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First Solar has started construction on the 22 MW first phase of its Barilla solar project in Pecos County, Texas.

Canadian Solar is providing modules for the 10 MW Silvercreek solar project in Elgin County, Ontario, that is slated to be operational in July.

Elementa Group has arranged a 20-year power agreement with the Ontario Power Authority for its 10 MW waste-to-energy project in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

The Quebec Office of Public Hearings on the Environment has determined that Invenergy does not need a public hearing over the C$69 million ($61.9 million), 21 MW des Moulins 2 wind project.

Brayton Point Energy, the owner of New England’s largest coal-fired facility will decide next week whether to delay its closing—slated for 2017—now that ISO New England has designated the plant as a “must run” facility.

Xcel Energy has closed the Monticello nuclear plant for several days as workers repair a leaking heat exchanger on the reactor’s coolant system.

The U.S. Army has scheduled two community meetings in Mililani and Wahiawa, Hawaii, next month to gather public comment on a proposed 50 MW biofuels project planned for Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu.

A wind turbine at NextEra Energy Resources’ Mill Run Energy Center in Pennsylvania has fallen over.

Wind generation in Ontario more than doubled between 2009 and 2013 going from 2.3 TWh to 5.2 TWh, according to the Independent Electricity System Operator.

The city of Edmonton, Alberta, is switching from Capital Power to Enmax as its power supplier.

A Colorado Senate committee is proposing rollbacks to the state’s renewable energy mandate, citing concerns that the additional renewable generation is rapidly increasing power prices in the state.

Basin Electric Power CEO Andy Serri has resigned and Paul Sukut, cfo, has been named interim ceo.

PwC US has appointed Michael Casey Herman as its U.S. power and utilities leader, Timothy Schutt U.S. power and utilities advisory leader and Robin Miller U.S power and utilities tax leader.

The Maine Public Services Commission is holding a meeting Tuesday to hear an offshore wind proposal from the Maine Aqua Ventus, a consortium comprised of Emera, Cianbro and Maine Prime Technologies that aims to sell 12 MW at $0.23 per kWh.

Ameren Missouri is developing a 5.7 MW solar project on a site next to a substation in O’Fallon, Mo.

Alliant Energy is planning to spend about $17 million this year to reduce mercury emissions from its Burlington coal-fired facility in Burlington, Iowa.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad will lead a group of senior state officials from Iowa and the Midwest to organize and host a public hearing allowing citizens outside of Washington, D.C., the opportunity to testify about the importance of renewable portfolio standards.

A proposed 78-mile, high-voltage transmission line that would run through Otsego and Delaware Counties, N.Y., is generating concern from some local officials.

Of the 365 solar applications filed with the U.S. federal government since 2009, just 20 projects are on track to be built, with industry analysts identifying difficulties in lining up financing as one of the prime reasons.

Fishermen's Energy, a developer based in Cape May, N.J., is awaiting word from state regulators about the future of New Jersey's first offshore wind farm.

Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin utility and its co-owner utility partners have received final regulatory approval to upgrade the coal pulverizers and steam turbines at the 1.1 GW Columbia Energy Center in Dekorra, Wis.

Developer IMG Midstream wants to use local gas to produce electricity that would be sold to the grid and local utilities by building small-scale gas-fired projects in Pennsylvania.

Northland Power has added Sean Durfy to its executive team as president and chief development officer.

The record for peak winter electricity use in the PJM Interconnection was broken twice on Tuesday as a result of the polar vortex.

Black Hills Power is clsoing down three coal-fired plants rather than add emission upgrades.

Imperial Irrigation District is evaluating Salton Sea’s geothermal and solar potential under the Salton Sea Restoration and Renewables Initiative.

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has appointed Dan Lipschultz, an attorney with Moss & Barnett, to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release Dec. 8 new standards for carbon dioxide limits on coal- and gas-fired plants.

Ormat Technologies has completed the Don A. Campbell geothermal facility in Mineral County, Nev.

During Monday morning’s energy emergency alert 2 in ERCOT, the grid operator was forced to import just under 1 GW from other regions as capacity was stretched.

Leidos’ 37.5 MW Plainfield biomass facility in Plainfield, Conn., has commenced commercial operation.

Officials at the PJM Interconnection called for all electric generation to be available to meet rising demand Monday night and Tuesday as frigid temperatures grip the region.

ERCOT put an emergency alert of level 2 into effect this morning as power reserves fell below 1,750 MW as cold weather grips the state.

Allco Finance, a solar developer with plans to develop 80 MW solar projects in Connecticut, is suing the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection over power purchase agreements it signed with a 250 MW wind project in Maine and a 20 MW solar project in Connecticut.

First Solar’s 300 MW Topaz solar facility in San Luis Obispo County, Calif., is now online and the company expects the 550 MW Desert Sunlight project in Riverside County to hit 300 MW online within a month.

Hawaiian Electric Co. has signed a letter of intent with Zilkha Biomass Energy as the utility considers using biomass pellets in steam boilers in its Waiau and Kahe facilities.

Mitsui & Co. has bought into the 160 MW Santo Domingo wind project in Oaxaca, Mexico, owned by EDF EN Mexico.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is expected to rule in the coming weeks about whether Idaho Power Co. must buy power from three 20 MW solar projects totaling $180 million in southern Idaho.

A group of conservative leaders and activists in Michigan have formed an initiative, Michigan Conservative Energy Forum, to support increasing the state’s renewable power over the next 20 years.

TransCanada is buying the 10 MW Mississippi Mills solar facility in Ontario from Canadian Solar.

Northeast Utilities’ Northern Pass transmission line project, which is slated to bring hydro power from Canada into New England, has cleared one of its first major hurdles Tuesday.

Geronimo Energy’s proposed Aurora solar project with sites in Stearns and Benton counties, Minn., got a boost Tuesday when an administrative law judge recommended it to Xcel Energy.

Decreasing demand for electricity has forced the Tennessee Valley Authority to reorganize itself and is a key concern for the company as it updates its long-range energy resource strategy.

Arizona Public Service has completed its purchase of Southern California Edison’s ownership in Units 4 and 5 of the Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington, N.M.

PSEG Long Island is closely monitoring the track of the first snowstorm of 2014 and is making emergency preparations should the storm bring heavy snow and gusty winds to its service territory.

A committee appointed by the Bristol Board of Selectmen will determine whether the town in Maine has any say over a proposed offshore wind project 2.5 miles off the coast.

RGS Energy, the commercial and utility division of Real Goods Solar, has joined forces with Green Lantern Capital to co-develop seven solar projects totaling 4.5 MW in Vermont.

Officials at Longview Power, the 700 MW coal-fired facility in West Virginia, are seeking an extension of its sole right to file a bankruptcy exit plan as they continue to spar with contractors over who is responsible for the operational problems that have dogged the $2 billion facility.

Carteret County in North Carolina has two public meetings scheduled in early January that will advance discussions of regulations for locating wind turbines in the county.

EDF Renewable Energy and UBS International Infrastructure Fund are planning to finance the construction of a 161 MW wind project in Texas with equity and tax equity.

People’s Power and Gas, a retail company that services 5,700 customers in New Hampshire, has been denied access to the New England grid and, now, utility Public Service of New Hampshire is taking over the accounts.

The City of Urbana, Ohio, has decided not to challenge Everpower’s Buckeye wind project in Champaign County.

Dominion has brought online its 14.9 MW Dominion fuel cell facility in Bridgeport, Conn., and a roughly 5 MW Millstone solar facility in Somers, Conn.

EDP Renewables has signed a framework agreement with Gamesa Technology Corp. for up to 225 wind turbines through 2016.

EDF Renewable Energy has closed its purchase of the 5.8 MW Lancaster solar project near Billerica, Mass., from Urban Green Technologies.

Pacific Gas & Electric has launched a request for offers for 1,500 GWh of renewable capacity and renewable energy credits from projects that come online in 2020 or later.

Nodin Kitagan, a partnership between BluEarth Renewables and Batchewana First Nation, has received approval from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for a 58 MW wind project in Algoma.

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. has received all approvals from federal and Massachusetts agencies to buy New England Gas for $74 million.

West Virginia’s Public Service Commission has approved American Electric Power's plan to transfer ownership of the John Amos coal-fired plant to Appalachian Power.

Consumers Energy has agreed to buy power from 31 solar projects bid into its Experimental Advanced Renewable Program.

Golden Valley Electric Association of Fairbanks has closed its purchase of the $300 million, 50 MW Healy clean coal-fired project from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.

Massachusetts’ North Shore could see controlled black-outs if FootPrint Power does not re-develop a shuttered coal-fired plant to gas-fired, according to the New England-ISO.

PJM has approved a $1.2 billion transmission investment designed to resolve short-circuit concerns in northern New Jersey.

Spanish developer Grupo T-Solar has brought online its El Centro photovoltaic solar facility in Imperial Valley, Calif.

The board of directors of UNS Energy Corp. has unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement with Fortis, Canada's largest investor-owned gas and electric distribution utility.

Duke Energy’s new 625 MW L.V. Sutton combined-cycle natural gas facility has begun delivering power to customers in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Mississippi regulators have rejected Entergy Corp.’s proposal to transfer its 15,000 miles of transmission assets to ITC Holdings Corp. under a two-year-old deal that has already faced scrutiny and setbacks.

Ontario Power Generation fired its cfo and two v.p.s following a report from the Ontario Auditor-General that contends the utility potentially compromised nuclear safety and drove up power prices throuh nepotism, high labor costs and a generous pension.

Kentucky Power is planning to convert the 278 MW Unit 1 at its Big Sandy coal-fired plant to a gas-fired facility in a project that is not to exceed $60 million.

Nicholas Akins, president and ceo of American Electric Power, has been elected chairman of the board by the company’s Board of Directors.

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board has selected Leidos to provide project management, design engineering and construction of a 345 kilovolt double-circuit transmission line.

After seven years with Duluth, Minn.-based Allete, Steve DeVinck will become chief financial officer in March.

Newfoundland and Labrador premier Kathy Dunderdale will announce financing details today for the Muskrat Falls hydro project.

First Wind has signed a 10-year power purchase agreement for 25% of the generation from its 54 MW Hancock Wind project near Ellsworth, Maine.

NRG Energy is planning to retire two coal-fired plants, Chalk Point and Dickerson that total 1.2 GW, in Maryland in May 2017.

First Wind has signed a 10-year power purchase agreement for 25% of its 54 MW Hancock wind project near Ellsworth, Maine, with Burlington Electric Department.

A 31 MW biomass project proposed in Anderson, Calif., by Sierra Pacific Industries will undergo a judge-ordered review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

RES Canada will construct a pair of 10 MW solar projects, Newboro I and Newboro IV, in Ontario for SunEdison.

Georgia Power completed another major milestone in the construction of Plant Vogtle units 3 and 4 with the placement of the CA-04 module in the Unit 3 nuclear island.

SunEdison and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a partnership to build what will be the city’s largest solar project.

The Tennessee Valley Authority plans to resume purchases of solar, wind and other renewable power through its Green Power Providers program in 2014.

During a lengthy public hearing, residents and the experts they retained have voiced opposition to a Strata Solar development near Lake Norman, N.C.

Dominion has shifted its executive suite with changes that will take effect Jan. 1.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities in Charlotte, N.C., has launched a request for proposals for up to 8 MW of solar projects at four of its water and sewage treatment plants.

B&H Wind, a wind developer comprised of 51 local developers, is about to start construction on a 41 MW wind project near Tripp, S.D.

Exelon Corp. is planning to retire the 74 MW Unit 4 of Riverside gas-fired facility in Baltimore County, Md., because its age has made the technology uneconomic.

Rockland Capital affiliate Patriot Power Holdings has issued a notice to MAXIM that terminates the agreement to purchase 100% of MAXIM’s ownership interest in Maxim Power.

Lenders to Constellation Energy Partners have set the company’s borrowing base at $55 million after completing a semi-annual review of the company’s borrowing base pursuant to the terms of its reserve-based credit facility.

A court has approved water for use at the proposed Blue Castle Holdings nuclear power project in Green River, Utah.

PPL Holtwood has completed a 125 MW powerhouse at its Holtwood hydro facility along the Susquehanna River in south-central Pennsylvania.

Imperial Irrigation District wants to spend up to $1.7 billion on a 2.2 GW transmission build out in Southern California to move renewably-generated power to the rest of the state and the greater Southwest.

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative is working on a development plans for a $675 million gas-fired project in Cecil County, Md., that costs more than four times Exelon Generation’s $122 million expansion to its nearby Perryman gas-fired facility.

Crown Hydro LLC is planning a hydro project at St. Anthony Falls in Minnesota that would sell power to Xcel Energy.

8Minutenergy has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric for each of its 15 MW Woodmere project and the 90 MW Redwood project in Kern County, Calif.

Duke Energy Renewables has begun construction of three solar projects totaling 30 MW in North Carolina.

The flood of financing—including bank loans—into residential solar continues, with GTM Research predicting that the residential solar financing market in the U.S. will grow from $1.3 billion in 2012 to $5.7 billion in 2016.

Lincoln Renewable Energy has commenced the construction of the 300 MW Hereford 2 wind project in the Texas panhandle.

Western Farmers Electric Cooperative has signed a renewable energy purchase agreement, or REPA, with Apex Clean Energy for 100 MW of wind generation from Apex's Balko project in Oklahoma.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a request from the Tennessee Valley Authority for a nine-month extension of its construction permit on unit 2 of the Watts Bar nuclear facility.

General Electric will supply 147 wind turbines to a 249.9 MW wind project in El Paso County, Colo., being developed by Golden West Power Partners.

Robert Watson, the ceo of SaskPower, says Saskatchewan needs to upgrade its power grid and will need new generation, likely gas-fired, around 2020.

Williams Partners L.P. has received approval from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on a $300 million expansion to the Transco natural gas pipeline to supply gas to a 1,358 gas-fired project planned by Dominion in Brunswick County, Va.

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. President and CEO K. Frank Morehouse has appointed Jay Skabo as v.p. of electric supply and Nicole Kivisto as v.p. of operations for the company.

The ERCOT board has approved TAS Energy’s generation storage technology as an energy storage resource eligible for wholesale load treatment.

Geronimo Energy has proposed a 100 MW project that would cover about 700 acres over 18 counties in Minnesota.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission has denied a request by Attorney General Jack Conway for a new hearing on the future of Kentucky Power’s Big Sandy facility in Lawrence County, Ky.

Efficient Energy of Tennessee is proposing to install solar panels on up to 79 buildings owned by Knox County, Tenn.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has delayed issuing a decision on First Wind’s 62-wind turbine Bingham wind project over concerns about bat health.

