Dominion

Digest

Williams completes Transco pipeline expansion and plans a new one; Hudson Transmission electrifies underwater line between New Jersey and Manhattan; Northern Power wind turbines installed at Hawaii microgrid project; GE boosts efficiency of diesels powering remote Alaskan cooperative; Siemens installs supercapacitor on Oregon rail line; plus contracts and announcements from Bonneville Power Administration, Primus Power, Ameren, ComEd, Silver Spring Networks, Toshiba, Babcock & Wilcox, and others.

Energy Disconnect

Misguided policies threaten resource adequacy.

Resource planning is grinding to a halt. From EPA regulations to irrational markets, today’s policy missteps threaten tomorrow’s reliability.

People (August 2013)

Dominion appoints Hunter Applewhite to lead Dominion Foundation; Lisa Johnson leaves Old Dominion to become CEO at Seminole Electric Cooperative; President Obama nominates former Colorado commissioner Ron Binz to chair FERC; Edison Electric Institute names its new officers; plus appointments and executive changes at AES, PG&E, Sempra, Ameren, Duke, and others.

Dominion Joins DOE Effort to Promote Workplace Charging for Electric Vehicles

Dominion is one of the first 48 companies to join the U.S. Department of Energy's workplace charging challenge, which is designed to help increase the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging for electric vehicles. Dominion installed two separately metered electric vehicle charging stations as a pilot program at its Tredegar campus in downtown Richmond. The stations have two lockable power outlets used by employees who pay a monthly fee that covers the cost of electricity and gradually reimburses the company for the installation.

Transactions (May 2013)

Dominion agreed to buy three merchant power plants from Energy Capital Partners; First Solar acquired the 150 MW Solar Gen 2 project; Dynegy subsidiary Illinois Power Holdings will acquire Ameren Energy Resources and three subsidiaries; and others ...

People (May 2013)

New Opportunities: Ben Fowke, chairman, president and CEO of Xcel Energy, was named to a committee composed of CEOs from the utility and nuclear industries that will receive regular briefings from the FBI, National Security Agency, Department of Energy, and Department of Homeland Security to begin cooperative efforts on cybersecurity issues.

Digest

TVA moving ahead with Babcock & Wilcox mPower small modular reactor; Bechtel begins refueling and uprate work at Xcel's Monticello plant; NRG starts operations at 66-MW PV facility; NIST starts developing cybersecurity framework under presidential order; BPA to upgrade HVDC converter station; PacifiCorp working with CAISO to create real-time energy market; Cupertino Electric to install 230-kV line for 200-MW PV plant; plus contracts and announcements from Alstom, Siemens, Echelon, EPRI, Sempra, and others.

Build to Order

Engineers and constructors adapt to serve an industry in transition.

From gas pipelines to PV arrays, the nation’s contractors are seeing growth in utility infrastructure. Fortnightly talks with executives at engineering and construction firms to learn what kinds of projects are moving forward, where they’re located, and what lies over the horizon.

Transactions (April 2013)

February was a quiet month for debt issues, with asset sales and equity issues dominating the market. Deals by NextEra, Sempra, SRP, Dominion, TransCanada, and others totaled at least $2.4 billion.

People (April 2013)

Southern Company makes changes in operations and power subsidiaries; Michael Chesser to leave KCPL board; Dynegy names new e.v.p.; Rolando Pablos resigns from Texas PUC; In Memoriam: Kris R. Nielsen.