Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives’ Post

Talk about an expensive gas bill... the Oklahoma Supreme Court recently approved over $3 billion in ratepayer-backed bonds to pay off abnormal energy expenses four public utility companies incurred during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. Customers will see a monthly charge on their bills ranging from $2.00 to nearly $8.00 for decades to come. Interesting, perhaps scary, to think that anyone that becomes a customer of these Oklahoma utilities in the two or so years (even if they are not alive today) will be paying off these bond.

Nearly 20 years ago, Lakeland Electric automated its callout process. For decades, the callout process at the Florida utility has been faster and less costly than hundreds (perhaps thousands) of its peers. They shared their experience so we can all learn from it: https://lnkd.in/gNx_f3hv #arcosCO #utility #fieldmobilitysoftware #utilityemergencyresponse #ics #arcosIM

What's the current biggest risk for electric utilities in US? Wildfire risk. The latest data point comes from Oregon verdict this week where jury awarded $79MM for PacifiCorp to pay nine victims in a 2020 fire. PacifiCorp estimated total claims related to fire at nearly $8 billion. Electric users living in forested or remote areas should plan for more Public Safety Shutdowns of transmission. Utility risk will lean heavy towards shitting down transmission lines. Given fires and ice storms in Oregon, electric utilities should start planning for undergrounding power lines. Other PacifiCorp settlements include $299M with 463 individual plaintiffs in the Archie Creek fire, and $250MM with 10 commercial timber companies and owners related to a fire in Douglas County.

This is a scandal that boggles my mind. It is greedy mindlessness. Centerpoint bought some large (app. 30 MW) gas turbine gensets because "They were needed for outages". Yet anybody who has commissioned or permitted such units could have told the commission that they were useless and knew they could not be activated or up and running until after the impacts of a storm were over. If everything goes well, E&C takes about 2-4 weeks and permitting may take months if not pre-prepared. Our local representatives, not knowledgeable in these matters, were told it would be a solution and they granted Centerpoint a 6.5% profit on the purchases of these units. At $800m, this was quite a sticker shock all born by rate payers. All for nothing. Our legislators were fooled. The massive lumbering gas turbines Centerpoint contracted are out of date. In today's world truly mobil trailer gas turbine generators with quick connects between 1 and 18 MWe are available that can be set up same day, if you have a natural gas and electrical connection nearby. Reciprocating generators working on diesel between 0.5-5 MWe are available in their hundreds and even easier to set up. Now that Beryll has exposed the myth of "large quick, mobil" power generation. Centerpoint wants to be reimbursed for a lot of small power generators. Maybe that's a better idea they didn't reveal an operational plan how to effectively deploy them. Maybe they only care about their 6.5% profit margins and their personal boni. Technical and deployment issues and the lives of their citizens don't matter quite as much. The article is from the Houston Chronicle and is behind a paywall.

"Patti Poppe has staked her legacy at California utility PG&E on a pledge to bury power lines to reduce wildfire risk. Now, her plan is in jeopardy." "Two years later, California regulators are likely to significantly restrict the number of power lines PG&E can bury in the coming years in favor of other ways to reduce fire risk. They argue that the burial process, known as undergrounding, is too expensive when customers are paying larger bills as a result of inflation and other investments to bolster the power grid" #energy #electricity #energystorage #energytransition #energypolicy #infrastructure #transmission #distribution #resiliency #energysecurity

Nice to see other utilities outside of CA adapt to pre-emptive measures that reduce ignitions and prevent large scale wildfires. It's a proven fact that PSPS (Public Safety Power Shutoffs) and EPSS (Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings) are big factors in reducing or eliminating possible ignitions!

𝘾𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙋𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙄𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙃𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙡 𝙋𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 Hurricane Beryl's 80 mph winds caused extensive power outages in southeast Texas, affecting over 2.6 million customers. CenterPoint Energy faced criticism for inadequate storm preparation, poor communication, and slow power restoration. The governor threatened action, legislators held hearings, and the state's utility regulators launched an investigation. 𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑷𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔: CenterPoint Energy's outage map was offline, complicating recovery efforts. CEO Jason Wells apologized and promised improvements, including hiring a chief communications officer. Edward Hirs, an energy expert at the University of Houston, highlighted extended neglect and underinvestment in grid infrastructure by the state and utilities as causes. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) may impose fines or mandate infrastructure improvements. Legislative and regulatory discussions are ongoing to improve storm preparedness and utility accountability. CenterPoint's response and the broader infrastructure issues spotlight the need for significant improvements to prevent future power outages in Texas. https://lnkd.in/gYEy8wEE

When responding to events, it’s vital to ensure work safety in the field. This is a challenge with limited visibility and inconsistent contact. A southeast electric utility uses ARCOS for a real-time view and connection to the field. Read their case study: https://lnkd.in/dss2999P #utility #safety #casestudy #arcosMWB

DTE and Consumers — along with the MPSC — are increasingly considering financial mechanisms that will stabilize funding for longer-term, more capital-intensive projects that “harden” the grid, such as underground power lines, as unusually severe weather becomes more common and has to be absorbed by operating budgets. #michigan #utilities #powergrid #electricityinfrastructure #reliability #weather

Holy cow: From the FERC/NERC Winter Storm Elliott report: "As seen in Figure 107 above, at about 5:40 p.m. on December 23, the Eastern Interconnection frequency decreased to a one-minute average of 59.943 Hz, and dropped to its lowest point during the Event, 59.936 Hz, at about 4:25 a.m. on the morning of December 24. Based on this limited review, the Team is concerned that, accounting for next contingencies (e.g., large generation outage, single point of failure contingency), the Eastern Interconnection appears to have been at risk of potential instability during this timeframe of escalating winter system demands, rapidly escalating unplanned generation outages and derates, and declining responsive reserves." https://lnkd.in/gU_NnF-B