A blade of a GE 1.6-100 wind turbine fell off of a turbine in Invenergy’s Orangeville project in New York, following two blades from the same model falling off of two DTE Energy wind farms in Michigan.

Lawyers representing the town of Forest Hills, Wis., have asked the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to reconsider its approval of the $250 million, 102.5 MW Highland wind project.

NextEra Energy plans to make an offering of 11,100,000 shares of its common stock in a registered underwritten public offering.

A proposed ballot issue asking Ohio residents to approve $13 billion of investment over 10 years for solar, wind and other green energy sources has been re-submitted to Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted.

Insurance company Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's London that paid a multi-million dollar claim to cover losses in a battery fire at First Wind’s 30 MW Kahuku wind facility is suing to recover damages from two manufacturers that made components for the battery system.

Baryonyx is developing the 41,000-acre Gulf Offshore wind project off the coast of South Padre Island, Texas.

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s decision to retire more than 3 GW of coal-fired plants could be an opportunity for Clean Line Energy Partners, which is developing a $2 billion transmission line between Oklahoma and Arkansas.

FootPrint Power’s proposed 800 MW gas-fired project on the waterfront in Salem, Mass., is drawing opposition from the Conservation Law Foundation.

Google has asked the Public Service Co. of Oklahoma to make a new customer class for large industrial and commercial users that want to buy additional renewable energy.

Xcel Energy has received the greenlight to sign power purchase agreements totaling 689 MW from three wind projects in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas

First Solar has signed power purchase agreements with member cities of the Southern California Public Power Authority to sell generation from its 40 MW Kingbird photovoltaic solar facility in Kern County, Calif.

Arizona Public Service has spent more than $3.7 million to convince the public that homeowners using solar panels is costing other customers money, and it wants utility regulator Arizona Corporation Commission to approve a proposal it says would make the system more fair.

Long-stalled wind projects off Long Island's shores could get a second wind if the Long Island Power Authority backs a project proposed by Deepwater Wind, advocates said Wednesday.

Solar developer 8minutenergy Renewables and German company Saferay have sealed a generation interconnection agreement for a joint 90 MW solar project in Kern County, Calif.

FirstEnergy Corp. is planning to spend $2.8 billion over the next four years at four of its subsidiaries on transmission lines and upgrades.

Ingmar Wilhelm, Enel Green Power’s executive v.p. and head of business development, will join private equity shop Terra Firma in January as a financial managing director.

A group of 13 independent power producers, including Lockport Energy Associates, Indeck Energy Services and Lakeside Energy are opposed to plans by NRG Energy and Upstate New York Power Producers to convert the coal-fired Dunkirk and Lansing plants to gas-fired.

The U.S. Department of the Interior has approved the 1,500 MW, 900-mile Gateway West transmission line proposed in Idaho and Wyoming by Idaho Power and Rocky Mountain Power.

ecoPower Generation has signed a power purchase with Kentucky Power Company for all 58 MW of generation from ecoPower’s proposed biomass project in Perry County, Ky.

We Energies’ 50 MW biomass facility on the site of Domtar Corporation’s Rothschild, Wis., paper mill was placed into commercial operation on Nov. 8, after testing and commissioning activities were successfully completed.

Allete Clean Energy has signed an acquisition agreement to purchase wind farms in Minnesota, Iowa and Oregon from AES Corporation in early 2014 and has signed an option agreement to acquire a fourth in Pennsylvania in mid-2015.

MidAmerican Energy Co. has unveiled additional details about its plan to develop up to 1,050 MW of additional wind generation in Iowa by the end of 2015.

Torch Renewable Energy is developing a 40-turbine wind project near Wilmington, N.C.

Westar Energy has agreed to buy a power purchase agreement with a 200 MW wind project near Arkansas City, Kan., being developed by Apex Clean Energy

Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy have agreed to buy the 20 MW Adobe solar project in Kern County, Calif., from SunEdison when construction is complete in the spring.

Champlin GEI Wind Holdings is developing a 45 MW wind project in Kahuku on the island of Oahu.

Westar Energy has signed a power purchase agreement with Apex Clean Energy for 200 MW of generation from a wind farm Apex will build near Arkansas City, Kan.

First Power and Light has signed a letter of intent to buy SolPower Renewables.

Power companies operating in competitive U.S. power markets are struggling to make money under rules and regulations that were not designed for the rapidly changing electricity landscape, says Stefaan Sercu, ceo at GDF Suez Energy Marketing.

Enel Green Power is looking to South America to fuel growth as it shifts its focus away from core European markets.

Applications for two proposed Optimum Renewables’ wind farms will go before Iowa’s Story County Board of Adjustments at its meeting next Wednesday.

A 3,600-mile system of transmission lines bringing wind generation from the west Texas to the state’s urban areas will be finished by year-end.

The latest market report from the American Wind Energy Association shows utilities signed deals this calendar year for 1,049 MW of generation from planned Oklahoma wind farms.

Avista Corp. has signed an agreement to acquire Juneau, Alaska-based Alaska Energy and Resources Company.

Energy storage developers are optimistic that Order 784 from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will open the door for new projects after it takes effect in a few weeks.

Footprint Power has selected General Electric Co. to supply $200 million in equipment that is needed to redevelop the 587 MW coal- and oil-fired Salem Harbor plant in Massachusetts into a 674 MW combined cycle plant.

InterGen is developing two new GBP1 billion ($1.59 billion) gas-fired projects in the U.K. that adjoin to existing InterGen facilities.

Jim Burpee, ceo of the Canadian Electricity Association, says that Canada needs to modernize and update its power grid with about CAD$350 billion ($336 billion) of investments between 2010 and 2030.

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. has placed a purchase contract on property where it hopes to build a liquefied natural gas fuel terminal in Jacksonville, Fla.

Spot wholesale electricity prices increased in Boston, Washington and Dallas as demand topped the grid operators’ forecasts.

Greenbriar Capital Corp. has appointed Daniel Kunz as chairman of the board and Cliff Webb as president.

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy alleges that former Tennessee Valley Authority chairman Dennis Bottorff and financier Franklin L. Haney are trying to make money at the expense of the TVA through their proposal to finish the Bellefonte nuclear plant using private funds and federal tax credits.

The Kemper County coal-gasification plant will take longer to build and the total cost is now $5 billion, Mississippi Power reported Tuesday in an 8-K report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Duke Energy Carolinas is has filed an application with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina to jointly develop a 750 MW combined cycle project with North Carolina Electric Membership Corp.

Plain View Orchard Wind LLC is planning to develop a 207 MW wind project near Plainview in Hale County, Texas.

The U.S. Department of Treasury has said the U.S. will not be involved with financings for coal-fired projects developed abroad unless there are no other viable alternatives to coal.

James Tarpey will resign from his post as a commissioner of the three-person Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Jan. 6.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator has denied Wisconsin Energy Corp.'s request to shutter its 407 MW Presque Isle coal-fired facility in Michigan in February.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac attended the groundbreaking for the $845 million, 700 MW CPV Woodbridge Energy Center in the state.

Thirteen turbines at DTE Energy Co.’s Echo Wind Park in Michigan's rural Thumb area will begin commercial operation by the end of November.

NJR Clean Energy Ventures, the unregulated clean energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, has acquired its first onshore wind facility.

Generation owners in the U.S. have plans to take 38 GW offline, or convert to alternative fuels, over the next decade.

Dominion has bought a 5 MW solar project in Connecticut from Kyocera and CleanPath, a San Francisco-based company.

MISO has rejected an application from We Energies to shutdown the Presque Isle coal-fired facility in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on reliability concerns.

Iberdrola Renewables may try to develop a portion of its 96 MW Horse Creek wind project in Clayton, N.Y., before the production tax credit expiry.

Peru's energy and mining ministry has signed power purchase agreements with the Generadora Eléctrica Molloco consortium for the 300 MW Molloco hyrdo project in Peru's Arequipa region.

EDF EN Canada, a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, has received authorization from the Government of Quebec to build its 24.6 MW La Mitis Community wind facility in Bas-St-Laurent, Quebec.

A $100 million subsidy program that New York state launched last summer for large-scale solar facilities has spurred a growth in development.

Ratings agency Moody's Investors Service has found that planned capital expenditures will peak at about $70 billion a year this year and next, before declining to $65 billion in 2015, as many utilities wrap up large projects.

Long Island Power Authority has launched two requests for proposals as it looks to increase its renewables portfolio and replace peaking generation.

More combined cycle projects are expected to crop up in the next four years as the U.S. grid sees about 60 MW of coal-fired generation retired, according to a report from ICF International.

Pattern Energy has begun construction on its 218 MW Panhandle wind project in Carson County, Texas, which is scheduled to be online in 2014.

Officials in Cape Vincent, N.Y., opposed to a wind project being developed by BP Wind have asked state regulators at the Public Service Commission to step in.

Xcel Energy will submit a report to the City of Boulder, Colo., in late spring 2014 about alternatives to the city transitioning to a municipally-owned utility.

San Francisco officials are in the early stages of discussing whether new developments should be mandated to have solar installations.

A hearing regarding two 5 MW solar projects planned for Yadkin County, N.C., by Strata Solar has been scheduled for Nov. 19 after several complaints were lodged against the projects.

Construction is set to begin on a $104 million gas-fired project near Terrebonne Parish, La.

Oglethorpe Power Corporation’s board has appointed Michael L. Smith as its new president and ceo.

First Wind has ponied up $1.5 million to lock in a 15-year power purchase agreement with National Grid, despite the Maine Department of Environmental Protection denying the company’s application to build the Bowers Mountain wind project in Penobscot County.

Chile has doubled its renewable energy target, with utilities in the South American country needing to derive 20% of their power from renewable sources by 2025.

Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. may seek some project financing for its $10 billion liquefied natural gas export project in Canada from Japan Bank for International Cooperation, according to an official from the company.

Creditors of Energy Future Holdings Corp. will keep negotiating on a restructuring plan as at least one group aims to leave the confidential talks, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

California state energy officials are scrambling to fill a large hole in California electricity supplies left by the permanent closure of Southern California Edison’s San Onofre nuclear plant.

The Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines has granted rights of way essential for the construction of Odebrecht’s 406 MW Chaglla hydro facility.

The Ontario government is refusing to hear testimony from experts on noise and safety in an ongoing Environmental Review Tribunal, as citizens file complaints against a NextEra facility in Middlesex County.

American Electric Power-Public Service Co. of Oklahoma has agreed to 20-year power purchase agreements for 600 MW of wind power from Apex Clean Energy Holdings, NextEra Energy Resources and TradeWind Energy.

The province of Ontario has opted to refurbish its existing nuclear facilities, scrapping its plans to develop two nuclear projects.

Google has agreed to invest about $103 million in Silver Ridge Power’s 265 MW Mount Signal solar project in Imperial County, Calif.

People’s Electric Cooperative in south central Oklahoma has launched a request for proposals for 140 MW of power.

Abengoa’s 280 MW Solana parabolic trough solar facility has commenced commercial operation.

The Energy Facilities Siting Board of Massachusetts is expected to approve Footprint Power’s 630 MW gas-fired project in Salem, Mass., at a meeting today in Boston.

The Mower County Board in Minnesota approved a review and environmental assessment of Renewal Energy Systems Americas’ 200 MW Pleasant Valley wind project.

American Solar Direct, a rooftop and residential solar company, has appointed Kevin A. Bauer as its cfo.

The federal government shutdown forced the cancellation of the biennial emergency drill at Exelon’s Oyster Creek nuclear facility.

Louisville Gas & Electric is planning to develop a $700 million gas-fired project in Muhlenberg County, Ky., instead of buying power from Big Rivers Electric Corp.

The New York Power Authority has begun a 10-year, $460 million upgrade to the Niagara hydro facility.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission has approved Kentucky Power Co.’s plan to buy half of the 780 MW Mitchell coal-fired plant in West Virginia from Ohio Power Co.

Santee Cooper has signed a power purchase agreement with Liberty Sun Energy’s 3 MW solar project near Walterboro, S.C.

Unprecedented demand for renewable energy in southern New England and evolving technology that has lowered the cost of wind generation are driving wind project development in Maine.

Samsung Renewable Energy and Pattern Energy have contracted Siemens Canada to provide the wind turbines for the 150 MW Grand Renewable Wind Project in Haldimand County, Ontario.

Some utilities say that they have not been impacted by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for new power plants.

Charles Harrington, chairman and ceo of Parsons Corporation, has been appointed to the board of directors of AES Corp.

Atco Power is proposing a 400 MW gas-fired project in Strathcona County, Alberta, that could be online by 2017.

American Transmission Co. will need to invest $3-3.6 billion in transmission upgrades and additions over the next decade.

FirstEnergy Corp. is pushing forward with plans to close two coal-fired facilities, the 370 MW Mitchell facility in Union, Pa., and the 1,710 MW Hatfield's Ferry plant near Carmichaels, despite concern from state officials about the loss of jobs.

The Pasadena City Council has approved a proposal for the city to issue $85 million in electric revenue bonds to fund a portion of a $132 million, five-year upgrade to the gas- and steam-fired Glenarm facility.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio unanimously approved some, but not all, of the electricity subsidy increase that Ormet Corp. has said it needs to stay in business.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has put PPL's Susquehanna nuclear plant on notice for a string of recent safety violations.

FirstEnergy Corp. has issued a request for proposals to purchase 13,500 solar photovoltaic alternative energy certificates annually over a 10-year period on behalf of its Pennsylvania utilities Metropolitan Edison Company, Pennsylvania Electric Company and Pennsylvania Power Company.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin voted 2-1 Thursday to approve a permit for Emerging Energies of Wisconsin’s 102.5 MW Highland wind Farm in Forest, Wis.

The California Public Utilities Commission is considering proposals that would not allow Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric to recover costs associated with power purchase agreements since the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has been offline.

Canadian Solar has sold a pair of solar assets in Ontario, Canada, totaling 16 MW to TransCanada, the first two in a nine-asset, C$470 million ($454 million) agreement the companies made in June.

Capstone Infrastructure Corp. has closed the acquisition of Renewable Energy Developers, formerly Sprott Power Corp.

A U.S. District Court judge in Maryland has over turned a state subsidy for Competitive Power Ventures’ 660 MW gas-fired project, siding with utilities, including PPL Corp., that argued they would lose money if the state began to subsidize new projects.

Chapel Hill, N.C.-based solar developer Strata Solar could be adding to its solar cache with a new array in Durham County, N.C.

Chapel Hill, N.C.-based solar developer Strata Solar could be adding to its solar cache with a new array in Durham County, N.C.

