Electric
FERC Approves Avista, Hydro One Merger
Hydro One Limited and Avista Corporation have received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the companies’ merger application filed on Sept. 14, 2017. “This marks another important milestone in bringing together Hydro One and Avista,” said Mayo Schmidt, President and CEO..
Pipeline H2O Announces 2018 Class
Pipeline H2O, the award-winning water technology commercialization program managed by The Hamilton Mill, has announced its 2018 class, which includes the following companies: Cerahelix – ceramic pico filtration products used for high purity filtration. Drop Water – an innovative way to make and ..
Florida Power & Light Deploys Crews to Puerto Rico to Help Speed up Power Restoration Efforts
On Jan. 8, 2018, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) deployed 140 additional lineworkers and support staff to Puerto Rico to help restore power to areas impacted by Hurricane Maria’s landfall. Hundreds of thousands of people remain without electric service nearly four months after the destructiv..
More New York Utility Workers Sent to Help Restore Power in Puerto Rico
On Jan. 8, 2018, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the deployment of 46 National Grid workers to help restore power to Puerto Rico’s severely damaged power grid from Hurricane Maria in September. “New Yorkers help their neighbors in their time of need and I could not be prouder of the way thi..
Trenchless Technology Center Awarded $500K Sprayed in Place Pipe Technology Analysis Contract
SippTech LLC has finalized a contract with Louisiana Tech’s Trenchless Technology Center for their continued partnership and product analysis of the advancement of Spray in Place Pipe Technology, (SIPP). The awarded contract specifically involves testing of SippTech’s robotic systems and installatio..
Arizona Utility Sending Crews to Puerto Rico
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s largest electric utility is sending crews to help restore power to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. Arizona Public Service Co. says 50 power line workers and support staff are heading to the U.S. territory in the Caribbean early this month. The company has already sent heavy ..
Unique Undergrounding Program Reduces Outages, Maximizes Response Time
In late August, Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston and other areas in Southeast Texas, leaving more than 750,000 customers without electric power. Immediately after Harvey, Hurricane Irma struck Florida, leaving much of the state and more than 6 million customers in the dark. Discussions about con..
Wyoming Utility Energizes Buried Lines Connecting Town
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — A utility says electricity is now running through transmission lines that were buried after a storm cut power to a western Wyoming town earlier this year. Jackson Hole News and Guide reports Lower Valley Energy last week energized the buried power lines connecting Te..
Three Months After Hurricane Maria, Barely Half of Puerto Rico Has Power
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico authorities said Friday that nearly half of power customers in the U.S. territory still lack electricity more than three months after Hurricane Maria, sparking outrage among islanders who accuse the government of mismanaging its response to the Category 4 sto..
Bechtel Honored for Pipeline Integrity Management Tool
Bechtel has been awarded the prestigious 2018 Digital Edge 50 Award in recognition of its new Pipeline Integrity Management (PIM) tool. With support from Bechtel’s Future Fund, an internal incubator which finances development of disruptive technologies, innovators from the company’s pipeline busines..
Fiber Broadband Association Releases White Paper on Fiber and 5G
The Fiber Broadband Association has released a new white paper, “The Road to 5G is Paved with Fiber,” on the necessity of fiber broadband for 5G networks. The paper explains how more wireline fiber—and a substantial amount of it—will be needed to support the next generation of our wireless networks...
SoCalGas Starts Work on Innovative Fiber-Optic Installation to Monitor Pipelines in Real-Time
Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced it has commenced construction on a first-of-its kind, fiber optic cable installation that will allow the company to monitor the condition of its high-pressure transmission pipelines in real-time. The fiber optic technology is being installed alo..
CPS Energy Wins 50-Year Natural Gas, Electric Distribution System Contract at Joint Air Force Base
CPS Energy has been awarded a $248 million, 50 year contract by the Defense Logistics Agency for the ownership, operation and maintenance of the natural gas and electric distribution system at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA). The company was awarded the contract through a competitive bidding proce..
California Wildfires Prompt Talks on Tougher Utility Rules
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California utilities may face tougher safety rules for power lines, phone lines and utility poles in parts of the state most prone to wildfires. Under the proposed rules being considered Thursday by the California Public Utilities Commission, tree branches would have to be kept..
New York Announces Plan to Transform Puerto Rico's Electric Power Grid
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló announced a plan to rebuild and transform Puerto Rico’s electric power system, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria in September. The envisioned system will be more resilient, efficient, advanced, and less dependent..
