Public Power Current

In a May 3 letter to Patricia Poppe, CEO of California investor-owned utility Pacific Gas & Electric, San Francisco officials including Dennis Herrera, General Manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, urged the utility to reconsider its position related to the city’s plan to buy PG&E’s grid assets, which would allow the city to become responsible for all electric distribution service within San Francisco’s boundaries.

A new report from the Brattle Group finds that 60 gigawatts of virtual power plant deployment could meet future U.S. resource adequacy needs at $15–$35 billion less than the cost of the alternative options over the ensuing decade.

The Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee released its 2023 Northwest Regional Forecast on May 4, which projects a 20 percent increase in load over the next five years. This equates to roughly 4,000 average megawatts.

LS Power on May 8 announced it has reached an agreement with Brazos Electric Power Cooperative to acquire 2,145 megawatts of natural gas generation in the ERCOT North region of Texas through a special purpose affiliate.

Voters in El Paso, Texas, on May 6 rejected a proposal that included exploring the creation of a public power utility.

Energy from the Red Mesa Tapaha Solar Project in Utah is now available to members of Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems.

The New York Power Authority has been given new authority to develop, own, and operate renewable energy generating projects, either alone or in collaboration with other entities, under a recently enacted state budget, NYPA said on May 3.

Cherie Rene Cheramie became the first woman to graduate from Austin Energy Climbing School, joining 10 other trainees as they completed their first step in joining Austin Energy field crews.