AES Corp. is now operating more than 100 MW of grid-scale storage resources with the commercial operation of its 40 MW facility in Ohio.

AES Sparrows Point LNG and Mid-Atlantic Express have canceled plans to build a pipeline to deliver natural gas to southeast Pennsylvania from a proposed LNG import terminal at Sparrows Point in Baltimore.

Capital Power Corporation has completed the second payment of approximately $325 million to ENMAX Corporation for a 25% ownership interest in the 800 MW natural gas-fired Shepard Energy Centre near Calgary, Alberta.

NRG Energy has partnered with Digicel will look for developers to submit projects in a request for proposals as the duo looks to acquire, construct and own renewable projects in the Caribbean as part of a new joint venture.

Congress seems unlikely to extend tax credits for renewable projects by the year-end expiry.

Ormat Technologies has inked a contract with eBay Inc., to develop a 5 MW recovered energy generation project in Utah.

Abengoa is preparing to start construction in early 2014 on a $165 million, 70 MW wind farm in Palomas, Uruguay.

Duke Energy Renewables is aiming build, own and operate the Los Vientos III and IV wind facilities in Starr County, Texas.

NV Energy shareholders have voted in favor of the company’s acquisition by MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company.

Power plant valuations have declined significantly over the last five years as pressures on competitive power markets have continued unabated, according to a Fitch Ratings report.

Tri Global Energy, via subsidiary Hale Community Energy, is planning to build up to 1,100 MW of wind facilities in Hale County, Texas.

PJM has given FirstEnergy Corp. the go-ahead to retire two coal-fired plants totaling 2 GW.

Consumers Energy has received approval from MISO and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to retire seven coal-fired units totaling 950 MW by year-end.

Deepwater Wind is planning to ask Rhode Island’s State Properties Committee to allow the company to buy an undersea transmission cable under Scarborough State Beach that runs to its five turbine offshore wind project near Block Island.

NSTAR, National Grid, Unitil and Western Massachusetts Electric Co. have agreed to power purchases totaling 565 MW with six wind farms being developed in Maine and New Hampshire by First Wind, Iberdrola Renewables and Exergy Development Group.

New Jersey’s four electric utilities will provide state regulators with never-before-available data about how their delivery systems operate and what parts of their power grids perform poorly.

Generation has resumed at Alterra Power Corp.’s Montrose hydro facility, which is part of the company’s 235 MW Toba Montrose hydro cluster, co-owned with Fiera Axium Western Energy.

Sempra U.S. Gas & Power and Consolidated Edison Development have become equal partners in two of Sempra's solar facilities, the 150 MW Copper Mountain Solar 2 plant near Las Vegas and the 150 MW Mesquite Solar 1 plant near Phoenix.

Abengoa has been selected to construct and operate a 70 MW wind farm in Palomas, in the Salto region of Uruguay.

Energy Capital Group is planning the $600 million, 300 MW ECG Utah Solar 1 project in Utah.

Utilities in the west are considering measures that would charge customers with rooftop solar panels more for the power they buy when the panels are not generating.

Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating have signed 15-year power purchase agreements with a 20 MW Fusion solar project in Sprague, Conn., that is being developed by HelioSage Energy and the 250 MW Number Nine wind project in Aroostook County, Maine, being developed by the U.S. subsidiary of EDP Renováveis.

ERCOT is evaluating wind projects totaling 11 GW planned for the Texas Panhandle even though the nearly complete $1.6 billion transmission upgrade won’t be able to handle the queue.

A consortium consisting of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., Ferus Natural Gas Fuels, GE Ventures and GE Energy Financial Services will work together in the liquefied natural gas space in the U.S.

St. Louis-based mining company Foresight Energy is siding with environmental groups, urging Illinois regulators to deny Houston-based Dynegy Inc. a key pollution-control waiver over Ameren Corp.’s Illinois coal-fired fleet.

Entergy’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is up to nearly full power after a spate of mechanical and electrical problems that stunted energy production at the plant for the last three weeks.

Georgia Power has named Norrie McKenzie to the newly created position of v.p. of renewable development.

EmberClear has received a $2 million secured bridge loan that matures in May 2014 as it continues to try to sell its Good Spring combined cycle project in Pennsylvania.

Google has signed a power purchase agreement with the 240 MW Happy Hereford wind project near Amarillo, Texas, that is being developed by Chermac Energy Corp.

Abengoa’s 280 MW Solana concentrating solar project has begun generating power on a test basis and is expected to be online later this year

American Electric Power subsidiary Indiana Michigan Power is planning to close its Tanners Creek coal-fired plant in Lawrenceburg, Ind., by the middle of 2015.

The onset of fall has pushed spot wholesale electricity prices down. Power consumption on the PJM grid, which serves more than 60 million people from Washington to Chicago, peaked at 93,767 MW, down 4.9% from late last week.

Baker County Commissioners are considering whether to overturn an advisory panel's decision to reject conditional use permits for construction of wind farms near Lime and Huntington, Ore.

PPL Corp.'s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pa., declared an “unusual event” Sunday after radioactive water was discovered leaking inside a room in the plant's Unit 2 reactor building.

GDF Suez Gas has revealed details of the advanceLNG Project, which will provide LNG to customers in the northeastern U.S. using natural gas production from the Marcellus and Utica shales.

The undersea 200 MW transmission line proposed to link the Hawaii islands Maui and Oahu is slated to cost $702 million.

Ohio state officials and labor leaders want FirstEnergy Corp. to sell a pair of coal-fired plants—including the 1,1710 MW Hatfield’s Ferry—rather than close them.

EDF Renewable Energy has tapped Vestas for 80 MW of turbines for wind projects in the U.S.

Desert Solar has relocated two solar projects totaling $70 million out of San Bernardino County, Calif., after local opposition to solar prompted the county to put a temporary moratorium on projects.

Bill Bennett, the Energy Minister of British Columbia, says that he will consider the use of natural gas to produce cheaper power in response to prospective BC Hydro rate increases.

The PJM Interconnection set a new record for September peak power use yesterday by meeting the demand for 144,370 MW, due to the unseasonably hot weather.

The Mexican Environment Ministry is in the third round of talks with an unnamed company to sign a 25-year power purchase agreement for a $91.2 million, 30 MW solar facility in the state of Tabasco.

There is renewed interest in the U.S. to convert dams to power producing hydro facilities.

SolarCity and Direct Energy have created a dedicated investment fund capable of financing up to $124 million in solar projects for Direct Energy's commercial and industrial customers.

An explosion at CPS Energy's 420 MW J.T. Deely coal-fired facility in Texas forced a shut down yesterday, with one person injured.

DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability has launched a customized energy storage valuation service to aid utilities' growing need to assess storage applications on their system.

The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved DTE Energy’s 20-year power purchase agreement with a subsidiary of Heritage Sustainable Energy to buy 20 MWs of energy from the Big Turtle Wind Farm in the state.

Xcel Energy has proposed to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission a plan to add 170 MW of solar, 450 MW of wind and 317 MW of gas-fired facilities from existing gas-fired plants in Colorado to its portfolio.

Duke Energy Renewables has started construction on the 5 MW Washington White Post II solar project that is adjacent to its 12.5 MW first phase.

juwi Wind has hired Michael Hammond as cfo.

Siemens PTI, Pace Global and Booze Allen Hamilton have been hired by Parker Ranch, a 130,000 acre Cattle ranch on Hawaii island, to determine if the ranch can support renewable projects to meet its power demand and sell power to Hawaii Electric Light Co.

Tenaska is planning a $500 million, 900 MW gas-fired project in Morristown, Ind., called Blue River.

DTE Energy is planning to expand a pilot landfill gas-to-energy project in Canton, Mich.

The 55 MW Endicott coal-fired plant in Hillsdale, Mich., owned by Michigan South Central Power Agency, is offline until the middle of October for repairs to the turbine and boiler.

First Wind has signed a letter of intent with SunZia Transmission to reserve up to 1,500 MW of capacity on SunZia’s proposed $1.2 billion transmission project through parts of Arizona and New Mexico.

Spot power prices at PJM’s Western hub, which includes deliveries to Washington, dropped $9.26 yesterday, or 19%, to average $40.86/MWh, as demand decreased across the region due to milder weather.

Cheap natural gas from the shale boom is contributing to the closures of U.S. nuclear facilities.

The 900 MW Sherco unit 3 coal-fired generator in Becker, Minn., is expected to be back in service after a few weeks of testing, Xcel Energy says in a regulatory filing.

A representative of Clean Line Energy Partners has spoken with local legislators from Halls Levee, Mo., about the company’s proposed transmission line.

PNM Resources is proposing a plan to shut down two units at the San Juan coal-fired plant near Farmington, N.M.

Hawaiian Electric Co. is planning to deactivate a 113 MW Honolulu oil-fired plant in January as the utility’s portfolio of renewable has expanded.

A consortium of renewable investors is planning to start construction on nine solar projects totaling 18 MW in California to have them online next year.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas predicts that the state’s grid has enough capacity to meet winter demand unlike last year when grid operators were concerned about long-term capacity.

The $268 million We Energies biomass plant at Domtar Corp.’s paper mill in Wisconsin is set to open this fall.

Duke Energy will retire four coal-fired units at its Wabash River Station in West Terre Haute, Ind., that generate a combined 350 MW by June 1, 2018.

Dominion Virginia Power updated its long-range energy plan last week and will offer natural gas generation as its baseload source and include renewable options in anticipation of U.S. regulations to reduce greenhouse gases.

Bipartisan U.S. legislation to allow renewable energy companies to use master limited partnerships to access cheap capital has been stalled by debate over the production tax credit.

New transmission lines in Texas are bringing subsidized wind power to Dallas and Austin that is shrinking profits at some coal-fired plants, including those of Energy Future Holdings.

New Mexico and Navajo Nation officials oppose a proposal in Arizona to bring competition into the retail power market because of impacts to the Four Corners coal-fired plant.

Utilities are among the infrastructure providers that could be targets of cyber attacks such as recent hacks by the Syrian Electronic Army into the New York Times and Twitter websites, according to network security officials.

New Hampshire legislators are unsure whether they should require Public Service of New Hampshire to sell its generation assets, given uncertainty around impacts of environmental regulations and the price of natural gas.

Entergy Corp. will shutter its 620 MW Vermont Yankee nuclear facility, due to low power prices and a preference for natural gas among utilities.

American Renewables’ 100 MW Gainesville biomass project has started generating electricity.

First Wind and Emera’s decision to postpone the refinancing of $385 million in debt has some industry watchers asking whether the market is souring on the renewable energy sector.

ITC Great Plains and Mid-Kansas Electric Company received siting approval from the Kansas Corporation Commission for their portion of the Elm Creek-to-Summit high-voltage transmission line in north central Kansas.

Wholesale power prices jumped in California this week, with spot power for Northern California’s NP15 hub, which includes deliveries to San Francisco, rising $11.56, or 36%, to average $43.64/MWh.

The U.S. must balance its commitment to reducing carbon emissions with the “ground truth” that the world's largest economy still relies heavily on fossil fuels, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said during a speech in New York on Monday.

NextEra Energy Resources has begun construction on a $138 million, 75 MW wind facility in Gage and Jefferson Counties, Neb.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has demanded better communication and transparency from utilities in response to recent severe storms.

American Electric Power has said there are no current plans to sell its 9 GW of generation in Ohio after an industry report flagged them as on the market.

The European Investment Bank has committed $230 million in a joint initiative with the Central American Bank of Economic Integration to finance renewable projects in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

Star Distributed Energy has garnered a 20-year power purchase agreement from Minnesota Municipal Power Agency for its 19.5 MW wind project in Sibley County, Minn.

Allco Finance, Con Edison Development, NRG Energy and Nautilus Solar are among the 45 companies that submitted proposals to develop generation projects in Connecticut under a program run by the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The Siemens Wind plant in Hutchinson, Kan., will supply nacelles, hubs and turbines to Portland General Electric Company’s wind farm in Columbia County, Wash.

The Illinois Commerce Commission has granted an order that paves the way for Ameren’s 400-mile, $1.1 billion transmission build-out in the state.

California regulators must weigh whether a $2.25 billion penalty for safety lapses is worth potentially pushing PG&E Corp. into bankruptcy for the second time in 12 years.

The European Investment Bank has agreed to lend $230 million to support investment in renewable energy across Central America.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Tuesday Dominion’s $650 million sale of three power plants to Energy Capital Partners after reviewing complaints from the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental protection group in New England.

California Public Utilities Commission is expected to decide byyear-end on whether to impose a $2.25 billion safety penalty on Pacific Gas & Electric, which could put the utility on track toward its second bankruptcy in a dozen years.

First Solar as nabbed a $24 million, 10-year power purchase agreement for its 32 MW Lost Hills solar project in Kern County, Calif., with the City of Roseville, Calif.

The city council of Richfield, N.Y., has rejected a proposal that would have stalled Ridgeline Energy’s Monticello wind project.

Panda Power Funds intends to build, own and operate the 859 MW Panda Mattawoman combined-cycle facility near Brandywine, Md.

Developer juwi Wind has been denied its request to eliminate a property value guarantee for the $300 million, 150 MW Prairie Breeze wind farm in northwestern Tipton County, Ind.

In a move aimed at expanding the market for Alaska's hydro resources, Alaska Power & Telephone Company subsidiary Soule Hydro has applied for a Presidential permit via the U.S. Department of Energy to construct and operate a transmission line crossing the U.S. border to deliver renewables into Canada.

Renewable Energy Developers, a developer, owner and operator of renewable energy projects and an affiliate of Capstone Infrastructure Corp., has purchased four contracted Ontario wind projects totaling 50 MW from Wind Works Power Corp.

New York may look to replace a portion of the 2 GW Indian Point nuclear plant, which is opposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, with hydropower from Quebec since the Champlain-Hudson Power Express transmission line was approved by the state’s Public Service Commission.

Construction is set to begin on a $75 million, 50 MW wind project near Rollag, Minn. The project has a power purchase agreement with Great Lakes Utilities.

First Wind is looking at five prospective sites for wind projects in Maine that could total 410 MW and sell power to Connecticut utilities.

Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. is moving ahead on Icebreaker, its 18 MW offshore wind project planned for the waters of Lake Erie off the coast of Cleveland.

San Mateo, Calif.-based SolarCity Corp. has a definitive agreement to acquire Paramount Solar in a transaction valued at about $120 million.

Spot wholesale electricity prices from Boston to Washington dropped, as unusually mild weather reduced the need to run air conditioners.

The Sierra Club says a proposed takeover of NV Energy by MidAmerican Energy Holdings threatens progress toward a cleaner environment.

