Latest news with #FederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Flathead Lake water level likely will fall below full pool this summer
Jun. 5—Flathead Lake will not reach full pool this summer, the agency that operates the SKQ Dam said on Thursday. Current forecasts suggest the lake will reach a maximum level of 2,892.3 feet on June 19, according to a press release issued by Energy Keepers, which manages the dam at the lake's southern end. Full pool during the summer months is typically 2,893 feet. Energy Keepers blamed unseasonably warm and dry weather for the deficit. While snowpack reached average levels during the winter and early spring, recent temperature spikes caused rapid snowmelt. As of June 1, snowpack in the Flathead Basin was 59% of median. Dam operators implemented a drought management plan in early spring, including provisions to minimize outflows and retain greater volumes of spring runoff in the lake. On May 26, the lake was at the highest capacity allowed under the drought management plan. Still, Leah Hamilton, the water regulator for the federal Northwestern Division Reservoir Control Center, said the atypical weather conditions will make reaching full pool difficult, even with corrective measures. "Our goal was to coordinate actions to increase the chance of refill as early as possible while balancing needs for flood risk management," Hamilton said in a statement. "However, it's also important to understand how much weather influences refill in Pacific Northwest lakes and reservoirs. Every water year is different, and there is a lot of uncertainty in trying to accurately predict runoff several months into the future." Energy Keepers currently predicts that the water level will reach a summertime low of 2,891.5 feet on July 12. This summer marks the third year in a row that the Flathead Valley has experienced elevated temperatures and low precipitation. The National Oceanic and Atmoshperic Administration predicts that the hot and dry trend will continue through September. In the June 5 press release, Energy Keepers advised lake users that the low water level might affect boat storage and dock access, though public boat ramps are expected to remain accessible. Hydroelectric energy generation will also be affected, with the SKQ dam expected to produce 10% less energy than normal this year. The summer lake level last fell below full pool in 2023 when a spat of warm spring weather caused an early snowmelt and reduced the availability of water during the summer months. Despite the low water level, the SKQ Dam continued some outflows from the lake to meet federal energy quotas and ensure healthy downstream conditions. While that decision drew sharp criticisms from many lakeshore residents, allegations of mismanagement were later dismissed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But several state and federal lawmakers continue to push for stricter management of the lake's water level during the summer months. U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke reintroduced the Fill the Lake Act early in the Legislative session. The bill proposes keeping Flathead Lake's water level between 2,892 and 2,893 feet between June 15 and Sept. 15. Those levels are already codified through a 1965 Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but Zinke argued that additional legislation is necessary to prevent what he called a "another failure of management that leads to another catastrophically low pool." The bill has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. Sen. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell, also successfully carried a resolution in the state Legislature, asking federal officials to "ensure that recreation needs [on Flathead Lake] be measured fairly compared to hydropower, fish and irrigation demands." The resolution does not change any laws or policies, but a copy of the missive will be sent to key stakeholders in the lake's management as a show of the Legislature's position. In the press release, Energy Keepers confirmed that it will continue to provide updated forecasts of the lake level through June and July. Interested parties can view current and past forecasts at Reporter Hailey Smalley may be reached at 758-4433 or hsmalley@
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump to nominate Swett for FERC head, chair says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump will nominate Laura Swett as chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the current head of the panel said in a post on social media. Swett, an energy lawyer with Vinson & Elkins, represents pipeline and power companies in cases before FERC and has been an adviser to a chair and a commissioner, both Republicans, at the independent agency. Chairman Mark Christie, a Republican, said in a post on X late on Monday that he will remain in office for a few weeks after June 30. Swett must be confirmed by the Senate, which is controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans. Her term would end in June, 2030. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FERC, which has a maximum of five members, regulates the power grid, liquefied natural gas projects and interstate transportation of oil and natural gas. It currently has four members. Trump has said he wants to open pipelines to bring natural gas from Pennsylvania's vast gas fields to states in the Northeast. The projects have been opposed by states. Energy company Williams Cos said last month it was working with federal and state regulators to revive two previously canceled natural gas pipelines from Pennsylvania to New York. Williams canceled the Constitution pipeline in 2020 after years of fighting for permits from New York regulators and canceled Northeast Supply Enhancement in 2024 after seeking permits in New York and New Jersey.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Trump to nominate Swett for FERC head, chair says
WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will nominate Laura Swett as chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the current head of the panel said in a post on social media. Swett, an energy lawyer with Vinson & Elkins, represents pipeline and power companies in cases before FERC and has been an adviser to a chair and a commissioner, both Republicans, at the independent agency. Chairman Mark Christie, a Republican, said in a post on X late on Monday that he will remain in office for a few weeks after June 30. Swett must be confirmed by the Senate, which is controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans. Her term would end in June, 2030. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FERC, which has a maximum of five members, regulates the power grid, liquefied natural gas projects and interstate transportation of oil and natural gas. It currently has four members. Trump has said he wants to open pipelines to bring natural gas from Pennsylvania's vast gas fields to states in the Northeast. The projects have been opposed by states. Energy company Williams Cos (WMB.N), opens new tab said last month it was working with federal and state regulators to revive two previously canceled natural gas pipelines from Pennsylvania to New York. Williams canceled the Constitution pipeline in 2020 after years of fighting for permits from New York regulators and canceled Northeast Supply Enhancement in 2024 after seeking permits in New York and New Jersey.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shaprio's renewable energy plan advances as Trump administration keeps Pa. fossil fuel plant online
The Blue Creek wind farm in Ohio, consists of 152 wind turbines with a total capacity of 304 megawatts. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has finalized new rules that are expected to help ease the backlog of new wind, solar and battery storage projects awaiting regulatory approval. (Robert Zullo/ States Newsroom) Days before Pennsylvania lawmakers advanced Gov. Josh Shapiro's plan to expand the commonwealth's renewable energy resources, the Trump administration ordered a fossil fuel-fired power plant outside Philadelphia to keep running past its planned retirement date. The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday ordered Pennsylvania's electricity grid operator PJM Interconnect and owner Constellation Energy to keep the Eddystone Generating Station in Delaware County ready to meet peak power demands. It was scheduled to cease operations Saturday. The order highlights challenges facing Pennsylvania policymakers as they work to ensure there's enough electricity for industry and residents while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Legislation that would set a more ambitious goal for renewable energy production in what Shapiro describes as an all-of-the-above approach to meeting demand passed a state House committee on Monday. House Bill 501 would enact the Pennsylvania Reliability Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS), which is part of Shapiro's broader energy policy dubbed the Lightning Plan. It would require 35% of the state's energy to come from clean sources including solar, wind, nuclear and other emerging technologies by 2040. Other aspects of the plan would provide tax credits for renewable energy development and establish a dedicated board to streamline energy permitting to incentivize developers to prioritize clean energy. While President Donald Trump has backed the oil, gas and coal industries since he campaigned for his first term in 2016, the DOE order to keep the Eddystone Generating Station online cited an 'emergency situation' as PJM warned that electricity demand in the 13 states it serves could soon outpace the opening of new power plants. PJM projects its peak demand will grow by about 70,000 megawatts to 220,000 megawatts by 2040. The growth is being driven by the increased electrification of transportation and industry and the proliferation of data centers to satisfy the demand for computing power from artificial intelligence and other technologies. PJM's process to authorize new power plants to connect to the grid faces a backlog including hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy while about 20% of its existing generating capacity is expected to retire in the next five years. Starting this month, consumers in Pennsylvania and the rest of PJM's footprint will see electric bills increase by 10% to 20% as a result of soaring prices in last July's capacity auction, in which electricity generators bid to provide generating capacity. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, lags behind most of the nation in renewable energy development. An analysis of federal energy data by PennEnvironment put the commonwealth behind all but Washington and Alaska, which tied for last place. Debate on the renewable energy legislation Monday in the House Environmental and Natural Resources Committee demonstrated the tension between Pennsylvania's energy future and its past. Republicans argued the goal of obtaining 35% of the state's energy from clean sources by 2035 is unrealistic. Natural gas and coal provide reliable electricity while helping to drive Pennsylvania's economy, they said. Rep. Tim Twardzik (R-Schuylkill) said renewable energy sources including solar and wind power would take up too much land. And subsidizing them at the expense of established fossil fuel sources would hurt workers and consumers by taking away jobs and increasing prices. 'It's just going to waste money and not solve our problems,' Twardzik said. Democrats said diversifying the state's energy portfolio is essential to staving off an energy crisis. 'We are at a crossroads,' Rep. Chris Pielli (D-Chester) said. 'I think that we should be looking at many forms of energy, nuclear, geothermal, and even using our gas and our oil.' Pielli rebutted claims by Republicans that the renewable energy legislation would create winners and losers. He argued Pennsylvania's gas industry benefitted from a subsidy when lawmakers chose not to impose an excise tax on gas production, forgoing billions in revenue. Deeply conservative Texas, Pielli noted, leads the nation in both natural gas production, wind and solar energy. 'Let's look at that … recognizing that this bill is an opportunity that we can fine tune, where we can use any and all of these resources to protect our consumers going forward when it comes to our power,' he said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
California could nearly double generation capacity using surplus interconnection: Berkeley report
This story was originally published on Utility Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Utility Dive newsletter. California could accelerate the deployment of clean energy and save billions of dollars by adding more generation and storage at underutilized interconnections for existing power plants, according to a working paper by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission opened the door for new sources to use surplus interconnection with Order 845 in 2018. Several experts said the research was promising, but the California Independent System Operator said the report likely 'significantly overstates' commercial interest and feasibility. Like many states, California is facing a congested interconnection queue, costly transmission upgrades and rising retail electricity rates. The Berkeley paper, which has not been peer-reviewed, claims to have analyzed hundreds of existing renewable and thermal plants in California and identified potential for 53 GW of additional clean energy capacity, including wind and solar, as well as 23 GW of storage, through surplus interconnection. In total, it says that adding 76 GW of clean energy capacity could nearly double the state's installed generation capacity, which was 89 GW in 2024, according to the California Energy Commission. The report was published earlier this month along with an interactive map of surplus interconnection. The paper concludes that, in general, both renewable and fossil fuel generators underutilize their interconnections, but this is especially true of gas-powered peaker plants. Overall, the paper says about 16 GW of fossil fuel capacity is operating only 15% of the time or less. 'So for 85% of the time, the connection where that gas plant is sending electricity to the grid is essentially idle,' said Umed Paliwal, one of the report's authors and a senior scientist at Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. 'What if you could add solar and wind near these underutilized interconnections? … This is a very fast way to bring capacity online.' In an emailed response to questions, a spokesperson for CAISO said the grid operator currently has 230 GW of resources in its interconnection queue, and has 'awarded deliverability' to about 60 GW. They said a surplus interconnection service pathway is already available under the ISO tariff, however, 'we have not seen significant interest in this approach from developers.' Michael Davidson, an assistant professor at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Jacobs School of Engineering, called the report 'interesting,' but added that he would like to see more details of its methodology. 'I believe the authors propose a creative solution to partially addressing the interconnection bottleneck,' he wrote in an email. However, he continued, one cannot make a straightforward comparison between gas plants and renewables in terms of levelized costs. 'If a gas peaker plant is only operating 1% of the year, it is because those are the hours in which prices are high enough to justify operation,' Davidson said. 'In addition to capacity factor utilization, future analyses should examine how much the existing thermal plants are utilizing the interconnection during peak periods, and therefore how much additional supply can be put on the grid when it is needed most.' Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, wrote in an email that the paper's results are 'credible in principle, although it is hard to confirm the exact numbers.' 'There is bound to be low-hanging fruit' in terms of adding wind, solar and storage to existing interconnection sites, he said. Recommended Reading California targets up to 2 GW of long-duration storage as part of 10.6 GW clean energy procurement
