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15th March 2010
Belgium transmission system operator Elia and infrastructure investor Australian Industry Funds Management (IFM) have agreed to purchase Nordic electricity generator Vattenfall’s German transmission grid for €810m and will work to ensure reliability of supply as offshore wind installations get added to the network.
5th March 2010
The European Commission has allocated over €903m to electricity interconnection projects as part of its broader European Economic Recovery Plan, injecting new impetus into long standing electricity grid development plans within the EU.
6th January 2010
Scotland’s offshore Beauly Denny power line upgrade has been approved. According to the Scottish government, the upgrade will boost grid capacity along the line and unlock Scotland’s onshore and offshore renewables potential.
5th January 2010
Electric transmission infrastructure company American Transmission has announced the retirement of founder and chairman José M Delgado.
4th January 2010
Retail electric company Minnesota Power has finalised the purchase of a 465-mile transmission line, allowing for the development of the company’s renewable energy transport and capabilities. Minnesota Power has acquired the 250KV line connecting Center, North Dakota with its Arrowhead Substation in Hermantown, Minnesota, for $70m.
18th December 2009
In response to US Vice President Joe Biden’s memo to President Obama on advancing a clean energy economy, chairman and CEO of Texas-serving electric transmission company Oncor, Bob Shapard, has applauded the benefits of the nation’s smart electric grid and smart meter installations.
18th December 2009
The California Public Utilities Commission has approved electricity utility Southern California Edison’s (SCE) application to build further segments of the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project.
14th December 2009
JDR Cable Systems, a global provider of subsea power cables, offshore umbilical systems and specialised marine cables, has been awarded the contract for the supply of subsea power array cables for the first phase of London Array Offshore Wind Farm by the project consortium of DONG Energy, E.ON and Masdar.
13th November 2009
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has unveiled plans for an industry-wide transmission efficiency demonstration collaborative that will identify technologies leading to greater efficiency in the bulk power system, an increase in system utilsation and a reduction in line and equipment losses.
4th November 2009
Canadian renewable energy developer Plutonic Power has closed its deal financing, raising gross proceeds of more than $70m by the sale of around 21 million common shares at $3.35 per share.
2nd November 2009
Minnesota Power has acquired a large DC transmission line between North Dakota and Minnesota, which is currently pending state and federal regulatory approval.
2nd November 2009
The Swedish National Grid has awarded consulting group Sweco a €1.1m contract to plan a new power transmission line between the cities of Hallsberg and Nässjö in Sweden.
26th October 2009
Hansen Transmissions International’s results for the three months ended 30 September 2009 and for the 6 months ended 30 September 2009.
26th October 2009
Energy cable company General Cable’s net sales for the third quarter of 2009 were a quarter down from the third quarter of 2008, and its operating income decreased by 59.3 per cent in the same time period, according to its latest report.
1st October 2009
Chicago, US-based electric utility Exelon has appointed John Stough as vice president and CDO for Exelon Transmission Company, a new venture that will seek to capitalise on the growing national market for new transmission lines across the US.
29th September 2009
The European Investment Bank is to lend up to €500m to build wind capacity and green power infrastructure in Ireland.
3rd September 2009
Australian integrated energy company Origin, has begun generation from its 30MW Cullerin Range Wind Farm, New South Wales.
25th August 2009
New rules to revamp the way power plants get connected to the UK’s power grid have been introduced by UK Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband.
17th August 2009
California’s Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) has released conceptual transmission plan that evaluates the usefulness of potential transmission lines in accessing and delivering renewable energy. The plan is intended to help enable development and approval of renewable energy infrastructure in ways that minimise the economic cost, environmental impact, and number of new transmission facilities.
12th August 2009
US Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the start of the McNary-John Day transmission project in Washington and Oregon, which will be funded by $343m from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
30th July 2009
Heightened energy efficiency, the development of more renewable power and additional natural gas-fired power generation are the linchpins of US energy utility Puget Sound Energy’s newly updated strategy for meeting customers’ growing energy needs, the company said.
29th July 2009
New solutions are desperately needed to combat grid connection challenges related to laying long distance subsea cables, according to subsea connections and offsea energy services company VerdErg.
22nd July 2009
US electricity company Oncor has filed three applications to the US Department of Energy for a total of $317m of Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to support the company’s smart grid projects.
7th July 2009
MDU Resources Group, Inc. intends to participate with ITC Holdings in developing the Green Power Express transmission project, which would transport renewable energy from wind-rich US plains states to major metropolitan markets.