The Sierra Club says a proposed takeover of NV Energy by MidAmerican Energy Holdings threatens progress toward a cleaner environment.

Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto is proposing an independent government agency to distribute and sell power, allowing competition to the government-run Federal Electricity Commission.

FirstEnergy Corp.’s plans to shut down its Hatfield’s Ferry and Mitchell coal-fired plants, which total 2 GW, by Oct. 9, may be delayed due to a PJM report saying that transmission upgrades to replace the power may not be ready in time.

Competitive Power Ventures is planning a 762 MW gas-fired project in Atkins, Va.

Calpine Corp.’s Russell City and Los Esteros gas-fired plants totaling 900 MW in the San Francisco Bay area are now online.

Detroit Renewable Energy has completed $55 million in long-term financing to support the company's expanding investment in the environmental, renewable energy and economic development infrastructure of Detroit.

Chile, owner of the proposed 740 MW Punta Alcalde coal-fired plant in the country, announced this week that it would look to the Chilean Supreme Court to reverse a recent decision by the Santiago Appeals Court to uphold injunctions against the project’s approval.

A Starwood Energy Group Global subsidiary has purchased the 377 MW Stephens Ranch wind project from Mesa Power Group.

Southern California Edison officials say its customers should pay a portion of the shut-down costs for the San Onofre nuclear plant.

The San Bernardino County Planning Commission is considering an application from an Ohio-based group called Sycamore Physicians Partners—a group of doctors investing in solar projects—that is planning a 2.7 MW solar project in Oak Hills, Calif.

Ontario Power Generation has received an operating license until 2018 for its Pickering nuclear facility from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

The planning board of Richfield, N.Y. will hold a meeting tonight to consider a permit for Ridge Energy’s Monticello Hills wind project.

The San Bernardino County Planning Commission is considering an application from an Ohio-based group called Sycamore Physicians Partners—a group of doctors investing in solar projects—that is planning a 2.7 MW solar project in Oak Hills, Calif.

NRG Energy has submitted a proposal to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to redevelop the Montville coal-fired plant in Montville, Conn., into a tri-powered facility for upwards of $100 million that includes biomass, fuel cell and solar generation.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection rejected, for the second time, an application for First Wind to develop the Champlain wind project on Bowers Mountain in Penobscot County.

Edison International has bought commercial and industrial solar developer SoCore Energy, for a purchase price less than $10 million.

First Solar has bought General Electric Co.’s solar technology unit in exchange for 1.75 million of its share that is worth about $81.8 million.

Steve Young, v.p., controller and chief accounting officer at Duke Energy, will replace new CEO Lynn Good as executive v.p. and cfo.

After more than $650 million in upgrades to Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point Nuclear facility, the utility still cannot commit to a finishing date for the project.

Edison International has completed the acquisition of SoCore Energy.

Edison International has completed the acquisition of SoCore Energy.

NRG Energy's bid for a $100 million biomass conversion at the gas-fired Montville facility is before Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

Spot wholesale electricity prices from Boston to Chicago and Washington slid as milder weather reduced the need to run air conditioners.

Renovalia subsidiary Desarrollos Eólicos Mexicanos de Oaxaca is developing a 138 MW wind project on Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the narrow strip of land between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.

Enel Green Power has wrapped a five-year, $100 million loan from Banco de Credito e Inversiones to finance a portion of its projects in Chile.

New England-ISO is in the early stages of being able to forecast day-ahead wind generated output.

The Maine Board of Environmental Protection has approved a 14-turbine wind project being developed on Passadumkeag Mountain that had been opposed by state officials.

The $2.2 billion Ivanpah concentrated solar facility in the Mojave Desert is 95% complete and is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

The Ohio Power Siting Board has agreed to allow more time to review parts of its decision regarding the second phase of the 100-turbine Buckeye wind project, after Champaign County and local officials raised concerns about the proposal.

The North Dakota Public Service Commission will consider a motion to hear new information concerning Geronimo Energy’s proposed Courtenay wind farm at its next meeting.

Spot wholesale electricity on the main Texas grid increased as parts of the state have seen the highest temperatures in three weeks.

Northeast Utilities has nearly tripled its profit in the second quarter after shaking most of the charges associated with its merger with NStar.

Entergy Corp. is weighing options for its wholesale nuclear unit as part of a reorganization plan aimed to cut costs.

EDF plans to exit its Constellation Energy Nuclear Group joint venture and the plants will be fully integrated into Exelon’s fleet.

National Grid is considering an underwater, high voltage transmission line in Salem Harbor in Massachusetts that costs about $110 million, or roughly twice that of a proposed land route.

President Barack Obama and the U.S. Department of Energy are committed to a role for coal in a national energy strategy and they've backed up their commitment with research spending, says Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

NextEra Energy Capital Holdings will conduct a remarketing on Aug. 6 of its Series D Debentures due Sept. 1, 2015, which are outstanding in the aggregate amount of $402.5 million.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff has found “eight manipulative bidding strategies” used by a JPMorgan Chase & Co. affiliate in 2010 and 2011 in California and the Midwest to boost profits.

First Wind has received final approval from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to erect 18 more turbines in Hancock County, Maine, near the company’s 19-turbine Bull Hill wind facility.

The Ameren Missouri Callaway nuclear facility in Callaway County, Mo., has been shut down since last Friday, when a small fire broke out in the turbine building, authorities say.

Telemark Development Group, a company out of Nevada, is planning a $250 million, 171 MW gas-fired project in San Benito, Texas.

Xcel Energy will move its headquarters out of Minneapolis, Minn., if city voters elect to take over the city’s distribution service in November.

Summit Power Group is aiming to break ground this fall on its roughly $2.5 billion, 400 MW coal gasification project in Penwell, Texas.

Covanta Energy is planning a $30 million expansion to a waste-to-energy plant in Niagara Falls, N.Y., that would allow it to receive 300,000 tons of waste from New York City by train.

Nearly 112,800 acres off the coast of Virginia are set to be auctioned in September for wind energy development.

Operators at PPL’s 2,600 MW Susquehanna Steam nuclear facility in Salem Township, Pa., disconnected the Unit 1 reactor from the regional power grid Sunday to repair one its four main valves.

Plans to build a 25 MW wind farm off Atlantic City are now on hold after New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities declined to approve the latest proposal.

Construction on the largest solar photovoltaic facility in Latin America is getting underway in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Renewable energy will provide more of the world’s electricity than gas-fired power plants by 2016, according to an International Energy Agency report, as sources such as hydro, wind and solar power grow rapidly in emerging economies, such as those in Latin America.

Enel Green Power inked two power purchase agreements for a pair of wind projects in Mexico with automotive supplier Delphi Automotive and Mexican bank Banamex.

Samsung Renewable Energy, Pattern Energy and Capital Power have received a renewable energy approval for the 270 MW K2 wind project near Lake Huron from Ontario officials.

Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. has signed a power purchase agreement for the 150 MW Origin wind project in Murray and Carter Counties, Okla., that is being developed by RES Americas.

Apex Clean Energy has a pair of preliminary power purchase agreements with PacifiCorp for two 80 MW wind projects in Utah totaling $230 million.

Tucson Electric Power has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Houston-based Torch Renewable Energy for the planned Red Horse Wind 2 wind farm near Willcox, Ariz.

Cirque Energy, formerly Green Energy Renewable Solutions, has retained Tigress Financial Partners, a New York-based investment bank and broker-dealer, as its advisor to assist in the raising of growth and acquisition capital.

Residents of Douglas and Piatt counties, Ill., are up in arms over a proposal to reroute Ameren's proposed high-voltage transmission line through their counties.

The U.S. Department of Environmental Protection is seeking public comment on First Wind’s proposal to build a $398 million, 62-turbine wind farm near Moscow, Maine.

Caithness Energy’s Shepherd’s Flat wind farm in Oregon received final approval from the Oregon Department of Energy last month for a further $30 million in tax credits, which has again raised the ire of some Oregonians, claiming that the $2 billion wind facility was over-subsidized.

An Arizona judge has ruled that a power project fueled by burning trash proposed by the Reclamation Power Group should not have been considered a renewable energy facility by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

A solar project planned in Odessa, Texas, is being slow to start, according to local officials, who will use the land if Duke Energy and partner West Texas Angelos Holding do not make progress.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities preliminarily rejected Fishermen’s Energy 25 MW offshore wind project of the coast of Atlantic City, citing high costs.

NV Energy is considering an internal reorganization, separate from its merger with MidAmerican Energy Holdings.

Conservatives fighting against renewable energy mandates are losing ground even in some Republican-controlled states, where legislatures are standing behind policies that force electric utilities to buy renewables.

Hot and humid weather on the East Coast has pushed up power prices in New York for a third day, topping $2,000 per MWh in afternoon trading.

Hot and humid weather on the East Coast has pushed up power prices in New York for a third day, topping $2,000 per MWh in afternoon trading.

William C. Grantham, v.p. of commercial operations and services at Southern Company, will become cfo and treasurer of subsidiary Southern Power.

William C. Grantham, v.p. of commercial operations and services at Southern Company, will become cfo and treasurer of subsidiary Southern Power.

Power REIT has closed the acquisition of approximately 100 acres of land that will support over 20 MW of utility scale solar projects near Fresno, Calif.

Florida Power & Light has razed the Port Everglades oil-fired facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to make way for a natural gas-fired plant.

Dominion Virginia Power’s Altavista coal-fired station has been converted to a biomass facility.

Environmentalists have teamed with the Business Council of New York State to resist a $506 million plan from NRG Energy Inc. to convert its coal-fired Dunkirk facility to natural gas.

PJM utility Public Service Electric and Gas expects electric demand to reach 9,833 MW, short of the all-time peak demand record of 11,108 MW set on Aug. 2, 2006.

Investment in clean energy rose 22% in the second quarter from the prior three months on the back of increased spending in the U.S. and China.

FirstEnergy will shutter the coal-fired Hatfield's Ferry in Masontown, W.Va., and Mitchell in Union Township, W.Va.

Fitz Steele, Kentucky's top energy official, told a legislative committee that President Barack Obama's climate change policy could increase electricity prices significantly and hurt the state's coal and manufacturing industries.

Development bank Corporación Andina de Fomento has approved $735 million in loans to power and energy projects in Latin America.

The City of Boulder is projecting it can get 50% of its power from renewable energy on the first day of operating a municipal utility although Xcel Energy says its transmission lines may be too congested to ensure that power even under power purchase agreements could cross the lines.

Rocky Mountain Power says its too early to know whether solar projects planned for land in Utah under the U.S.

First Solar has begun construction on the Macho Springs solar project in Luna County, N.M.

Advanced Power Services is developing an $800 million, 700 MW combined cycle project in Carroll County, Ohio.

A severe thunderstorm has cut power to 300,000 people in Canada's largest city, with utilities warning that the resumption of regular service would be slow due to the terrible conditions.

Spanish company Comsa Emte is joining Iberdrola in completing the electrical work for a 234 MW wind farm being developed by Gamesa in Juchitan de Zaragoza, Mexico.

NorthWestern Energy CEO Bob Rowe says that despite new White House directives looking to limit the use of coal, the Sioux Falls, S.D.-based utility will continue to rely heavily on its large fleet of coal-fired facilities in Montana.

Innoventé will open a 7.2 MW waste-to-energy facility in Matane, Quebec, following the signing of a 25-year power purchase agreement with Hydro-Quebec.

The White House is threatening to veto House Republicans’ U.S. Department of Energy spending bill, citing its sharp cuts to renewable energy programs.

New York City customers used a record amount of power on Sunday, according to ConEdison, which said power usage surged to 11,283 MWh at 6 p.m.

Former U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu envisions a future with a decentralized power grid with a distributed generation business model that resembles an old AT&T business model in which the company owned and kept up phones in people’s homes.

TransAlta Corp. has received approval from regulators for a 10-year power purchase agreement between its Centralia coal-fired plant and Puget Sound Energy.

Kruger Energy has bought a majority stake in an 8.6 MW hydro project near Waimea Canyon on Kauai in Hawaii that is being developed by Pacific Light and Power and Orenco Hydropower.

The U.S. Department of Energy is restructuring a loan guarantee program designed to reduce carbon emissions from coal, oil and natural gas after an effort focused solely on coal failed to back any projects.

Antrim Wind Energy has reached a payment in lieu of tax credit agreement with the town of Antrim, N.H., paving the way for the construction of a 30 MW facility near the town.

The PJM Interconnection has launched a request for proposals to bolster its mix of resources as a precaution against summer blackouts.

Geothermal developer Ram Power has reached an agreement with its project lenders syndicate, led by the International Finance Corporation, to amend its phase II credit agreement for the San Jacinto-Tizate Project.

Idaho Power reached a new megawatt record high output on Monday.

Markus Tacke has been appointed ceo of Siemens energy sector’s wind power division.

Cape Wind Associates has signed a $15 million contract with Lawrence-Lynch Corp. for construction to bury the wind farm's electric cables.

Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell has approved a BP Wind Energy North America facility on Federal lands in Arizona.

Northern California wholesale electricity prices have declined recently, reversing earlier gains, as demand falls below forecasts.

Oregon Wind Farms Inc. is looking to develop two wind farms in the southeastern part of Baker County near Huntington and Lime, Oregon, following approval from the Baker County Planning Commission.

Valleland Solar has submitted plans for two 30 MW solar projects to Chilean environmental authority Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental.

Environmentalists and renewable energy business leaders have thrown their support behind President Barack Obama’s new energy plan, which does not need congressional approval to come into effect.

The summer heat in Texas is already straining the grid, with fast-growing demand translating to higher bills as local utilities draw power from more expensive, merchant power sources, says Kent Saathoff, an ERCOT adviser and former v.p. of operations.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said he expects to have a “fair amount of action” during 2013 in evaluating companies’ applications to export natural gas from the United States.

Renewable power will eclipse natural gas and nuclear as a source of electricity by 2016. The sector is expected to surge by 40% in the next five years, the International Energy Agency says in a new report.

American Electric Power has petitioned the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to stop FirstEnergy from soliciting customers in its territory, escalating an argument over how to deal with a power company offering competitive power in another’s footprint.

SolarCity is planning to introduce a solar and battery duo in 2015 that will allow power to be stored for use at night.

San Bernardino County, Calif., is pushing to streamline the permitting process for solar projects in preparation for a moratorium on new projects to be lifted in about a month.

Several states, including California and Massachusetts, rely on natural gas imported from Canada to supply generating facilities, according to the Institute for Energy Research.

