News | Energy Bar Association

Court Questions FERC Change on ISO-NE Renewable Exemption

A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday questioned whether FERC had changed its position without adequate explanation in its approval of ISO-NE’s renewable technology resource (RTR) exemption from its minimum offer price rule (17-1110). New England generating companies — including NextEra Energy Resources, NRG Power Marketing and PSEG Energy Resources & Trade — sued the commission last year over the exemption, which allows 200 MW of renewables annually (up to a 600-MW

Unlike PJM, grid operator MISO not seeking changes to power plant payments

The Midwest’s primary transmission grid operator doesn’t see a looming reliability crisis as utilities phase out uneconomic coal and nuclear plants. In response to a call for input on electric grid resilience issues, MISO told federal regulators last month that it is confident in its ability to plan new generation as older plants retire. The position puts it in contrast with its neighbor to the east, the PJM Interconnection, which asked for new rules that critics say would benefit coal and nucle

Federal coal's day in court

An obscure decision by a federal judge has prompted an important question for policymakers mulling energy policy: Does federal coal mined in the West have a bigger impact on global climate change than it does on the nation’s economy?

In Illinois, the humble utility pole meets the smart grid

The wooden utility pole has changed little since it was first used in the mid-19th Century to string telegraph line between cities. At a test site in Champaign, Illinois, though, researchers are getting a glimpse at how the humble utility pole could get a reboot for the smart grid era.

Chinas pressure to stop energy projects dents economic growth in Vietnam

Vietnam faces a pinch to economic development as China pressures it to stop exploring in a disputed sea for oil and natural gas, two important fuel sources for the fast-growing Southeast Asian country, analysts say. Spanish driller Repsol last month quit a Vietnamese-approved project at Vanguard Bank in the South China Sea, apparently under pressure from China, foreign media reports and political experts say. Now Vietnam is considering a $4.6 billion gas exploration project with ExxonMobil off i

Virginia Supreme Court makes it easier for utilities to look for renewable energy

The Virginia Supreme Court has upheld a case that makes it easier for big electric users to shop around for renewable energy. The court upheld an earlier decision by state regulators allowing large customers to purchase 100 percent renewable energy from an independent producer without restrictions.

Can Russia maintain European energy dominance?

Currently, more than half of the energy consumed in the EU is imported extraterritorially. Of that share, Russia supplies 37.4 percent of gas consumed by the member states. With the decline of domestic resources, this amount is likely to increase. Critics fear that Europe’s energy security is under strain as Moscow has been accused of wielding energy exports as a weapon in conflicts with its neighbors

Smart transmission: How FERC can spur modernization of the bulk power system

The world's largest machine needs an upgrade — and it's costing consumers big money. America's 7 million miles of transmission and distribution system wires, often called the planet's biggest networked machine, have an estimated value as high as $2 trillion. Built up over a century, the network supports the world's largest economy, but there are mounting worries it is not keeping up with the times.

Arizona law backed by utilities declaws clean energy mandates

Arizona utilities could violate the state’s clean energy standards for nominal penalties under a law Gov. Doug Ducey (R) signed March 23. His signature ends less than two weeks of debate among lawmakers over fast-tracked legislation aiming to preemptively declaw higher renewable energy mandates a group wants to bring to voters this year. Arizona’s largest electric utility, Arizona Public Service Co., pushed the measure.

FERC among targets of Iranian hackers charged by DOJ

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is among the targets of alleged Iranian hackers indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on March 23. Nine members of an Iran-based company stole data from hundreds of universities and dozens of companies around the world, DOJ said, acting in many cases on behalf of Iran's government. The Department of Labor and state governments in Hawaii and Indiana were also targeted.