Pattern Energy on Jan. 6 began commercial operation of four New Mexico wind projects comprising its 1,050-MW Western Spirit Wind suite, the largest single-phase renewable-energy project in U.S. history. The $2-billion project suite, located in central New Mexico, will connect to the Public S… Read MoreQuick Bites: Energy News Roundup
We are excited to announce an upcoming virtual event exploring linkages among different elements of the West's electric-system transformation. Read MoreLate-February Virtual Event to Explore Changing Western Electric System
It was the night after Christmas, and as I gazed out the window from my room on the third floor of the Gold Miner's Inn in downtown Grass Valley, I could see a cascade of falling snowflakes in the glow of the streetlight below. The snow was coming down really hard. And I knew if it was snowi… Read MoreFirst Person: Riding the Storm Out in the Sierras in the Midst of Electric Outages
Energy prices across the West generally dropped as temperatures returned to near seasonal norms, blunting demand. The region had experienced roughly two weeks of "sustained below-normal temperatures," according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Read MoreExiting Cold Drops Demand, Prices
The California Public Utilities Commission is proposing a cap of 38 million metric tons annually on greenhouse gas emissions from the state's electricity sector by 2030, down from a 42-MMT GHG target previously set in 2018. Read MoreCPUC Eyes Aggressive Electricity Sector Emissions Reduction by 2030
The California Public Utilities Commission is pushing forward two proposed battery energy storage facilities in Central California instead of upgrading existing nearby transmission lines, citing a lower cost for the battery storage projects. Read MoreCPUC Pushes Forward Battery Storage in Lieu of Transmission Upgrades
The California Energy Commission proposed $4.8 million in grants for electric-vehicle charging infrastructure projects in rural areas of the state. Most of California's EV chargers are currently located in urban and suburban areas. Read MoreEnergy Commission Proposes Rural EV Charger Funding
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In the latest Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about growing summer reliability risks for the Western power grid, the latest push to make the California Independent System Operator into an independent organized market, a developer's proposal to pair pumped storage with wind turbines off the Oregon coast, new metrics to assess the risk of capacity shortfalls in the Northwest, and more.
We want to hear from you on energy issues and to share your thoughts with our readership. Read moreVoices From Behind the Meter
A Pacific Gas & Electric power line caused California's largest single wildfire, which destroyed more than 1,300 structures and spread particulate matter over people throughout the West, fire officials determined this week. Read MorePG&E Power Line Ignited Dixie Fire, Costing $656 Million in Firefighting Expenses
Tens of thousands of Pacific Gas & Electric customers were still without power in Northern California as the week closed out, after a severe winter storm pounded the region with snow directly after Christmas, felling trees and taking down countless power lines and poles. Read MoreNorthern California Storm Takes PG&E Electric Grid Down for Weeks
The Hyatt power plant at Oroville Dam returned to operation Jan. 1 after having been taken off line by the California Department of Water Resources in August due to low lake levels. Read MoreHyatt Power Plant Operations Resume
Although the results of the first California Department of Water Resources snow survey of the season are promising, the drought remains ongoing, the agency said. Read MoreDecember Storms Bolster California Snowpack; Long-Term Drought Persists
One of the biggest energy stories from the final quarter of 2021 was the 26th Conference of Parties, convened by the United Nations, and one of the major themes that emerged from the event was the trends in policies and partnerships coming out of the European Union—including hydrogen for power. Read MoreHyDeal Los Angeles Looks to Copy the Success of Its European Model
The Northwest got a blanket of snow and an extended period of freezing temperatures that started in the early hours of Dec. 26 and continued for days, driving up energy demand and causing grid outages in some areas. Read MoreNorthwest Storm Drives Outages as Water Year Shifts Into High Gear
New Mexico regulators at a meeting Jan. 5 unanimously agreed to entertain a proposal by state legislators to study the potential for a statewide public utility. Read MoreNew Mexico Considers Public Utility Study, Hydrogen Hub Legislation
New Mexico's largest utility and a multinational energy giant that sought to acquire it said they have extended their merger agreement despite a unanimous vote by state regulators Dec. 8 to deny the multibillion-dollar deal. Read MorePNM, Avangrid 'Renew Commitment' to Failed Merger, Appeal NMPRC Decision
The developer of two proposed geothermal power plants in the northern Nevada desert says a federal judge's ruling this week granting a 90-day pause on plant construction scheduled to begin Jan. 6 could prevent Nevada and California from meeting their renewable-energy goals. Read MoreRare Toad, Sacred Tribal Springs Thwart Nevada Geothermal Plans
A late-December fire that burned more than 6,000 acres and destroyed nearly 1,000 structures in Colorado suburbs between Denver and Boulder wreaked havoc on utility infrastructure and left customers in three counties to face frigid temperatures and snowfall amid natural gas and electric outa… Read MoreXcel Restores Power, Gas in Freezing Weather After Devastating Colorado Fire
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Jan. 4 suggested that Senate Democrats could come to terms on the climate and energy portion of a 10-year budget bill that Manchin last month said he opposed in its current form. Read MoreManchin Suggests Climate Agreement Might Be Doable