President Obama will issue an executive memo to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calling for new regulations on power plants as part of a goal for the U.S. to cut carbon emissions 17% from 2005 levels by 2020.

Wells Fargo has committed to investing $100 million in tax equity in 2013 and 2014 to distributed generation solar projects developed by SunEdison in 13 states and Puerto Rico..

BluEarth Renewables is buying four solar projects totaling 38.5 MW in Ontario from Canadian Solar.

SolarCity has completed the installation of solar panels on 10 Wal-Mart rooftops in Maryland, one step in the retailer’s plan to use 100% renewables power by 2020.

Arizona Public Service Company has put its $294 million purchase of two units of the Four Corners coal-fired plant on hold because of the Arizona Corporation Commission’s consideration of deregulation.

NRG Energy is planning coal-fired to gas conversions of two plants in PJM—the 330 MW New Castle near Pittsburgh, Pa., and the 776 MW Avon Lake in Ohio—that were acquired through its merger with GenOn Energy.

First Wind is planning a $400 million, 191 MW wind project in Somerset and Piscataquis Counties, Maine.

Sunlight Partners is planning a trio of projects in North Carolina including two 20 MW projects in Guildford County and a 4 MW project in Forsyth County, which is expected to sell power to Duke Energy.

Entergy Corp. and ITC Holdings have received approval from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the $1.78 billion deal for ITC to buy transmission assets from Entergy in a spin-off.

Tenaska has shelved plans to build the Taylorville carbon-capture coal-fired project in Taylorville, Ill., given lack of support from Illinois legislators.

Duke Energy is planning a 230 MW wind project near Searchlight, Nev., that will cost north of $500 million.

Invenergy has received approval from the West Virginia Public Service Commission to move forward with the 33-wind turbine expansion to its Beech Ridge farm in Greenbrier County, W.Va

Cupertino Electric has completed construction on its two solar projects in Huron, Calif., totaling 30 MW.

The Obama administration is set to revive efforts to restrict greenhouse-gas emissions, including delayed measures on coal-fired power plants, despite prices pushing electric utilities back to coal as an energy source.

Latin America and the Caribbean’s renewable energy potential is large enough to cover the region’s need for power by 2050, according to a report commissioned by the Inter-American Development Bank.

TransAlta Corporation and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company joint venture CalEnergy has signed an 86 MW power purchase agreement with the City of Riverside, Calif.

Pacific Gas & Electric has elected Dick Kelly, retired chairman and ceo of Xcel Energy, to its board of directors.

TransAlta Corp. and MidAmerican Energy Holdings have lined up a 24-year power purchase agreement with the City of Riverside, Calif., for their geothermal joint venture CalEnergy

The recent Idaho Public Utilities Commission ruling that limits small wind and solar projects to 100 kW could pave the way for a surge in hydro activity because the ruling allows projects up to 10 MW.

AES is planning a 40 MW battery project in Ohio at Dayton Power & Light’s Tait plant near Dayton.

Excelsior Energy has agreed to a compromise with the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board on its shelved Mesaba coal-gasification power project in Taconite, including renegotiated debt terms and an extension until 2019 to develop the project.

Xcel Energy will invest $1.8 billion to extend the life of its 40-year-old Prairie Island and Red Wing nuclear reactors in Minnesota.

Retooling the transmission spine that would service an offshore wind development in New Jersey to exclude service to other states would increase its appeal to energy regulators, who can grant development incentives for the project.

House Republicans outlined a revised energy budget Monday that would cut as much as $873 million from renewable energy programs.

Christopher Smith, the acting head of the U.S. Department of Energy’s fossil energy office, is warning House lawmakers of constraints on what he can discuss at today’s Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on natural gas export proposals.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has cancelled a public hearing about LS Power’s proposed Berks Hollow natural gas-fired plant in Ontelaunee, Pa., due to lack of interest.

The Austin, Texas, city council is expected to approve two Austin Energy 25-year power purchase agreements this week for wind projects proposed by Duke Energy and E.ON Climate & Renewables.

NRG Energy has encountered pushback from local business and environmental groups on its $506 million plan to convert the Dunkirk coal-fired plant in Chautauqua County, N.Y., to natural gas.

The Public Service Co. of Oklahoma has launched a request for proposals for 200 MW of wind power from projects that are in late stage development to qualify for the production tax credit.

NRG Energy plans to fire up the mothballed 750 MW SR Bertron natural gas-fired facility near Houston to help meet growing demand in the state this summer.

The shuttering of the San Onofre nuclear plant leaves significant unanswered questions about the future of the energy supply in Southern California, the head of the state's Public Utilities Commission has said.

PG&E Corp., Sempra Energy and Edison International would be required to procure 1,325 MW of storage capacity by 2020 under a June 10 proposal from the California Public Utilities Commission.

Investment in renewable energy projects is increasing in developing nations like Chile, according to a study by the United Nations.

Williams Partners is planning a Mid-South expansion project to its Transco natural gas pipeline that includes 23-miles of new pipeline, a new compressor facility in Dallas County, Ala., and upgrades to existing facilities.

EDP Renewables North America has lined up a power purchase agreement with Indiana Michigan Power for its proposed $350-400 million, 200 MW Headwaters project in Randolph County, Ind.

San Diego Gas & Electric is planning to revive a proposal to develop a 300 MW ga-fired project near the border with Mexico now that the San Onofre nuclear facility is going offline.

NextEra Energy Resources has begun to sell residential power in New Hampshire under a new subsidiary called NextEra Energy Services New Hampshire.

Duke Energy's 618 MW Edwardsport Generating Station in Knox County, Ind., has begun commercial operation.

Canadian Solar has entered into an engineering, procurement and construction agreement with Samsung Renewable Energy subsidiary Grand Renewable Solar, for the construction of its 130 MW Grand solar facility in Ontario.

Concerns that other countries with huge deposits of shale gas might usurp the U.S. and steal away its liquefied natural gas export business could be unfounded, according to a new report by global consultancy Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Solar power generation on California's electricity grid reached an all-time high last week, totaling 2,071 MW, state officials said Sunday.

ECC Renewables is one of five contractors selected for a 10-year, $7 billion contract to develop, build, finance and own geothermal projects at U.S. Department of Defense facilities around the country.

Mainstream Renewable Power and global investor Actis have agreed to a joint venture to develop 600 MW of wind and solar projects in Chile in the next three years.

BrightSource Energy CEO John Woolard is stepping down, but will remain on the board and act as a strategic adviser.

ImMODO Energy Services Corp. is preparing to start construction on four solar projects totaling 23 MW in Tulare County, Calif.

Tom Smith, ceo of Oglethorpe Power for almost 14 years, has passed away after fighting cancer.

The Nevada legislature has passed a bill that allows NV Energy to replace about 1 GW of coal-fired generation with 600 MW of utility-owned renewables and gas-fired generation.

Verizon has reached an initial agreement with Bloom Energy to install three fuel cells at sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose.

Sprott Power Corp. is looking to enter a partnership with the Batchewana First Nation on a 25 MW wind project in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

The U.S. Department of the Interior has approved two solar projects totaling 450 MW and a geothermal project.

NYISO forecasts the state will not need new generation until 2019 given sluggish demand growth.

NaturEner Energy Canada is preparing to start construction on its 210 MW Wild Rose 1 wind project in Alberta.

First Wind is proposing the $400 million, 186 MW Bingham wind project near Skowhegan, Maine.

Appalachian Power has asked Virginia officials to approve a $65 million project to convert the Clinch River coal-fired plant in Russell County to gas-fired.

MidAmerican Energy Holding Co. has agreed to buy NV Energy for $5.6 billion in cash.

Eolica Cateao, a Santiago, Chile-based renewables shop, has applied for permits to develop the $224 million, 100 MW Cateao wind project in the Los Lagos region in Chile.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has approved the roughly $500 million solar initiative proposed by Public Service Electric & Gas.

Jon Wellinghoff, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is resigning.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission has heard arguments about proposed rate increases brought about by a $1 billion power plant sale between two FirstEnergy subsidiaries.

The Ohio Power Siting Board has voted to allow the second phase of the multimillion dollar Buckeye wind project.

Pipestone, Minn.-based Wind developer Juhl Energy has expanded into Canada with the acquisition of two 1.65 MW community wind projects in New Brunswick that are contracted to NB Power.

Sunflower Electric has lost an appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court to overturn a ruling against its $2.8 billion, 895 MW Holcomb coal-fired expansion project in Kansas.

The results of PJM capacity auction for 2015-16 could impact whether the West Virginia Public Service Commission approves FirstEnergy Corp.’s $1 billion plan for Mon Power, a utility subsidiary, to buy 80% of the Harrison coal-fired plant from another subsidiary.

Kenneth Cornew, Constellation Energy Group ceo, will be the ceo of Exelon Generation, a sister subsidiary that runs Exelon’s competitive fleet.

Teco Energy Inc. will buy New Mexico Gas Co. for $750 million in stock as well as the assumption of $200 million in debt.

Minnesota utilities will now have to source 1.5% of their power from solar sources by 2020.

NRG Energy will redeem for cash all of subsidiary GenOn Energy’s remaining 7.625% senior notes due 2014 on June 24, 2013.

The PJM Interconnection annual capacity auction has attracted a record amount of new generation as well as record imports of capacity from the MISO and other areas.

Virginia could clear another federal hurdle in July in its quest for an offshore lease for a wind power research project, officials said last week at a meeting of the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority.

Natural-gas utilities, led by Duke Energy, want to change the law to make clear that consumers, rather than shareholders, can be charged cleanup costs for about 90 abandoned natural gas-fired plants in Ohio.

Kentucky Power’s intention to upgrade the 700 MW Big Sandy coal-fired plant in Lawrence County, Ky., to comply with new federal regulations is proving more costly than purchasing a new facility.

Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla has signed four executive orders aimed at boosting the use of renewable energy sources in Puerto Rico.

Gauss Energía has tapped Portugal-based Martifer Solar to build the Aura Solar 1 30 MW photovoltaic facility in La Paz, Mexico, the largest solar project to date in Latin America.

The Lee County Board in Illinois has voted to allow Mainstream Renewable Power to build a controversial wind farm, overruling a decision last month by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Sempra Energy is asking the U.S. Department of Energy to alter its approval process for LNG exports to favor milestones in project development over the order in which applications were submitted to the agency.

A plan aimed at attracting wind projects to Nebraska by exempting them from sales tax is headed to a final vote in the state legislature.

Ernest Moniz, the new secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, has raised the possibility of delaying further approvals for U.S. companies seeking to export natural gas, saying he wants to review whether the government's studies of the issue are adequate.

Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. has started to assess damage to its electric grid following Monday's tornado which left a path of destruction near Oklahoma City, a spokesman said Monday evening.

A $506 million project to convert a coal-fired power plant in Dunkirk, N.Y., to less-expensive natural gas would increase electricity delivery rates and would cost more than an alternative $70 million plan to upgrade the power transmission network across Western New York, according to a report by National Grid.

The Ohio Power Siting Board may decide this month whether the 56-turbine, second phase of the Buckeye wind project in Champaign County will move forward after more than a year of debate.

The pending sale of NextEra Energy Resources’s Wyman Station in Maine has locals worried about the long-term impacts of the transaction now that talks between the parties have broken down.

Utility PPL Corporation is investing nearly $1 billion to improve transmission service to 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. has hired Robert Douglas Lawler of rival Anadarko Petroleum Corp. as ceo, filling the post vacated by co-founder Aubrey McClendon.

Globeleq has inaugurated its 44 MW Eolo de Nicaragua wind farm in the province of Rivas, Nicaragua.

The U.S. Department of Energy has given the green light to the $10 billion, ConocoPhillips-backed Freeport LNG export facility in Quintana Island, Texas.

Genrent do Brasil will build a 70 MW thermoelectric plant that will supply electricity to the city of Iquitos, Peru.

AES subsidiaries in Indiana and Ohio are planning to retire or refuel coal-fired plants in the states.

North American Project Development, a Boston-based LLC, is developing the $850 million, 799 MW combined cycle project in Oregon, Ohio.

JPMorgan will sell its power marketing rights to three AES facilities in Southern California so the plants can be upgraded for the summer season.

A bill in Texas requiring power companies to buy excess solar power from residential or commercial installations has been pulled from the docket after meeting opposition from some industry players although two state heavyweights, TXU Energy and NRG Energy, supported the bill.

South Carolina-owned utility Santee Cooper is trying to find a buyer for up to 25% of its 45% stake in the $10 billion nuclear plant being built in Jenkinsville, S.C., now that the recession has reduced its need for power.

Edison Mission Energy has brought online its 479 MW Walnut Creek peaker in Industry, Calif.

FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary Mon Power is proposing to buy an 80% stake in the Harrison coal-fired plant in West Virginia, from sister company Allegheny Energy Supply for $1.2 billion, or $767 per kW.

Paul LePage, governor of Maine, has introduced legislation to rewrite the state’s wind energy act of 2008 to remove the goals set in the renewable portfolio standard.

The provincial government of Quebec has approved a 150 MW wind project on the Gaspe Peninsula that is being developed by Innergex Renewable Energy and Mi’gmawei Mawiomi, the Assembly that represents three aboriginal communities.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has approved its first energy bills in this session of Congress on Wednesday.

Pennsylvania Governor Thomas Corbett is attempting to advance clean, alternative and renewable energy sources with the state’s more than $9.6 million investment in 13 projects.

Abengoa has been chosen by Imperial Irrigation District to upgrade a 230 kV transmission line, as well as substations in California.

Dominion has shut down its 556 MW Kewaunee Nuclear station, ending 40 years of generation near Green Bay, Wis.

Clean energy investment in Latin America hit $4.6 billion last year, a 127% increase over 2011.

The Minnesota House of Representatives has passed a bill requiring utilities to derive 4% of their generation from solar by 2025 although the Senate will vote Friday on a similar bill that mandates 1%.

Emera saw its first quarter profits soar year over year, with a reported net income of $122.8 million in 2013 over $80.2 million in 2012.

An 873 MW gas-fired peaker proposed for northeast Ohio by FirstEnergy Corp. and American Municipal Power has been shelved over concerns about AMP’s ability to secure tax exempt or tax advantaged financing.

Black Hills Corp. subsidiary Black Hills Wyoming has agreed to sell a 40 MW gas-fired unit of the Gillette facility to the City of Gillette, Wyo., for $22 million.

Seville, Spain-based Abengoa will build a 15 MW waste-to-energy facility in Glendale, Ariz.

Argan Inc. subsidiary Gemma Power Systems has entered into a consent and inter-creditor agreement in connection with the construction and design of Moxie Energy’s 820 MW Moxie Patriot gas-fired plant in Pennsylvania.

