Category — Business Developments

On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, the California Independent System Operator Corporation (“CAISO”) and PacifiCorp executed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) committing to jointly work toward the creation of a real-time energy imbalance market (“EIM”).  The parties identified several potential benefits from an EIM: participating in the EIM would allow PacifiCorp to quickly and accurately balance resources, efficiently meeting the needs of its transmission customers, while allowing CAISO to utilize its existing EIM system and processes to gain access to a wider array of resources.  Initially the EIM would be expanded only to include PacifiCorp, but both CAISO and PacifiCorp envision the EIM potentially including additional entities.  [Read more →]

On January 9, 2013, Google announced its approximately $200 million equity investment in the Spinning Spur Wind Project, a 161 megawatt, 70 turbine wind facility built by EDF Renewable Energy in Oldham County, near Amarillo, Texas.  The energy created at Spinning Spur is contracted to Southwestern Public Service Company, which primarily serves customers in Texas and New Mexico. [Read more →]

On December 5, 2012, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) released the results of a long-awaited study that it commissioned regarding the macroeconomic impacts of liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) exports from the U.S.  Notably, the study, conducted by NERA Economic Consulting (“NERA”), concluded that “LNG exports have net economic benefits in spite of higher domestic natural gas prices.”  The study also determined that LNG exports from the U.S. would have a relatively small impact on domestic prices, and that LNG exports from the U.S. are “not likely to affect the overall level of employment in the U.S.” [Read more →]

On September 5, 2012, Royal Dutch Shell plc (“Shell”) announced it would be moving forward with the Quest carbon capture and storage (“CCS”) project in the oil sands near northern Alberta, Canada (“Quest Project”).  The Quest Project will be the world’s first commercial-scale CCS project in the Canadian oil sands.  Shell will hold majority ownership in the Quest Project and will serve as the designer, builder, and operator of the CCS facility. [Read more →]

On July 22, 2012, NRG Energy, Inc. (“NRG”) and GenOn Energy, Inc. (“GenOn”) announced that the two companies intend to merge and operate under the name NRG Energy.  The companies claim that the merger, if completed, will create the nation’s largest competitive power generation company with approximately 47,000 MW serving the east, west, and Gulf Coast regions, and lead to $300 million in annual benefits in its first full year of operations. [Read more →]

On June 9, 2012, the Commission accepted the revised compliance filing by Duke Energy Corp. (“Duke”) and Progress Energy, Inc. (“Progress”) (collectively the “Applicants”), paving the way for full Commission approval of their merger. [Read more →]

On April 11, 2012, the New York Energy Highway Task Force issued a Request for Information (“RFI”) regarding ideas for developing New York State’s “aging energy infrastructure” and promoting clean energy supplies, jobs and economic growth. [Read more →]

On March 22, 2012, President Obama issued an executive order aimed at streamlining the federal infrastructure permitting process. [Read more →]

On March 22, 2012, American Electric Power Company (“AEP”) officially notified PJM Interconnection LLC (“PJM”) and Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (“SPP”) of its plan to retire more than 4,600 MW of generating capacity in the their respective regions between 2012 and 2016. [Read more →]

On February 29, 2012, GenON Energy, Inc. (“GenON”) announced its 2011 financial results, and plans to deactivate 3,140 MW of generating capacity in the PJM Interconnection LLC (“PJM”) region between 2012 and 2015.  GenON’s news release pointed to costs for additional environmental controls and stated that “forecasted returns on investments necessary to comply with environmental regulations are insufficient.” [Read more →]