Technology Helps Utility Reduce Response Time to Fix Water Main Breaks
ARCOS® LLC has implemented its ARCOS CallOut® and Scheduling solution at Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Tennessee American Water to automate how the utility’s distribution department responds to customer emergencies. For Tennessee American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, responding to emergencies i..
McElroy's DataLogger 6 to be Incorporated into Getac's ZX70 Tablet
McElroy has selected Getac’s ZX70 tablet to be incorporated into the company’s DataLogger 6 solution for quality assurance in the field. The ZX70 is a lightweight, 7-inch Android tablet whose fully-rugged design enables it to withstand the harshest conditions. It runs on the Android 6.0 platform and..
Con Edison Wins ReliabilityOne Award for the Northeast Region
On Nov. 29, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana, PA Consulting Group, Inc. recognized Con Edison the recipient of the 2017 ReliabilityOne™ Award for Outstanding Reliability Performance in the Northeast Region. ReliabilityOne™ Awards are given annually to utilities achieving outstanding reliability perfor..
Northern Pass Transmission Line Receives Presidential Permit
The U.S. Department of Energy has approved the Presidential permit for the proposed Northern Pass Transmission Line project. The 192-mile above and below ground, alternating and direct current transmission system will deliver up to 1090 megawatts of low-emission, reliable hydropower from Quebec, Can..
New York Sends 72 More Utility Workers to Assist with Power Restoration Efforts in Puerto Rico
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the deployment of 72 additional electric utility experts to Puerto Rico arriving today and tomorrow to assist with the ongoing recovery of the country’s power grid. The deployment coincides with the arrival of a barge loaded with an additional 55 uti..
Navajo Family in Utah Gets Electricity in Time for Holidays
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — For years, Thomas and Annie Hamm walked around their southern Utah home with flashlights at night, heated water on a wood burning stove and kept their food cold on ice. Sometimes, they ran an extension cord from a car battery to power a television. They had a small solar pan..
200 More Utility Workers from New York Arrive in Puerto Rico
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Another 200 utility workers from New York state have arrived in Puerto Rico to assist in getting the power back on following Hurricane Maria. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the workers arrived Tuesday along with 180 utility vehicles. They follow 160 utility workers and near..
Company Halts Power Restoration Efforts in Puerto Rico over $83M Owed
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Whitefish Energy Holdings said late Monday that it was halting work to help restore power in Puerto Rico because the U.S. territory’s government has not paid crews as part of a contract that led to accusations of overcharging and incompetence and contributed to the resig..
Grid Operator Discusses New England’s Constrained Gas Pipelines
CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) — The independent corporation overseeing the operation of New England’s power system says natural gas pipelines feeding the region are so constrained that electricity prices are driven higher during cold winters. ISO New England President Gordon van Welie (WHEE’-lee) says region..
ASTM International Standard Aims to Reduce Contamination and Costs in Plastic Pipe Production
ASTM International announced its committee on plastic piping systems is developing a new standard that aims to use best practices to prevent contamination in manufacturing polyethylene pipe and fittings. According to ASTM International member Eugene Palermo, manufacturers could use the standard to ..
ARCOS' Software to Help Electric Utility Expedite Service Restoration
ARCOS LLC today announced it has started the process of implementing its ARCOS® Callout and Scheduling Suite to help Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) expedite electric service restoration, focus on safety and reduce the utility’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), whic..
New York Utility Crews Arrive in Puerto Rico to Help Restore Power
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than 160 electric public and private utility experts and nearly 100 utility vehicles have arrived in Puerto Rico to assist with the recovery of its power grid caused by severe damage from Hurricane Maria in September. Governor Cuomo also announc..
Alaska Commission Rejects Canadian Firm’s Offer for Utility
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s utility regulator has turned down a Canadian firm’s offer to take over Alaska Electric Light and Power citing a legal technicality. The Juneau Empire reported Sunday that the Regulatory Commission of Alaska denied Ontario-based Hydro One’s application to acquire the e..
National Grid, Department of Energy to Collaborate on Grid Modernization and Energy Storage Research
National Grid and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have entered into an agreement to work together on research in the areas of transmission grid modernization and energy storage technologies. The electricity industry is undergoing sweeping changes, inclu..
Largest Public Tender Database for Water, Sewer Utilities Now Available
AquaSPE AG and H2bid have joined forces to make the largest public tender database for U.S. and Canadian water and wastewater utilities available on The Water Network. Effective immediately, contractors can visit The Water Network’s Business Exchange to view thousands of public tenders sorted by sp..
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