Duke Energy has canceled plans to add a pair of reactors to the Shearon Harris nuclear plant in Wake County, N.C.

Energy officials in Southern California expect to get through another summer without blackouts even if the San Onofre nuclear plant remains shuttered.

Developers are seeking permits for five new wind farms from the North Dakota Public Service Commission.

Exelon will look to grow its retail footprint in ERCOT over the next five years and be on the lookout for acquisition targets, Chris Crane, ceo, said on the earnings call.

The Minnesota legislature is considering a bill that would increase the state’s requirements of distributed solar generation to 4% by 2025.

CAISO expects to see 2 GW of new gas-fired generation come online this year, including NRG Energy’s 720 MW Marsh Landing project and Calpine Corp.’s Russell City and Los Esteros.

The developers behind the Tres Amigas project in Clovis, N.M., that is designed to link three of the nation’s power grids are planning to ask the city on May 16 to issue a 30-year, $1.6 billion industrial revenue bond issue to finance the project.

Developers have filed applications with the North Dakota Public Service Commission for five wind projects totaling about 685 MW in North Dakota as a way to try to qualify for the production tax credits by year-end.

NRG Energy has begun commercial operations at its 720 MW natural gas-fired Marsh Landing peaking facility near Antioch, Calif.

LS Power has completed the first 19 MW block of the 127 MW Arlington Valley II solar photovoltaic project in Arlington, Ariz.

Calpine has put in a bid to Minnesota state regulators to nearly double the amount of electricity it produces from its Mankato natural gas-fired plant. If approved, it would take the output to 720 MW from 375 MW.

The Connecticut state senate approved legislation proposed by the governor to boost hydro generation from Canada.

Commodity trading merchant Castleton Commodities International has completed the purchase of the 1,210 MW natural gas and fuel oil-fired Roseton facility in Newburgh, N.Y., from Dynegy.

ERCOT forecasts that Texas will fall short of the minimum amount of capacity needed this summer, increasing the risk of rolling black outs on hot days. New generation has not come online quickly enough to prevent a shortage.

American Electric Power has received approval from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to move its generation in Ohio to a competitive power subsidiary.

Southern California Edison may retire the San Onofre nuclear facility by year-end if California regulators deny a request to restart one of the two reactors that has had technical problems.

Public Service Electric & Gas has a preliminary agreement with New Jersey regulators to spend up to $446 million on solar investments, including $247 million on 42 MW of projects on landfills.

We Energies has asked the Wisconsin Public Service Commission for approval on a $79.9 million project to convert the Valley coal-fired plant to natural gas instead of a greenhouse gas emission reduction project tagged to cost $540 million.

NextEra Energy reported a $272 million profit in the first quarter that was about 41% lower than its $461 million earnings year over year.

New England-ISO is prepared for a summer peak of 26,690 MW under normal conditions and a high of 28,895 MW under a heat wave.

Interstate Light & Power, the Iowa utility subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp., is awaiting final approval of a 600 MW gas-fired project that could be online in 2017.

Bill Johnson, ceo of Tennessee Valley Authority, told the Financial Times that the public power agency is not "broke" and does not need a privatization to stay within its $30 billion cap on indebtedness as mentioned in President Obama's budget.

Ormat Technologies has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Southern California Public Power Authority for its 16 MW Wild Rose geothermal project in Mineral County, Nev., for $99 per MWh.

Japanese automaker Honda has established a new subsidiary called Honda Energy do Brasil to develop wind projects in the country.

Entergy Corp. posted a first quarter $161.4 million profit on higher power sales amid warmer temperatures.

The Navajo Nation has delayed a vote on whether to extend a lease for the Navajo coal-fired facility owned by Salt River Project.

David Crane, ceo of NRG Energy, sees more opportunity for solar generation in distributed generation rather than large projects such as the Agua Caliente and Ivanpah projects, in which NRG has stakes.

Lower wholesale power prices in the U.S. Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions have reduced the amount of money available to nuclear power generators by as much as $80/MWh, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration report.

Regulators will let Ameren Missouri continue its Pure Power green energy pricing program in the face of criticism from the Missouri Public Service Commission, which argued that the program lacks transparency.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission will host a meeting in Hazard, Ky., next month regarding Kentucky Power Company’s proposal to retire its Big Sandy generating plant in Louisa, Ky., which is no longer compliant with federal regulations.

Lawmakers in North Carolina rejected efforts to scale back the use of renewable energy.

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham kept in place his block on Ernest Moniz’s nomination for energy secretary after a meeting today failed to clear up the lawmaker’s concern over proposed budget cuts to a plutonium processing plant in his state.

First Wind’s application to build the 48 MW Champlain wind project on Bowers Mountain in Maine, will go through a two-day public hearing next week.

Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy have bought the 139 MW Campo Verde solar project in California from First Solar.

BP Wind Energy did not meet New York state requirements in its turbine site plan for the proposed 200-285 MW Cape Vincent wind project, including using a 50-year old map in planning, according to a the New York Department of Public Service.

Infigen Energy has signed 20-year power purchase agreements with Southern California Edison for two 20 MW solar projects.

March was the first month that all new capacity added to the power grid was solar, according to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Duke Energy is shooting to more than double the wind, solar and biomass energy in its portfolio by 2020, according to its 2012 sustainability report.

U.S. Geothermal Founder, Director and CEO Daniel Kunz will retire, with Dennis Gilles, formerly senior v.p. of Calpine Corporation until 2011, to succeed him as ceo.

Wind power installations almost doubled in Pennsylvania last year, but wind provides only about 1% of the state's electricity.

Regulated utility Xcel Energy has reduced its carbon dioxide emissions 16% since it began a reduction strategy in 2005.

Georgia Power has entered into an agreement with EDP Renewables North America to purchase 250 MW of generation from its wind farms in southwest Oklahoma.

The primary electricity grid serving Central Texas is expected to struggle with power supplies again this summer.

A $2.2 billion transmission project between Quebec to New York City has passed a key regulatory hurdle in Albany, N.Y.

Seattle-based company Principal Power intends to moor five wind turbines off the Oregon coast to generate 30 MW of power, and hopes the project dovetails with a separate proposal for a liquefied natural-gas export terminal called Jordan Cove.

Swiss industrial group ABB is set to buy U.S. solar power company Power-One Inc. for about $1 billion, betting that growth in emerging markets will help revive a sector hit by overcapacity and weakening demand.

Sonoma County has received bids from 11 firms vying to supply electricity to the proposed county power agency, including Calpine Corp, Ibedrola and NRG Energy.

San Bernardino County supervisors and their constituents agreed that residents need to be more involved in the seven-county Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, which identifies which parts of the desert should foster renewable energy development.

Anbaric Transmission has called for submissions for the Grand Isle Intertie Project between Plattsburgh, N.Y. and Essex, Vt.

The Wall Street Journal has asked an exclusive group of industry leaders which renewable energy source had the most promise.

Natural gas prices have hit their highest levels since July 2011, more than doubling in the past year, as U.S. fuel supplies shrunk in recent months due to frigid spring weather.

Dynegy Corp. and Duke Energy are bracing for new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules on the water they discharge from coal-fired plants, which may impose further costs and force plant shutdowns.

Mexico’s energy regulator has approved permits for three solar projects totaling about 47 MW.

A legislative committee in Connecticut approved a bill that would end a tax on power plants as lawmakers worry that power producers would pass the extra cost through to ratepayers.

The provincial government’s decision to relocate Eastern Power Corp.’s Greenfield South Power project from Mississauga, Ontario to Sarnia after construction had already begun is going to cost taxpayers $275 million.

The Colorado House of Representatives will hear a Senate-approved bill that would require rural cooperatives to get 25% of their power from renewables by 2020, up from the current standard of 10%.

Kentucky Power has asked state regulators to approve a 20-year power purchase agreement with a 58 MW biomass-fired project in Perry County, Ken., being developed by ecoPower.

The gaming industry, the largest energy user in Nevada, opposes an NV Energy proposal in the legislature to divest coal-fired plants and build more gas-fired and renewables facilities.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has approved an Xcel Energy proposal to sell energy credits from a 55 MW turkey waste fired plant in Benson, Minn., to North Carolina utilities that would use them to meet a state renewable portfolio standard.

8minuteenergy Renewables and Ridgeline Energy are working on separate solar projects in Stanislaus County, Calif., that total 190 MW.

Xcel Energy is proposing a trio of gas-fired projects in North Dakota that would each be about 215 MW.

Atlantic Power Corporation has completed the sale of its interests in three generation assets in Florida.

Global investments in clean energy have slid 22% to $40.6 billion in the first quarter this year, making it the weakest period since 2009.

Solar power won't be a significant part of Idaho Power Co.'s mix of resources for the next 20 years unless the costs drop, company officials said this week.

Despite nearly quadrupling its wind capacity in 2012, the outlook for additional wind capacity in Ohio is grim, following a review of state renewable energy requirements by the American Wind Energy Association.

An increase in solar construction in North Carolina may be stymied, with town leaders, neighbors and farmers showing up at meetings to voice concerns over possible toxins, health risks and property values.

BP Wind Energy has selected EDF Renewable Services as the operations and maintenance contractor at the 20 MW Edom Hills wind farm near Palm Springs, Calif.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is developing a system that converts natural gas and sunlight into a more energy-rich fuel called syngas, which can be used for generation.

Global geothermal energy capacity is expected to more than double by 2030, with developing economies like Chile providing the greatest impetus to growth, according to panelists at the U.S. and International Geothermal Energy Finance Forum in New York.

Mid-Kansas Electric Co. has begun construction of its 110 MW natural gas-fired Rubart Station near Ulysses, Kan.

California state securities regulators have given Oakland-based solar financing startup Mosaic the green light to offer $100 million worth of new solar investments to California residents.

A moratorium will be in place in Tipton County, Ind., until Oct. 1 this year stymieing future wind developments in the region until an ordinance is amended.

Iberdrola Renewables has entered into a power purchase agreement with Ohio State University of unknown length to buy 50 MW of power from its Blue Creek Wind Farm, located in Van Wert and Paulding counties, Ohio.

President Barack Obama’s choice to lead the Energy Department, Ernest Moniz, pledged to increase use of natural gas as part of the energy mix Tuesday, when he faced the Senate Energy Committee.

An Ohio state requirement for utility companies to generate a quarter of their power from renewable energy sources could be changed, which would threaten the future of local projects like EverPower’s $250 million Buckeye wind project in Champaign County, Ohio.

The California Independent System Operator Corporation has reported that a new record was set when wind produced 4,196 MW on the grid at 6:44 p.m. last Sunday.

Statoil North America is moving ahead with plans for an offshore wind energy pilot project in the Gulf of Maine, with a goal of making a final decision on the project next year.

Hawaii state officials are hoping to create a new financing structure aimed at making photovoltaic systems affordable to a wider market by issuing bonds for the projects.

Wind generaton in the Americas will increase by 92 GW between 2013 and 2020, but while North America will grow at a steady 6 GW per year pace, South America will boom, according to MAKE Consulting’s first Americas Wind Power Outlook.

President Barack Obama's picks to lead U.S. energy and environmental policy will face questions from Senate panels this week to pin down details of the government’s agenda.

Clean Power Finance, an online platform that provides software and financial services to investors in solar power projects, has raised $37 million.

The 653 MW Mactaquac dam in New Brunswick has faulty concrete that is forcing owner NB Power to decide its future well ahead of the century it was expected to last.

Wind developer Emerging Energies is making one more effort to persuade Wisconsin state regulators that the turbines it wants to build will meet the state’s noise standards.

MISO administered its first capacity auction this week, with the system wide clearing price for the 2013-2014 planning year coming in at $1.05 per MW-day.

The large hydro turbine market in Latin America is set to grow up to three times by 2017 to $341.5 million.

A federal judge has vindicated Xcel Energy for its 2011 decision to cancel an EDF Renewable Energy--then enXco--$400 million wind farm in North Dakota that posed a potential risk to two protected species of birds.

Siemens will be the turnkey supplier for the Panda Temple II power project in Temple, Texas.

Developers of the 850 MW coal-fired Plant Washington in Sandersville, Ga., say they are in a “dead sprint” to meet a deadline to begin construction.

Far East El Paso Citizens United, a group of about 200 residents, is vehemently opposing El Paso Electric Company’s plans to build the Montana natural gas-fired power plant near the Montana Vista village along the Texas-Mexico border.

Arizona Public Service Co. has selected Black & Veatch to design and build the 32 MW Gila Bend solar project, which is part of its AZ Sun Program.

A North Carolina House subcommittee has narrowly passed a bill 11-10 that reverses a 2007 law aimed at increasing renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass.

Pennington, N.J.-based Ocean Power Technologies faces a new regulatory hurdle for a project that would harness the power of the ocean off the Oregon coast and needs more money for what has been billed as the U.S.’ first commercial wave energy operation.

U.S. Geothermal subsidiary USG Oregon has received just under $33 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury in lieu of tax/credits under Section 1603 for its Neal Hot Springs geothermal plant.

The U.S. is on a path to energy independence, according to billionaire investor T. Boone Pickens, despite what he called the incompetence of lawmakers in Washington.

The U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation has approved a $193 million loan backing a 114 MW ContourGlobal wind farm in northwestern Peru.

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. has closed its $140.7 million acquisition of a natural gas distribution utility in Georgia from Atmos Energy.

Duke Energy Ohio has reached an agreement with the Ohio Consumers Counsel over a proposed rate increase slated for the summer.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Joseph Courtney are asking Connecticut regulators to deny more than half of Connecticut Light & Power’s request to recover $414 million in storm damages.

NRG Solar has received a $19.2 million loan from the North American Development Bank for a 5 MW solar project in Brawley, Calif.

Puget Sound Energy estimates it will be able to meet 1 GW of the estimated 5.4 GW power demand in 2033 through customer energy efficiency programs, according to its draft integrated resource plan.

Nevada Geothermal Power has changed its name to Alternative Earth Resources and completed the transfer of Blue Mountain geothermal project to mezzanine lender EIG Global Energy Partners.

Bryan Texas Utilities has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with the $35 million, 10 MW Bryan solar project being built by MIC Energy Holdings in Bryan, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Geronimo Energy, a wind developer based in Edina, Minn., has bought wind projects from Midwest Wind Energy.

Dynegy is estimating that for every $1 per million British thermal unit increase in the price of natural gas, the value of its coal-fired assets will increase by $330 million.

Connecticut Light & Power Co. has filed a rate recovery request with state regulators to recover $414 million of the $462.3 million in damages from fives storms in the last two years, including $156 million for Sandy.

