Utility News

The New York Times:

Federal communications regulators on Wednesday cleared the way for Verizon Communications to sell its phone lines in three New England states for $2.7 billion to FairPoint Communications Inc.

The Federal Communications Commission — in a 3-to-2 vote — said the proposed sale of Verizon’s phone lines in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine was “unlikely” to result in any anticompetitive behavior or hurt the public interest.

No Comments »

Reuters:

A unit of Exelon Corp has filed an application with federal nuclear regulators to extend the operating license of Three Mile Island Unit 1 nuclear generating station by 20 years, the company said on Tuesday.

The current license for the 786-megawatt reactor in Lononderry Township, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles southeast of Harrisburg, expires in April 2014.

If approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Three Mile Island could operate until April 2034, said AmerGen Energy Co, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Exelon, the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S.

No Comments »

Asbury Park Press:

A congressional committee is probing the operations of the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission following reports of security guards sleeping at an Exelon nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, according to statements.

In addition, “investigations by the NRC’s Inspector General have unveiled questionable decisions” by the NRC on nuclear power plant relicensing, according to a statement from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

No Comments »

The Wall Street Journal (subscription):

California policy makers have set the most ambitious conservation targets in the U.S. The state’s three major investor-owned electric utilities were told last summer to reduce their combined energy use by the equivalent of three power plants to earn big bonuses — or face the possibility of big penalties if they fail.

Utilities across the country are watching for the results. About half of U.S. energy use flows through the nation’s utilities, and a powerful combination of rising fuel costs and climate-change fears is putting increasing pressure on them to find ways to reduce the demand. Coal plants are causing environmental concerns, natural gas is subject to huge price swings, nuclear plants remain controversial and even wind farms are proving hard to site without opposition. So producing less energy has new appeal for utilities’ bottom lines.

No Comments »

The New York Times:

FairPoint Communications reached an agreement on Tuesday with the Vermont Public Service Department that would allow it to buy Verizon Communications’ phone lines in the state.

The accord still needs approval of the Vermont Public Service Board.

No Comments »

Trading Markets:

PJM Interconnection LLC told FERC this week that it has no problem with Pennsylvania utility Duquesne Light Co. wanting to leave the Mid-Atlantic regional transmission organization, but that FERC cannot release Duquesne from capacity obligations it has made for the next few years and pass them to other PJM members.

Duquesne, a privately held utility based in the Pittsburgh area, told FERC in a September 13 filing that PJM’s new “reliability pricing model” (RPM) is leading to inflated capacity costs, and that it wants to leave PJM and instead join a different regional transmission organization (RTO), the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator.

No Comments »

Forbes:

After a long day of deliberations, Maine utility regulators Thursday night approved a negotiated agreement allowing FairPoint Communications‘ $2.7 billion buyout of Verizon’s land lines in the three northern New England states.

The Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to approve the deal. While all three commissioners said they continue to have concerns, they said the benefits of the deal outweigh the risks.

No Comments »