North America News

Latest news and developments from North America region

• PJM issues additional load shed directives in Ohio

  June 15, 2022
  PJM Interconnection (PJM) has issued additional load shed directives in the American Electric Power (AEP) service territory in Ohio, to address overloads to local transmission facilities.

• NYISO releases Power Trends 2022 [free access]

  June 13, 2022
  The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has released its annual grid and markets report titled "Power Trends 2022: The Path to a Reliable, Greener Grid for New York".

• Xcel Energy receives regulatory approval for USD1.7 billion project

  June 13, 2022
  Xcel Energy Inc. has got regulatory approval for its USD1.7 billion Colorado Power Pathways project, which will involve the construction of a 650-mile (1,040-km), 345 kV double-circuit transmission line.

• SRP seeks ACC approval for 230 kV Project Hucklebberry

  June 13, 2022
  SRP, the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, has applied to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) for the proposed Project Huckleberry.

• FEMA approves USD600 million to rebuild Puerto Rico’s grid

  June 13, 2022
  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has approved nearly USD600 million for the purchase of materials and equipment needed to rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid.

• State regulators urge FERC to reject MISO’s proposed 2030 start date for aggregated DERs

  June 9, 2022
  The state utility regulators in the Midcontinent Independent Service Operator (MISO) region have urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to disallow MISO’s proposal to wait until 2030 before letting aggregated distributed energy resources (DER) participate in its power markets.

• US DOE announces loan guarantee for advanced energy storage project in Utah

  June 8, 2022
  The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a USD504.4 million loan guarantee for the Advanced Clean Energy Storage project in Utah, making it the first loan guarantee for a new clean energy technology project from DOE’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) since 2014.

• CAISO files proposed changes to generator interconnection process with FERC

  June 7, 2022
  The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has filed a broad set of proposed changes (ER22-2018) to its generator interconnection process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), after experiencing a 141 per cent increase in grid connection requests from project developers in 2021.

• US FEMA approves 15 projects to rebuild Puerto Rico’s power grid

  June 7, 2022
  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has approved 15 electric generation, transmission, and distribution projects under theFEMA Accelerated Awards Strategy (FAASt) programme, to rebuild Puerto Rico’s power grid.

• US authorises use of DPA to accelerate clean energy equipment manufacturing

  June 6, 2022
  The US President has issued presidential determinations providing the US Department of Energy (DOE) with the authority to utilise the Defense Production Act (DPA) to accelerate domestic production of five critical energy technologies: solar panel parts like photovoltaic (PV) modules and module components; critical power grid infrastructure like transformers; building insulation; heat pumps; and electrolyzers, fuel cells, and platinum group metals.

• FERC receives stakeholder comments for generator interconnection reforms

  June 6, 2022
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)has received a wide range of recommendations by clean energy advocates, regional grid operators, developers, and transmission owners for reforming outdated generator interconnection policies, which have resulted in a major backlog of proposed renewable energy projects seeking to connect to the nation's power grid.

• FERC approves joint MISO-SPP interconnection proposal [free access]

  June 6, 2022
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved the proposals of Midcontinent Independent Service Operator (MISO) and Southwest Power Pool (SPP) to change the interconnection queue priority rules in their joint operating agreement.

• US DOE launches i2X partnership funded by BIL [free access]

  May 31, 2022
  The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X), a new partnership funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

• US BLM approves RMP’s 500 kV Gateway South project

  May 31, 2022
  The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a notice to proceed, granting permission to PacifiCorp’s subsidiary Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) to start construction on its 500 kV Gateway South Project.

• US DOI announces first ever OSW lease sale on west coast

  May 30, 2022
  The US Department of the Interior (DOI) has announced the proposed auction details for the first-ever offshore wind (OSW) lease sale proposed on the country’s west coast.

• Alaskan utilities to invest USD261 million in Railbelt transmission infrastructure upgrades

  May 30, 2022
  The five Railbelt utilities, along with Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), have announced plans to spend USD261 million on transmission line upgrades from Homer to Fairbanks.

• UI unveils details of USD208 million project

  May 30, 2022
  New Haven-based United Illuminating Company (UI), a subsidiary of Avangrid, has unveiled details of the Fairfield to Congress Railroad Power Line upgrade project in Connecticut.

• CAD157 million EWT line comes into service

  May 30, 2022
  NextBridge Infrastructure, a partnership of NextEra Energy Canada, Enbridge and OMERS infrastructure, announced that its CAD157 million East-West Tie (EWT) project was put in-service in April 2022.

• MISO proposes to limit competition in USD10.3 billion LRTP Tranche 1

  May 26, 2022
  According to a proposal filed with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) plans to assign transmission projects involving at least 80 per cent investment in upgrades to the existing system, to incumbent utilities, as part of its USD10.4 billion Long-Range Transmission Plan (LRTP) Tranche 1.

• Vistra Energy commissions largest BESS in Texas

  May 25, 2022
  Texas-based energy company—Vistra Energy—has brought the 260 MW/260 MWh DeCordova energy storage facility online in Texas, making it the state’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS).