North America News

Latest news and developments from North America region

• Duke Energy Florida plans three new battery storage sites

  August 26, 2020
  Duke Energy Florida (DEF), a part of Duke Energy, has recently announced its plans to add three new battery energy storage sites, totalling 30 MW, to enhance power quality, reliability and critical services during outages in Florida.

• FERC draws mixed comments on cybersecurity incentives framework

  August 25, 2020
  A white paper from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on potential cybersecurity incentives policy (CIP) drew mixed comments from municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, state utility regulators, investor-owned utilities and grid-security advocacy groups.

• Canadian BC Hydro makes progress on 500 kV project [free access]

  August 24, 2020
  Canada-based BC Hydro recently announced the completion of 200 towers on the first of the two 500 kV transmission lines connecting Site C (near Fort St. John in north eastern British Columbia province) to the overall transmission network, through the existing Peace Canyon substation.

• Mitsubishi, Powin secure 200 MW BESS projects in Texas

  August 21, 2020
  Key Capture Energy (KCE)—a large-scale energy storage independent power producer (IPP)—has selected Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (MHPS) and Powin Energy Corporation (Powin) to build three utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects totalling 200 MW in Texas.

• MISO’s Board of Directors to soon approve MISO-PJM interregional project

  August 20, 2020
  The Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) Board of Directors is expected to approve the first major MISO-PJM interregional project, after it was recommended by the regional transmission operators (RTOs) in 2019. The project was first identified in the 2018-19 MISO-PJM Coordinated System Plan (CSP).

• LS Power energises the world’s largest battery storage project in California

  August 20, 2020
  LS Power has energised the world’s largest battery storage project—250 MW Gateway Energy Storage, located in the East Otay Mesa community in San Diego County, California. The lithium-ion battery system, currently at 230 MW, is on track to reach 250 MW by end-August 2020.

• Linxon bags contract for onshore substation in Massachusetts

  August 18, 2020
  Linxon, a joint venture (JV) between Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation ABB and Canadian engineering services company SNC-Lavalin, has bagged a contract for the construction of an onshore substation for the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project in Massachusetts, USA.

• NYPSC gets update on grid study underway for State transmission planning

  August 17, 2020
  The New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) heard a progress report on a grid study underway to identify distribution upgrades, local transmission upgrades and bulk transmission investments needed in the State.

• US Senator, democrats request FERC for incentivising smart grid technology

  August 12, 2020
  A US Senator, along with 12 democrats in a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), requested the latter to support performance-based incentives that would promote the use of smart grid technologies; in turn improving the capacity and efficiency of the existing transmission grid, resulting in lower costs for consumers.

• FERC approves MISO’s ‘storage-as-transmission’ proposal [free access]

  August 11, 2020
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) proposal, which allows energy storage resources to be selected as transmission-only assets as part of the grid operator's annual grid expansion plans.

• Study estimates benefits of planned transmission strategy for New York

  August 11, 2020
  A study conducted for Anbaric Development Partners (an American electric power transmission and microgrid development company located in Wakefield, Massachusetts) by the Brattle Group (a consultancy service provider company) has estimated that New York State would save about USD500 million through a planned transmission strategy for its next 7,200 MW of offshore wind (OSW), in comparison to the generator lead line (GLL) approach, where a project developer is responsible for building its own offshore transmission network to connect to the onshore network.

• FERC report analyses co-locating transmission in transportation corridors

  August 10, 2020
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in a report has briefed the federal lawmakers on the opportunities and barriers associated with building the required high voltage (HV) power transmission infrastructure, alongside transportation corridors (such as highways and railroads) in the US.

• Open solicitation launched for 2,100 MW Midwestern transmission line

  August 10, 2020
  The SOO Green HVDC Link is a first-of-its-kind infrastructure project to transport renewable energy via an underground 525 kV HVDC transmission line along an existing railroad (following a co-location model—co-locating transmission along a transportation corridor).

• FERC rejects SPP’s proposed energy imbalance service market [free access]

  August 5, 2020
  The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) will have to revise elements of its plan for launching a new Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) next year, as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rejected the grid operator’s proposal for implementing the WEIS, slated to serve entities in the Western Interconnection (one of the two major power grids in US, the second being Eastern Interconnection).

• SPP approves waiver review process for byway facility cost allocation

  August 3, 2020
  The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Board of Directors and Regional State Committee recently gave their green light to a process that allows companies with transmission projects of between 100 kV and 300 kV (byway facilities) to apply for a waiver from the cost allocation methodology and be fully allocated prospectively on a region-wide basis.

• Texas PUC approves withdrawal of CCN transfer over ROFR legislation

  August 3, 2020
  The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved the withdrawal of the certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) rights transfer between NextEra Energy Transmission Southwest LLC (NEET Southwest) and Rayburn Country Electric Cooperative Inc.

• NYPA, Siemens partner on new cybersecurity centre for utilities

  August 3, 2020
  The New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the German multinational conglomerate, Siemens Energy, have announced a new partnership to develop a Center of Excellence on industrial cybersecurity.

• FERC approves MISO’s cost allocation overhaul for projects; declines 100 kV MEP threshold for competitive projects

  July 30, 2020
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently approved Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) cost allocation overhaul for large economic transmission projects, in the third round of its original proposal.

• Entergy Texas completes Western Region Economic Project

  July 30, 2020
  Entergy Texas, a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, has recently completed the final phase of its Western Region Economic Project, which called for the construction of a new transmission line and upgrades in existing lines and facilities, to support the rising power demand of Southeast Texas.

• BLM seeks comments on proposed 230 kV Golden Valley line project

  July 30, 2020
  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM)’s Kingman Field Office is seeking public input on an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate impacts from the proposed 230 kV Golden Valley transmission line project in eastern Golden Valley and the west side of Kingman.