Department of Energy Reports Major Breakthrough in Fusion Energy Research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Dec. 13 announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a development that DOE said is a “major scientific breakthrough decades in the making that will pave the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power.”
Small Modular Reactor Technology Delivers Reliability, Resiliency, Safety and Affordability
New nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMR), have reached a point where they are able to help utilities address growing concerns about fulfilling their core mission: delivering safe, affordable, and reliable electric power.
PacifiCorp Agrees to Join California ISO’s Extended Day-Ahead Market
PacifiCorp, a utility which operates in six states, recently announced its plan to join the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) being developed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), as well as the Western Power Pool’s Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP).
Quidnet Awarded $10 Million to Fund CPS Energy Pumped Hydro Storage Project
Quidnet Energy has been selected to receive $10 million in funding from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) for a pumped hydro storage project the Houston company is developing for CPS Energy, the public power utility serving San Antonio, Texas.
Maine’s Secretary of State Clears Path for Voters to Consider Public Power Utility in 2023
Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows in late November announced the completion of the certification of petitions that will allow voters in the state next year to consider replacing investor-owned utilities in Maine with a statewide, consumer-owned utility.
Chelan PUD Commissioners Approve PUD Joining Resource Adequacy Program
Chelan PUD commissioners recently voted for the Washington State PUD to join the Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP), the first reliability planning and compliance program in the Northwest, which has been in the works since 2019.
SPP Takes Next Step in Expansion Of its Wholesale Market
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has taken the next step toward the centralization of day-ahead and real-time unit commitment and dispatch that the wholesale grid operator said would pave the way for the reliable integration of a rapidly growing fleet of renewable generation.
Interior Awards Five Leases for Offshore Wind in Northern California
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), a division of the Department of the Interior (DOI), recently awarded five leases for offshore wind power development along the California coast.
APPA’s Adrienne Lotto Emphasizes Importance of Layered Defenses for Grid Security
When it comes to grid security, the importance of layered defenses cannot be overstated, and while the power sector has a good overall understanding of the risk it is facing in this area, to the extent that more information can be shared from the federal government to entities and utilities, that is helpful for utilities to understand their risks and respond accordingly, said Adrienne Lotto, Senior Vice President of Grid Security, Technical & Operations Services, American Public Power Association (APPA), on Dec. 7.
ERCOT Creates Curtailment Program for Large Flexible Customers during Peak Demand Periods
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is implementing a voluntary curtailment program allowing large flexible customers, such as bitcoin mining facilities, to reduce their power use during periods of high demand, it said on Dec. 6.