Natural gas

Consumers Energy filed for approval of a certificate of necessity with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) for its new natural gas plant in Genesee County. The certificate of necessity filing, allowed for under Michigan's energy reform law, provides Consumers Energy's comprehensive analysis for the 700-MW natural gas plant planned for Thetford Township, about 20 miles northeast of Flint.  The review process for the filing is expected to take nine months.

TC PipeLines (TCP) (the Partnership) entered into agreements to acquire an additional 45 percent interest in each of Gas Transmission Northwest LLC (GTN) and Bison Pipeline LLC (Bison) from TransCanada Corporation for an aggregate purchase price of $1.05 billion. The GTN pipeline system transports Western Canadian and Rocky Mountain natural gas for large utilities, producers and marketers in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and California.

NRG Energy began commercial operation at its Marsh Landing Generating Station, a 720-MW natural gas–fueled, peaking facility located near Antioch, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay area. The Marsh Landing station will employ technologies to meet or exceed the state of California’s standards for emissions control and air quality. The turbines will operate with ultra-low nitrogen oxides (NOx) combustors, along with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and an oxidation catalyst system to reduce carbon monoxide and other organic compound emissions.