New revenue-quality meters to be installed at BPA’s transmission substations for eight of the “Big 10” hydro facilities will be the first building blocks in the agency’s “Grid Mod” initiative, the agency announced July 29. Read More
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The Sacramento Municipal Utility District's board of directors approved a resolution at its Aug. 15 regular meeting "signaling intent" to purchase Pacific Gas & Electric's Chili Bar hydroelectric project [P-2155]. Read More
Coming off two of its best financial years, Chelan County PUD in Washington is considering gradual rate increases and pouring money into its hydropower system and grid infrastructure during the next five years. Read More
Work upgrading Madison Dam’s four turbines and generators that’s expected to increase the facility’s peak capacity from 8 MW to 12 MW is slated to start in the fall, NorthWestern Energy said July 29 in a release. Read More
The Western EIM Governing Body on Aug. 28 elected Anita Decker, former BPA Chief Operating Officer, to serve on the body. Decker, who just retired as executive director of the Northwest Public Power Association, will begin on Sept. 1, filling a vacant seat with a term that ends in June 2020. Read More
Washington’s Commerce Department and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission have conducted workshops on state’s new 100 percent clean electricity law, as a prelude to rulemaking over the next two years to implement the law known as the Clean Energy Transformation Act. Read More
An economic analysis conducted for a Seattle philanthropic organization concluded that the economic benefits of removing the four lower Snake River dams would far outweigh the costs. Read More
California’s grid operator is seeking federal approval of new market rules meant to address a bidding problem for Northwest hydro resources in the Western EIM, but is facing some resistance from state regulators. Read More
Tacoma Power has signed an implementation agreement with the California ISO for joining the Western EIM, targeting 2022 for going live in the market. Read More
Douglas County PUD plans to launch a hydrogen electrolysis pilot project later in 2019 that could help smooth out mechanical operations at its hydroelectric facilities, and in the process blaze a trail for renewable hydrogen in Washington. Read More
Large hydroelectric facilities currently don’t count toward the California's renewables portfolio standard, rankling rural utilities that say they will have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for renewables they won’t need in coming years. Read More
A rule giving states and tribes up to one year to decide on Clean Water Act certifications for energy and other infrastructure projects was proposed Aug. 9 by the Environmental Protection Agency. Read More
California Trout and Trout Unlimited are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appeals court ruling which found states waive their authority to issue water quality certifications on federal projects after one year, even if the application is withdrawn and later resubmitted. Read More
Two conservation groups are asking a Multnomah County judge to send a water quality certification for the Hells Canyon Complex back to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality with directions to act within the law. Read More
FERC made an "early action" determination on Aug. 9 for Chelan County PUD's Rock Island hydroelectric project in Washington state, the first such finding made under 2018 legislation aimed at spurring investments in hydro projects. Read More
The $1 billion, 400 MW Gordon Butte pumped-storage hydro project proposed for Montana has secured an equity investment from Denmark’s Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, developer Absaroka Energy announced July 8. Read More
FERC on Aug. 13 terminated Okanogan County PUD’s operating license for construction of the 9 MW Enloe hydroelectric project in Washington, after the PUD failed to begin construction by the July 9, 2019, statutory deadline. Read More
After revising cost estimates, beefing up financial assurances, getting extensions from funding sources and changing its timeline, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation is again asking FERC to transfer the license for four lower Klamath River Dams so that the process to remove them can move … Read More
Along with dozens of letters urging FERC to grant the Klamath River Renewal Corp. a license transfer—a necessary step to facilitate the removal of four dams on the Klamath River—a few groups and individuals are urging the agency to reject the transfer. Read More
Twenty years after PacifiCorp applied to surrender its license in order to tear out Condit Dam in southwestern Washington, the process is officially complete. Read More