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Recently in Public Power Current
To find earlier stories in Public Power Current, browse by popular topics or contact us at News@PublicPower.org.
Community Engagement
Nebraska public power utility Omaha Public Power District on June 6 will host the first of two pilot community resource fairs. The fairs are designed to be a one-stop shop for customers where they can learn about the community services available to them. Customers will be able to visit a variety of informational stations, including OPPD’s.
Energy Storage
ArcLight Capital Partners and Elevate Renewables on May 29 announced a battery storage infrastructure project at the Arthur Kill Power Station in Staten Island, N.Y. The 15 MW/60 MWh distribution-level project will help provide more renewable power by replacing existing generation planned to retire in 2025.
Electricity Markets
The Long Island Power Authority has issued a request for proposals seeking services for its electrical transmission and distribution system, including, among other functions, day-to-day operations and maintenance, emergency preparedness and response, customer service, billing and collection, and meter reading.
Community Engagement
Tennessee public power utility Bolivar Energy Authority recently completed a fiber to home project by installing fiber throughout its entire service area, said Tony Kirk, President and CEO of BEA, who also detailed the benefits that are flowing from a solar project to BEA and its customers.
Generation
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted TerraPower’s construction permit application for review, marking the first time in more than 40 years that the NRC has docketed this type of application for a commercial non-light water reactor.
Grid Modernization
The Biden-Harris Administration on May 28 launched a federal-state modern grid deployment initiative.
Transmission
Oregon utility Portland General Electric on May 28 said it signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Grid United and ALLETE, Inc. in the development of the North Plains Connector, an approximately 415-mile high-voltage direct-current transmission line to be constructed with endpoints near Bismarck, North Dakota and Colstrip, Montana.
Customer Service
Utilizing omnichannel communication systems can help ensure customers stay in the know and also help utilities respond to the many outage-related calls and emails from customers. When Hurricane Florence hit in September 2018, wreaking damage in the Carolinas, Duke Energy sent customers over 7 million messages enabled by Message Broadcast.