The $800 million, 750 MW coal-fired Two Elk project in Gillette, Wyo., has been trying to secure permitting and financing for 17 years.

BP Wind Energy has filed the preliminary scoping statement for the proposed Cape Vincent wind farm in Jefferson County, N.Y., triggering a three-month countdown to its anticipated application to the state siting board.

Citing potential harm to its economic interests, the city of Urbana, Ohio, has opposed a plan for Everpower’s 125 MW Buckeye Wind facility that would move a temporary construction yard and six miles of power lines onto private property.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. has tapped COO Steven C. Dixon as acting CEO while searching for a replacement for former CEO Aubrey McClendon, who agreed to resign in January following a shareholder revolt.

Establishing a New England market to buy renewable energy is being held up by a patchwork of rules, state laws and disagreements over how to define alternative energy.

Officials from North East Township, Pa., may try to curb a Pioneer Green Energy development planned for near the town.

Lone Star Transmission, a NextEra Energy subsidiary, has energized approximately 330 miles of new 345-kilovolt transmission lines and associated facilities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can try to halt construction projects at generation facilities if it thinks developers didn't properly calculate whether the changes would increase air pollution, a federal appeals court has ruled in a case brought against Michigan-based DTE Energy.

Northland Power has sold a 50% stake in the Grand Bend Wind Farm that’s under development in Ontario to two First Nation groups.

Midstream gas company Tallgrass Energy Partners is aiming to raise up to $315.2 million through an initial public offering of its common units.

Georgia Power customers will be able to opt into a program saying that they want to source some of their power from solar resources, under the Rural Georgia Economic Recovery and Solar Resource Act of 2014.

Appalachian Power and state ratepayer groups have reached a deal to allow the power company to sell $376 million worth of 15-year bonds to cover old debts rather than pass those costs onto consumers.

Government subsidies for gasoline, electricity and other energy sources amount to about $1.9 trillion a year and should be ended or offset with taxes, the International Monetary Fund has said a new paper on subsidy reform to battle climate change.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission had cited Xcel Energy for unsafely postponing repairs to a broken detector designed to warn of high-level radiation being released from its Prairie Island nuclear facility in Red Wing, Minn.

About 70 residents have been asked to grant easements to their property to make way for a $28 million, high-voltage utility line that will extend from Clark to Delaware counties, Ohio.

NRG Energy wants to convert the Dunkirk coal-fired plant in western New York to a 440 MW gas-fired plant for $506 million.

Atlantic Power Corp. has named Ned Hall, formerly executive v.p. and coo of global generation at AES Corp., executive v.p. and coo starting April 2.

Wind developer Juhl Wind has changed its name to Juhl Energy as it expands into other fuel types, including solar, biomass, cogeneration and coal-to-gas conversions.

Gulf Power Co. is planning to retire its 100 MW Scholz coal-fired plant in Sneads, Fla., by April 2015.

The Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission has postponed a hearing and moratorium on utilities’ natural gas hedging practices saying that they plan to work with utilities to look at hedging and whether it’s beneficial for customers.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has filed a lawsuit against the Idaho Public Utilities Commission over the way it handled power purchase agreements between Idaho Power and three wind farms, including Murphy Flat, Grouse Creek and Grouse Creek II.

Dominion Virginia Power has received approval from Virginia regulators to buy solar power from residential and commercial solar installations at $0.15 per kWh.

E.ON Climate & Renewables plans to start construction on the 100 MW second phase of its Wildcat wind project in Howard County, Ind., this year.

TransAlta Corp. has declared force majeure at a 395 MW generator at its Keephills 1 coal-fired plant in Alberta because of a failure with its generator.

The City of Lubbock, Texas, and the West Texas Municipal Power Agency are looking to build new gas-fired projects or buy power to meet growing demand forecast for 2019.

U.S. Geothermal will receive a $35 million cash grant from the U.S. Department of Treasury for its Neal Hot Springs geothermal plant in southeast Oregon.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved the 87 wind turbine, 200 MW Searchlight project in Clark County, Nev.

NRG Energy plans to offer gas-fired generators to customers that have rooftop solar panels in the future so there is no power shortage when the sun goes down, according to David Crane, ceo.

National Grid U.S. has named John Donleavy, formerly the president of Lafayette Power Consulting, the executive v.p. and coo.

American Electric Power has received approval from Ohio regulators to issue $298 million in rate recovery bonds that will be securitized.

The California Public Utilities Commission has rejected a power purchase agreement between San Diego Gas & Electric and the proposed Pio Pico and Quail Brush gas-fired projects because the power would not be needed until four years into the 20-year contracts.

A Maine board has overturned a ban on the 14-turbine Passadumkeag wind project that was issued by the state’s environmental agency in November over concerns of spoiling scenic views.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will continue its investigation into utility hedges on natural gas at the request of the state attorney general’s office.

The limit on utility returns on equity could continue to fall as state regulators question why the companies need current returns if debt is cheaper.

Xcel Energy set a company record for wind generation in the Upper Midwest region on Feb. 17 this year, when it sourced about a third of its generation, or 1,713 MW, from the renewable resource.

Rick Needham, director of energy and sustainability at Google, said that the downward trend in price of renewable energy is making it a more attractive option than fossil fuels for investment.

Hedge fund Aurelius Capital Master is suing an Energy Future Holdings Corp. unit and some current and former directors over a loan deal tied to the $32 billion leveraged buyout that loaded the Texas power company with debt.

No imminent plans to restart nuclear power plants means that Japanese demands for imports of liquefied natural gas will remain strong, despite suffering a dip in February.

Enel SpA CEO Fulvio Conti plans to battle three years of stagnant profits at Italy’s biggest utility by shifting to faster-growing markets in Latin America.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is advocating for policy changes that incentivize hydropower over biomass-fired generation.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is negotiating changes to a power purchase agreement with the coal-fired Intermountain Power Plant in Delta, Utah, to buy power instead from a gas-fired affiliate of the plant.

Borrego Solar Systems has bought a portfolio of solar projects in southern California totaling 8 MW.

Bill Johnson, the new ceo of the Tennessee Valley Authority, told regional business leaders that renewables might be too expensive to roll-out in great numbers in the southeast until they hit price parity with the gas- and coal-fired generation.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission has approved a pair of solar projects being developed separately by Duke Energy Renewables and Element Power.

Southern California Edison has submitted a new technical evaluation to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Unit 2 demonstrating that the steam generators could be operated safely at 100% power.

Borrego Solar Systems has acquired a portfolio of solar projects totaling more than 8 MW in California.

Leonard Bentz, Mississippi Public Service Commissioner, says the state needs the 582 MW integrated gasification combined cycle coal facility that Mississippi Power is building in Kemper County, Miss., and a rate increase to help pay for it.

ContourGlobal, through its subsidiary Energia Eolica, has entered into an agreement with Peru's national development bank, the Corporacion Financiera de Desarollo, for a $95 million loan funded by Deutsche Bank.

Uruguay has entered a deal with French firm Akuo Energy, which will result in two new wind farms with an output of 92 MW and requiring an investment of $205 million.

Two Wisconsin representatives are drafting a bill that would allow companies such as SunEdison to own rooftop solar installations.

Suntech Power Holdings Co. has defaulted on $541 million in bonds that were due on last week, which has triggered other defaults on loans from lenders including International Finance Corp.

Abengoa and BrightSource Energy have entered into a joint venture to develop BrightSource’s 500 MW Palen solar project in Riverside County, Calif., which is scheduled for construction by year-end.

Progress Energy Florida will change its name to Duke Energy starting next month, almost a year after the Duke and Progress Energy merger closed.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission lacks the authority to oversee futures contracts, according to a U.S. Appeals court ruling last week over a $30 million fine FERC levied against a former trader for Amaranth Advisors.

The construction of the first new nuclear facility in the U.S. for over thirty years has begun, with Georgia Power laying foundation concrete for units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle facility near Waynesboro, Ga.

Legislators in North Carolina are working to overturn the 12.5% renewable portfolio standard for investor-owned utilities in the state.

Over 3.3 GW of solar was installed last year, according to a report Thursday from trade group Solar Energy Industries Association.

President Obama will urge Congress to establish a research fund for transportation and fuel alternatives, called the Energy Security Trust, according to White House officials.

The 25 MW Fishermen’s Energy Atlantic City wind farm, developed in association with Chinese company XEMC and the first offshore wind project to be considered by state regulators in New Jersey, is facing headwinds.

The Connecticut Siting Council is evaluating Greenskies Renewable Energy’s plan to develop a 5 MW solar project in East Lyme.

The Marin Energy Authority has received 52 project proposals totaling 673 MW in response to its request for proposals for 40 MW of renewable projects.

Maine Governor Paul LePage is proposing a bill that would remove the 100 MW cap on the size of all renewable projects.

North Carolina State Representative Mike Hager has proposed a bill that would eliminate the state’s renewable portfolio standard, including the policy that requires utilities to sign power purchase agreements with biomass, solar and wind projects.

Representative Paul Ryan called Solar Reserve’s 110 MW solar thermal projects and Sempra Energy’s 150 MW Mesquite solar project, in Nevada and Arizona, “ill-fated” like Solyndra as an example of wasteful federal spending.

The U.S. Department of Energy is soliciting additional proposals for small modular reactors that could begin producing electricity by 2025 in order to deliver funding for the new breed of reactors.

Cape Wind’s 140-foot-tall turbines and the 350-ton foundations will be made in Europe, despite the sponsor’s original agreement with Massachusetts-based Mass Tank to build the structures.

The Ohio Power Siting Board has approved the route for a high-voltage power line that will run from Springfield, Ohio to just outside Delaware, Ohio.

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has inaugurated two solar plants in the Tacna and Moquegua regions of the country.

Japan has extracted gas from offshore deposits of methane hydrate — sometimes referred to as “flammable ice” —a breakthrough that could provide an alternative fuel source to oil and natural gas.

PJM approved more than $5 billion in transmission projects last year.

FGE Power, a three-year old Houston-based developer headed by Emerson Farrell, is planning to start construction on a $500 million, 726 MW combined cycle facility near Colorado City, Texas, in August.

American Capital Energy is working with Brookhaven, N.Y., on a public-private partnership to develop about 50 MW of solar and wind projects scattered across 15 locations in the town.

The town of Marceline, Mo., would like to exit offtake agreement with the $4 billion, 1.6 GW Peabody State coal-fired plant in Illinois because it is losing money on its investment and buys cheaper power from Ameren.

Tenaska’s $3 billion Sweetwater carbon capture and storage coal-fired project in Nolan County, Texas, is on hold awaiting federal financing incentives.

An evaluation by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries cites ineffective tube supports, dry steam and high steam flow velocity as causes of excessive wear in the steam generators the company supplied to Southern California Edison's shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Cheniere Energy will recruit commodity traders in the future as the company is expected to become the largest single buyer of U.S. natural gas by 2016, said Charif Souki, ceo.

President Barack Obama convened an unannounced energy-policy meeting at the White House last week with a group of leaders from the business, academic and green energy communities to discuss a variety of topics, such as hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking'.

The Oregon Department of Energy is re-examining its approval of $30 million in tax credits to the Shepherd's Flat wind farm and has consulted the U.S. Department of Justice.

Paris-based Alstom is cutting 80 jobs and restructuring its turbomachinery factory in Chattanooga, Tenn., citing a lack of orders for nuclear power components.

Comisión Federal de Electricidad has shelved a 200 MW wind request for proposals in Oaxaca, Mexico, due to social opposition to developments on Tehuantepec Isthmus.

NaturEner Energy Canada will use Alstom wind turbines for its two-phased $546 million, 414 MW Wild Rose wind project.

Pteragen Canada, a unit of Spain-based Renovalia Energy, is developing the 120 MW Peace Butte wind project near Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Oklahoma has hit its 15% renewable portfolio standard by 2015 in part due to the rush to bring wind farms online in 2012 to qualify for the production tax credits.

Oklahoma has hit its 15% renewable portfolio standard by 2015 in part due to the rush to bring wind farms online in 2012 to qualify for the production tax credits.

Around 250,000 households in the mid-Atlantic region were left without power after nearly two feet of snow pummeled the area.

NRG Energy, through subsidiary NRG Solar, has begun commercial operations at the 26 MW Borrego I solar project near Borrego Springs, Calif.

NRG Energy’s 80 MW coal-fired facility in Dunkirk, N.Y., won a two-year reprieve from a threatened shutdown Wednesday, under an agreement that will keep the facility operating at a reduced capacity through May 2015.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have urged the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to quickly clarify rules relating to the renewable energy production tax credit that was extended in the American Taxpayer Relief Act last year.

Delmarva Power customers will see a 3% drop in their electric bills come June.

A coalition of industries and activist groups in Minnesota is calling for the state to get 40% of power from renewables by 2030 in addition to an additional 10% from solar.

The Export-Import Bank is lending $28.6 million to Energía Eólica to expand its 102 MW Cerro de Hula Wind farm in Honduras by 24 MW.

Salt River Project is in talks to buy Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s 21.2% stake in the Navajo coal-fired plant for about $189 million.

Public Service Electric & Gas is proposing a $1.5 billion in transmission upgrades on top of a $3.9 capex for its distribution grid.

Duke Energy is considering an expansion into rooftop solar for use by customers as a way to fend off low growth in power demand.

In a couple of high profile appointments, President Barack Obama has selected Gina McCarthy to be administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she is currently in charge of air quality programs, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology physicist Ernest Moniz to head the U.S. Department of Energy, where he served as undersecretary during the Clinton administration.

Areva, a French-owned nuclear and renewables company, plans to add jobs as it relocates its North American headquarters from Bethesda, Md., to a site in University Research Park in Charlotte, N.C.

Gulf Coast Renewable Energy is planning to build a $25 million wood pellet-fired plant in the George County industrial park near Lucedale, Miss.

Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island and a bipartisan group of politicians are introducing legislation to provide financial incentives for the investment and production of offshore wind energy.

Geothermal capacity in the U.S. grew by just 5%, or 147 MW, in 2012, according to a report by the U.S. Geothermal Energy Association.

Dominion Resources has bought a 7.7 MW solar project near Augusta, Ga., from Smart Energy Capital and Jacoby Development.

Wisconsin regulators have declined a rehearing for a Emerging Energies proposed $250 million, 100 MW wind project.

Wal-Mart is working with SolarCity to put solar installations on the rooftops of a dozen stores in Ohio.

Invenergy is closer to having a 33 wind turbine expansion to its Beech Ridge wind farm in West Virginia approved.

