much electricity they can get from other
states.
President Bush issued two Executive Orders today which were recommended in
the energy policy report issued yesterday. One orders federal agencies to
expedite energy-related projects like refineries and power plants and the other
orders federal agencies to prepare statements on regulations
that impact energy supplies.
May 17
President Bush releases the National Energy Policy Development Group's
report "Reliable,
Affordable, and Environmentally Sound Energy for America's Future".
Remarks by the President
yesterday after National Energy Policy is delivered to the
Cabinet.
While the Northwest looks warily toward a shortage of hydropower this year, a boom in natural gas-fired generating plants is
sweeping the region, promising more power and a new set of energy challenges.
The Utah Legislature's Energy Policy Task Force met yesterday to discuss
regional transmission bottlenecks. Members were told that if the Western power grid is like the interstate highway network, then
part of the existing energy crisis stems from electrical "traffic jams" at bottlenecks in the grid.
The Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) this week approved Utah Power's proposed energy conservation program to reward customers who cut their electricity use 20 percent with an extra 20 percent off their monthly
bills. At the same time, though, the PSC ordered the utility to expand the program. It wants Utah Power to offer financial incentives to consumers who cut their electricity usage 10 percent or more.
California should form a "buyers' cartel" with Oregon and Washington to rein in soaring energy
prices, nine Calif. Assembly Democrats said yesterday.
May 16
California issues a license for a 15th major power
plant. The 500 MW Three Mountain Power Plant will be a combined cycle, natural gas-fired facility.
FERC issues a
follow-up order to its March 14 order on electricity shortages. These actions included: incentives for projects that increase electric
energy transmission capacity in the short term and for projects that
increase supply; authorizing wholesale customers and retail customers (where
permitted under state rules) who reduce consumption to resell their load reduction at wholesale at market-based rates; and granting expeditious
consideration for proposals for greater operating flexibility at licensed hydroelectric projects to increase generation while protecting environmental
resources.
FERC issues an order on QFs in the Western
Interconnection.
International Fuel Cell announced the sale of a 200 kilowatt fuel cell to
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
A new program from Pacific Gas and Electric Company
will let large
industrial customers retrieve information on their previous
day's energy consumption and control their usage with the click of a button
- all from their desktop computer.
California Governor Davis signs bill creating the California Power
Authority. The Power Authority will have broad powers to construct, own
and operate electric generation and power facilities, including natural gas
transportation and storage facilities, and to finance energy conservation programs.
The Bonneville Power Administration today announced an agreement with Alcoa that will
curtail operations at the Alcoa Ferndale
(Intalco) plant for up to two years and compensate workers in the interim.
The agreement is key to shrinking an upcoming region-wide wholesale electric rate increase scheduled for Oct. 1.
May 15
In Congress, the Democratic Caucus Energy Task Force has released its energy
plan.
Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull today released the state's
"Smart Energy Usage" plan to reduce energy consumption and reduce peak demand in state
facilities. Governor Hull signed an executive order asking state employees to take a
number of steps to lessen energy use, including turning off computers and lights when not in use.
The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) has released its 2001
Summer Assessment. NERC anticipates that California will experience about 260 hours of blackouts this summer, much higher than state estimates.
NERC Press Release
-- Report
During a hearing, a FERC administrative law judge said a memo
written by a El Paso Natural Gas subsidiary seems to imply market abuse in
California. The FERC hearing will continue for at least a week.
The California PUC has set a tiered rate structure for the way various types
of customers will be billed for electric usage. The Commission adopted a
3-cent/kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate increase on March 27, 2001. The structure charges higher rates for those who consume a higher amount over their
"baseline" rate.
Governor Davis sends letter to FERC urging the Commissioners not to release
Qualified Facilities from long-term contracts.
May 14
As energy costs head skyward, office building managers from California to New York are scrambling to
conserve. They're shutting off lights and elevators, turning down air conditioners, and asking tenants to use
energy- efficient laptop computers and turn off coffee makers and photocopiers at night.
May 12
Southern California air quality officials Friday approved sweeping reforms of their most ambitious anti-smog program to avoid constraining electricity production during an upcoming summer of predicted
blackouts.
President Bush speaks about energy conservation in his radio address to the
nation.
May 11
The Bonneville Power Administration is urging the White House to
increase its authority to borrow from the federal Treasury by $2 billion to build new electricity lines and improve power-generating
facilities.
Governor Judy Martz announced she has created an
interdepartmental task force to facilitate joint actions by state agencies relating to the development of energy projects in
Montana. The Interagency Energy Development Task Force was established by Executive Order
7-01.
There is a new report available from the Wa | 
