Public Power Current

Members of the Western Markets Exploratory Group (WMEG) announced on July 21 that they have expanded their membership by adding eleven new participants to the current roster of fourteen utilities totaling twenty-five member participants across the west. Several of the new participants are public power utilities.

GAF Energy has signed a lease and begun construction on a 450,000 square-foot facility in Georgetown, Texas, a public power community. Construction is expected to be completed in June 2023.

The idea of breaching the Lower River Snake Dams (LSRDs) in Eastern Washington State fails to take into account a number of potential negative impacts that could result from such a move including an increase in electricity costs for consumers and removing a key pillar of reliable power supply for the region, the American Public Power Association (APPA) and regional public power groups said.

In a recent media briefing, Tom Kent, President and CEO of Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), detailed how NPPD has taken a proactive approach in response to ongoing supply chain challenges facing the utility sector.

The Tennessee Valley Public Power Association (TVPPA) developed a new supply chain toolkit to provide support to its member utilities across the Tennessee Valley. The toolkit includes talking points, social media posts, and sample letters that can be used by key accounts and communications teams.

In a recent letter to the CEO of California investor-owned utility PG&E, groups representing public power utilities and electric cooperatives in Arizona made the case for extending the life of the California nuclear power plant Diablo Canyon Power Plant past its existing license.

The Newton Electric Department in Newton, N.C., was recently honored with the North Carolina Association of Municipal Electric Systems Safety Award for 2021.

The public power community of Lake Placid, N.Y., is hosting a smart grid chip pilot project involving Utilidata and NVIDIA.