[BETA] Fortnightly

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission announced it will re-examine the proposed 78-MW Goodhue wind project in Goodhue County, given changes in ownership structure, financing, date of service, and operating elements. New Era (formerly AWA Goodhue), the current project owner, and Xcel Energy, the power purchaser, are re-negotiating project milestones, including the in-service date.

Sempra U.S. Gas & Power sold one 625-MW block of its 1,250-MW Mesquite gas-fired power plant to Salt River Project (SRP) for $371 million. In addition to 100-percent ownership of the 625-MW power block, SRP gained a 50-percent undivided interest in plant facilities. Sempra retains ownership of the power plant’s remaining 625-MW power block and 50-percent interest in the plant facilities. As part of the transaction, Salt River Project will become the operator of the Mesquite facility.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted test flights in Alabama of prototype unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and payloads of video and other sensing equipment to demonstrate that such “drone” technology could be deployed to assess damage to electric transmission and distribution systems following storms. EPRI tested an Aeryon Scout and the Adaptive Flight Hornet Maxi, two rotary winged devices at altitudes under 100 feet, carrying payloads that weighed less than 55 pounds.

Cupertino Electric is installing a new 230-kV transmission line to interconnect a new substation serving a 200-MW photovoltaic power plant in Imperial Valley, Calif. When complete in late 2013, the overhead line will span five miles and interconnect a new 230-kV substation on the 2,000-acre solar project site in California’s Imperial Valley.