Greenbriar Capital Corp., a Canadian real estate owner that is headed by Jeff Ciachurski, the former ceo of Western Wind Energy Corp., is selling a California subdivision to raise capital to buy a 100 MW solar project in California.

An analysis by the U.S. Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis of the performance of Dominion Resources' 1,530 MW Brayton Point power plant in Somerset, Mass., projected a bleak future for the 50-year-old coal-fired facility, the largest remaining coal-fired plant in New England.

President Barack Obama's expected choice to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is Gina McCarthy who, as an assistant EPA administrator, has shaped strict policies on greenhouse gas regulations for power plants and air pollution standards for oil and gas drilling.

As the U.S. looks to convert idle liquefied natural-gas import terminals into export facilities, there are arguments pouring in from both sides as to the value of such mass conversions.

A bill that would facilitate contracts between biomass companies and power offtakers in Kentucky by lowering the initial start-up cost will likely be signed into law.

Sempra U.S. Gas & Power has completed the sale of one 625 MW block of its 1,250 MW Mesquite Power natural gas-fired facility to the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District for $371 million.

NRG Energy is planning to bring about 2 GW of gas-fired and 590 MW of solar assets online this year.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will hold a hearing today about the 78 MW New Era wind project in Goodhue County, which has been in the permitting process for about four years because of opposition over the project’s danger to bats and birds.

Hawaiian Electric Co. is developing a program that would hasten the development of utility scale renewable projects on Oahu by bypassing the lengthy request for proposals process.

A bill that would streamline the licensing requirements with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for hydro projects up to 10 MW is headed to a Senate committee after being passed unanimously by the House of Representatives.

Commonwealth Edison Co. and competitive power suppliers such as Constellation and Integrys are preparing a court challenge to the $1.6 billion, 176 MW Future Gen clean coal-fired plant in Meredosia, Ill., that has received $1 billion in federal subsidies.

Heather Zichal, President Barack Obama’s top energy and climate adviser, will speak today at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C., outlining the government’s policies for power development and confronting climate change.

Element Power has decided to cut back on initial plans for a proposed 40 MW solar project in Beaufort County, N.C.

PG&E Corporation has commenced an underwritten public offering of 7,200,000 shares of its common stock.

juwi Wind has completed construction of the Community Wind South Project in Nobles County, Minn.

Imperial County in southeastern California has seen renewables developers buying or leasing thousands of acres for development projects.

CapX2020, a group of 11 utilities in Minnesota, will begin work this year on the first $1 billion phase of a $2.2 billion transmission project in the state.

The Montana Senate rejected a bill that would have allowed homes and businesses to sell excess power from renewable renewable energy systems back to utilities.

The Oregon Department of Energy is evaluating whether Caithness Energy’s Shepherd’s Flat wind project qualified for $30 million in state tax credits.

American Electric Power will stop using coal to fuel three plants in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio by 2015, either through retirement or refueling.

Maryland legislators are considering legislation that could put up to 500 MW of offshore wind projects 10 miles off of the state’s coast.

Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning has made a number of changes within the company's management.

NorthWestern Energy is ramping up investment in its transmission infrastructure in Montana, as part of a $300 million, seven-year program to improve safety and reliability for around half a million customers.

Dawn Farrell, ceo of TransAlta Corp., says the value of the company’s current and future generation portfolio is more certain after legislation unveiled last fall made clear that it won’t face “ever-climbing environment costs.”

Despite owners spending over $1 billion to meet Illinois state environmental standards, residents and environmentalists are pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind the water permit of the 1,600 MW coal-fired Prairie State Energy Campus in Washington County, Ill.

Sempra Energy is seeking permission to sell shares of its local unit in Mexico.

Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners has extended its CAD2.60 ($2.55) per share offer for Western Wind Energy Corp. to March 7 because almost 60% of investors sold their shares to Brookfield this month.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected a plan by Duke Energy and Progress Energy to work with a subsidiary of Alcoa to establish a regional transmission planning entity.

All the new power added to the grid in January was renewable energy while the year before 47.7% came from coal and 26.3% from gas, according to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Portland General Electric Co.’s fourth quarter earnings fell 3.4% on a warmer winter, which reduced demand.

Modesto Irrigation District is exiting the San Juan Generation coal-fired plant as two of the plant’s four units are being shut down to comply with California emissions regulations.

Boralex, the Montreal-based renewable company, is looking to expand outside its primary markets Canada and France.

Progress Energy is buying power from a 6.3 MW solar project planned for Montgomery County, N.C.

GreenWhey Energy is developing a $28 million, 3.2 MW food waste-to-energy project in Turtle Lake, Wis., that will use the byproducts of cheese production for fuel.

Energy Future Holdings posted its fourth annual loss in five years, recording a $3.36 billion loss last year.

Two Minnesota lawmakers are planning to propose a bill requiring utilities to get 10% of generation from solar by 2030.

El Paso Electric's profits and sales declined substantially in the fourth quarter and for all of 2012 due to a reduction in electric rates, the company reported Tuesday.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission has ended its management review of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, making 29 recommendations, including increasing power supply, financial strength and competitiveness.

Entergy Texas, in conjunction with ITC Holdings Corp. and ITC Midsouth, filed a request with the Public Utility Commission of Texas to spin off Entergy Texas' transmission business and merge it into a subsidiary of ITC.

The Midwest Independent System Operator has approved the shutdown and retirement of the 556 MW Kewaunee nuclear station in Carlton, Wis., after determining that it will not affect the reliability of the regional electric transmission system.

Constellation Energy Partners has appointed Elizabeth A. Evans as its new v.p. of land, general counsel and corporate secretary.

A proposed transmission line from Big Stone to Ellendale, N.D., will be discussed at a series of open house meetings next week in northeast South Dakota.

Investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency grew 13-fold in North Carolina between 2007 and 2012, reaching a total of $1.4 billion for the period, according to an analysis commissioned by the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association.

Entergy’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Mass., is back online, more than a week after it shut down automatically because of a loss of off-site power caused by the fierce blizzard that slammed the region.

Signal Energy, a subsidiary of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based construction giant EMJ Corp., has won a contract to build its largest solar project ever, the 30 MW Spectrum Solar Facility in Clark County, Nev.

Wind generation provided a record-breaking 9.481 GW of power on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas grid at 7:08 p.m. on Feb. 9.

Boston-based First Wind is looking to boost its presence in Hancock County, Maine, with subsidiary Weaver Wind identifying 57 more possible turbine sites in Osborn and Township 22.

Rolando Pablos, one of three members of the Texas Public Utility Commission’s board, has resigned to return to the private sector.

LS Power’s 170 MW Centinela solar photovoltaic facility is moving into phase 2 of its construction, according to Fluor Corporation.

Energy Future Holdings has enough money to pay its debts for at least the next year.

The Town of Sudbury, Mass., is near the finalization of an agreement to buy power from a 1.5 MW solar photovoltaic project being developed by Ameresco through an agreement with NSTAR.

LS Power’s $1 billion Sandy Creek coal-fired project in Texas is testing power in advance of commercial operation in April.

The New York State Public Service Commission has approved the 1,000 MW Cricket Valley gas-fired project planned for Dutchess County, N.Y.

Southern Power’s Nacogdoches biomass-fired facility near Austin, Texas, has been online about 50 days in the seven months it’s been operational because its power is too expensive for offtaker Austin Energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy is taking a fresh look at Cape Wind’s application for a loan guarantee which asks for less than the original guarantee for $2 billion.

The British Columbia Utilities Commission has approved a project up to $940 million to replace the province’s John Hart hydro facility on the Campbell River.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that ITC Holdings could take a 50% ownership in a $324 million transmission line from Madison, Wis., to Dubuque, Iowa, instead of American Transmission Company.

Hank Jones, formerly managing director of North American power and gas sales, trading and origination for Deutsche Bank, has joined Dynegy as executive v.p. and chief commercial officer to work on hedging and contracting initiatives.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts that gas-fired generation’s share in of the U.S. market will fall from 30.3% in 2012 to 27.6% in 2014 due to the relative cost of natural gas to coal.

A New Hampshire agency has denied a 30 MW wind project proposed by Eolian Renewable Energy in Antrim, N.H., because it would mar the landscape.

Black Hills Energy is drafting a long-range energy plan for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission that predicts that the utility will need to build or purchase another 100 MW of power by 2019 to keep up with demand in its Pueblo service region, which has 93,000 customers.

Energy Future Holdings Corp. bonds lost almost a half-billion dollars of value in a single day last week.

The world added 44.7 GW of wind generation in 2012, which meant the overall rate of growth slowed for the third year running.

Idaho Power is conducting an analysis of whether to invest $500 million or more in pollution-control equipment for three coal-fired plants in Wyoming and two in Nevada, or to invest in new plants and energy conservation to keep up with environmental regulations.

Turning Point Solar Partner David Wilhelm says that despite some setbacks, the construction of a 50 MW facility near Zanesville, Ohio, will go ahead.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a coalition of states in the Northeast, has set a new cap on greenhouse gas emissions that tighten annually beginning in 2015.

LS Power has received approval from local authorities to build its $750 million, 900 MW gas-fired project in Lawrence County, Pa.

Exelon CEO Christopher Crane warned on the company’s earnings call that continued subsidies for wind farms could ultimately require the company to shutter nuclear plants.

Energy Future Holdings’ owners KKR and TPG have hired Blackstone Group as a preliminary step to restructuring EFH’s more than $40 billion in debt.

We Energies is planning a $64 million project to upgrade its 6 MW Twin Falls hydro facility near Iron Mountain, Mich., which was built in 1912.

Duke Energy is weighing the issue of how to replace the power generated by its recently shuttered Crystal River nuclear plant in Citrus County, Fla.

Siemens is planning to build a wind service training facility in Orlando, Fla.

Gov. Jay Inslee is trying to lure a struggling Massachusetts-based wind company AMSC to Washington state.

David Sandalow, the acting U.S. Secretary of Energy, says the Department of Energy’s programs to invest in energy innovation are about “trying to replicate the rate of IT innovation for energy.”

Senator Tom Carper of Delaware will reintroduce a bill that offers tax credits for a limited amount of offshore wind projects.

The Bonneville Power Administration has awarded a $260 million contract to upgrade a major transmission station in Oregon to Swiss-Swedish engineering company ABB.

The Kansas legislature is proposing a bill that would delay utilities’ mandate to get 15% of power from renewables by 2016 to 2018.

Quebec’s Minister of Natural Resources has cancelled six hydro projects totaling 150 MW in the province because they were uneconomical compared to 1,500 MW La Romaine hydro project underway.

Ironhouse Sanitary District of Oakley, Calif., is considering signing a power purchase agreement for a 1.1 MW solar project to lower its energy costs at its sewage treatment center.

Power plants made up two-thirds of the industrial greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in 2011, according to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Xcel Energy will launch a request for proposals for up to 200 MW of wind projects in Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin by April 1 as the company looks to add projects that can utilize the extended production tax credits.

Duke Energy will permanently close the Crystal River Nuclear Plant in Citrus County, Fla., which has been shut down since late 2009.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the Senate’s top Republican on energy issues, has crafted a blueprint for U.S. energy policy that calls for increased drilling while opposing laws to cap greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming.

Once Gamesa USA completes an order of 25 windmills for a buyer in South America at the end of February, there are no other jobs in the pipeline for the company's seven-year-old factory in Fairless Hills, Pa.

Peru's maximum capacity demand in 2012 grew 6.65% from 2011 to 5.29 GW, according to grid operator COES.

The U.S. Department of Energy will provide $1 billion in federal funding to phase two of the FutureGen clean-coal project in Meredosia, Ill.

The city of San Marcos, Texas, has agreed to buy a stake in a 540 MW combined cycle project in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, for $18 million from developer Lower Colorado River Authority.

First Solar has agreed to a power purchase agreement with El Paso Electric Co. for its 50 MW Macho Springs solar project for 5.8 cents per kWh—half of what residential retail power costs in the U.S.

The state of Wisconsin could look to sell some of the biomass-fired plants it owns as part of its 2013-2015 budget.

Duke Energy is retiring the Riverbend and Buck oil- and coal-fired plants in North Carolina in April.

Utilities with coal-fired fleets such as Duke Energy and Southern Co. are working with consultants trying to get their case across to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as it crafts new greenhouse emission regulations.

Portland General Electric has selected its benchmark tender as the successful bid in its most recent request for proposals.

Georgia Power is looking to decertify and retire 15 coal- and oil-fired generating units totaling 2,061 MW in the coming years.

Georgia Power is looking to decertify and retire 15 coal- and oil-fired generating units totaling 2,061 MW in the coming years.

A one-eighth scale prototype of a floating deep-sea wind turbine developed at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine will be placed in Castine Harbor, Maine, this spring.

Siemens Wind Energy has called back some workers to its Fort Madison, Iowa, turbine blade manufacturing plant and expects to rehire more in coming weeks.

Midwest Generation, a subsidiary of Edison Mission Energy that has filed for bankruptcy, has asked Illinois officials to delay a 2015-2016 deadline to have $440 million of emission reducing upgrades online at the Joliet coal-fired plant.

Dominion posted a $795 million loss in the fourth quarter primarily from write-downs it made on the merchant generation, including two coal-fired plants, that it is trying to sell.

Minnesota Power is planning a series of efforts to cut-down on its coal-fired generation.

EDF EN Canada has received approval from Quebec authorities to start construction on its $800 million, 350 MW Rivière-du-Moulin wind project.

Southern Power, the wholesale unit of Southern Co., will expand out of the Southeast into MISO and Texas, says Thomas Fanning, ceo of Southern.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners has agreed to buy the natural gas services company Copano Energy in an all-stock deal worth $3.2 billion, signaling a push into the shale gas market.

Brett Carter, president of Duke Energy North Carolina since 2008, has been named chief distribution officer and senior v.p. for the company's utility operations in six states.

Aubrey McClendon, ceo and co-founder of Chesapeake Energy Corp., will retire on April 1.

Some natural gas-fired plants are now cheaper to operate than nuclear facilities, leading companies to consider shuttering them, according to a report by UBS Investment Research.

Southern California Edison intends to redeem all of the outstanding shares of its Series B and Series C preference stock.

Atlantic Wind & Solar is moving ahead with developing two solar projects totaling 58 MW in Ecuador.

Ram Power Corp. is cutting 12 of 19 jobs at its Reno, Nev., headquarters as part of a reorganization shifting its focus on geothermal development in Nicaragua.

Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners has raised it offer to buy Western Wind Energy Corp. to CAD$2.60 ($2.59) per share from CAD$2.50 ($2.49) a week after saying it was walking away from its offer to buy the renewables developer.