2nd July 2009
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has agreed to support the five part energy efficiency programme proposed by South Jersey Gas, a subsidiary of South Jersey Industries.
19th June 2009
The National Grid’s electricity supply system is set to become more complex in the coming decades with large amounts of variable wind generation and much larger nuclear power stations connecting to the networks. The company has published a report showing how these challenges can be met.
16th June 2009
In recent years, both the global and Chiness new energy industries have experienced considerable development, according to Chinese research, consulting and IT outsourcing service provider CCID Consulting. Because of high application costs, the new energy industry has emerged most noticeably in developed countries, such as Germany, Japan and America, though with governmental support, new energy in developed countries will continue to grow.
11th June 2009
European energy policy is seeking to achieve a substantially increased contribution from renewable sources of electricity, and the creation of a pan-European competitive electricity market, according to the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), which has examined the developments that are required in grid planning, operation and infrastructure to accommodate more renewable sources of electricity and to support a European electricity market.
11th June 2009
Listed US energy utility Duke Energy is to join forces with network communications company Cisco Systems, Inc., to fast-track development of Duke Energy’s electric smart grid.
10th June 2009
US energy utility ComEd has named GE Energy and Silver Spring Networks as partners for the company’s proposed Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) pilot, the first step in the company’s smart grid deployment.
1st June 2009
tExpanded energy conservation and renewable power development, augmented by more natural gas-fired power generation, continue to anchor energy utility Puget Sound Energy’s strategy for meeting customers’ growing energy needs, according to the company’s resource plan.
20th May 2009
US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and US Energy Secretary Steven Chu have announced progress in the US’ drive towards a smart electric power grid.
20th May 2009
US technology giant Cisco has announced plans to develop end-to-end, network infrastructure solution that helps utility companies and their customers manage power supplies and energy consumption more efficiently.
18th May 2009
Members of the Green Energy Act Alliance, a coalition of Ontario-based environmental groups, industry associations, farmers and labour groups, have welcomed the adoption of the Green Energy and Economy Act. According to the Alliance, the Act outlines an ambitious and globally significant strategy to improve conservation, increase renewable energy generation and create green jobs.
14th April 2009
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved transmission infrastructure investment rate incentives for a proposed 3,000-mile regional green power superhighway designed to deliver wind-powered renewable energy from the upper Midwest to consumers in and around Chicago, Minneapolis and other load centres.
6th April 2009
US energy utility National Grid has unveiled two new electric energy efficiency programmes. The programmes include rebates for residential customers to purchase efficient central air conditioning equipment and system infrastructure incentives for small businesses to improve electric energy use in their facilities.
1st April 2009
US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, energy executive T Boone Pickens and Center for American Progress Action Fund president and CEO John Podesta have released today a letter to US President Barack Obama, thanking him for his leadership to date on clean energy and urging him to, ‘recommit your efforts to rapidly build the infrastructure for a new energy economy - using all the policy and leadership tools at your disposal’.
1st April 2009
ABB, a power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $550m to connect the Irish and UK power grids using technology that will strengthen the reliability and security of electricity supplies in each country, and enable Ireland to expand its wind power capacity, the company said.
Eirgrid, the Irish transmission system operator, has ordered [...]
24th March 2009
Plans to connect vast amounts of future UK offshore wind energy to the national grid were firmed up, with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and Ofgem announcing a new regulatory framework to connect offshore renewable projects to the onshore grid.
23rd March 2009
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has announced plans to accelerate the development of a smarter grid for the country’s electric transmission system.
5th March 2009
Investment worth up to £4.7bn is expected to be needed to upgrade the electricity grid network to accommodate new power generation by 2020, according to a report published today by the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG).
20th February 2009
Scrapping the UK’s Infrastructure Planning Commission may imperil energy network companies’ ability to deliver essential energy infrastructure in a timely manner to tackle the climate change and security of supply agenda warned David Smith, chief executive of Energy Networks Association (ENA).
James Hall-Smith of HSBC discusses the drivers behind the growth of the European renewable energy scene and the opportunities this affords to infrastructure investors and project financiers alike.
‘I think there is an increased interest from a corporate governance and sustainability perspective. This makes many institutions focus on this area. There is also a recognition of the drivers behind environmental infrastructure, from the fundamentals of creating the best opportunity to tackling climate change, whilst also looking to gain energy security and satisfy the social and political drivers.'--- 1 Comment
