PSC Approves Increase in Bloom Energy Subsidy The Public Service Commission has approved an increase in the subsidy that Delmarva Power customers pay to fuel cell manufacturer Bloom Energy. The surcharge, adjusted periodically, will cost a typical customer about $4.34 a month. Bloom Energy enjoys a 21-year deal under a...

PSC Commissioner Nominated for Superior Court Judgeship Jeffrey J. Clark, a Dover attorney and member of the Public Service Commission since 2005, has been nominated to fill a vacancy on the Superior Court, Delaware’s main civil and criminal trial court. Gov. Jack Markell is expected to nominate a new commissioner for...

DNREC Taking Public Comment on Controversial Refinery Water Permit A plan by the Delaware City Refinery to upgrade its cooling water intake and discharge will be the subject of a public comment session on March 24. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in December said it had reached...

Nuclear a Renewable Resource? Arizona Senate Panel Says ‘Yes’ A state Senate committee has passed a bill — by one vote — that would declare nuclear power a renewable energy source. SB1134 would define nuclear energy as renewable if it comes from “sources fueled by uranium fuel rods that include...

Failed Data Center Project on Hook for $1.4 Million, Court Rules The Data Centers LLC must pay three consultants $1.4 million in fees and interest related to the company’s failed bid last year to build a power plant and data center on University of Delaware property, according to a recent Superior...

SWEPCO Asks PSC to Deny Request for Attorney Fees Southwestern Electric Power Co. asked the Public Service Commission to deny a request by Save the Ozarks to pay for legal expenses the organization incurred during its battle against a transmission line. SWEPCO withdrew its power line application last month following a...

Refinery Files for Permit to Build $100 million Hydrogen Plant PBF Energy, owners of the state’s only refinery, is seeking permission to build a $100 million hydrogen plant as part of a plan to begin refining ultra-low sulfur fuel at the Delaware City facility. PBF applied to the Department of Natural...

Legislators May Be Waiting for Quinn to Leave Before Bill is Sent Quinn Commonwealth Edison and Ameren stand to win an important victory in their attempts to get continued authorization to charge customers for smart grid improvements. The state legislature easily passed a bill in December allowing the utilities to...

By Ted Caddell (Click to zoom) A North Carolina environmental group last week asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to force Duke Energy and other utilities in the Southeast to form a regional transmission organization to share power reserves, rather than keep building new generating plants and boosting prices to...

By Michael Brooks Brunswick Nuclear Plant (Source: Duke) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week approved Duke Energy Progress’ $1.2 billion purchase of 700 MW of generation from the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency. The deal will give Duke NCEMPA’s share of the Brunswick and Shearon Harris nuclear plants...