Women in public power blaze a path for others to join high-voltage trades, line work
March 1, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 1, 2021
In honor of Women’s History Month, commemorated each March, the American Public Power Association’s Public Power Current newsletter is highlighting women in the high-voltage trades who work for public power utilities across the U.S.
Among other things, the women profiled in this article detail how they made the transition to become part of public power’s community of line workers and highly technical trades, and what they would tell women who are thinking about becoming an electric utility line worker, operator, or technician.
Vircynthia Charley (Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) in Arizona)
Vircynthia Charley got her start with NTUA learning the trade, earned her journeyman license and trained two other NTUA women journeyman, Melissa Parrish and Jasmine Yazzie.
Charley and Parrish are both leaders at NTUA’s Kayenta District Office in northern Arizona. Charley is the District Manager, while Parrish is the Field Superintendent and is the only female Field Superintendent for NTUA.
Charley said that what she enjoys most about her job and working for public power is sharing and giving back to her community.
“I understand the meaning of public power because it is all about community and working for the needs of the people. I was raised under that principle and it is a very important part of our traditional Navajo beliefs — to be prepared to give for the benefit of others,” she said.
Addressing the question of what advice she would give to other women wanting to enter the skilled, high-voltage trades, women are generally under-represented “and they shouldn’t be,” Charley said.
“My advice? Once you make the commitment to do the work, focus on doing the job well, and embrace the challenge. Always be prepared. Take the time to learn the skill and when you put your heart into your product, you will have a true sense of yourself. That’s what my parents taught me,” she said.
“On the technical side, I am an Army veteran and that’s where I learned the basics of electric work. After I was discharged, I wanted to pursue this trade. I never underestimated myself and never gave up. I kept moving forward, even learning to climb powerline poles and getting into the trenches,” she said.
“Yes, there can be setbacks but you learn from them and become a better worker. In my case, I became a journeyman but more importantly it was no longer a job or a title — it became my hand in reaching out to make a change. Soon, you will see who you are and which direction you are going.”
Charley also offered her thoughts on whether there is anything public power utilities can specifically do to support bringing more women into high-voltage trades.
She said that the right training and opportunities such as an apprenticeship program would help. “That show of support is a significant way to build trust, respect, and equality to build a successful utility, organization, and community.”
Rose Foster (South Carolina’s Santee Cooper)
Rose Foster started at Santee Cooper as a temporary worker on the line crew in 1993. When a permanent position was posted, she applied and was offered the job. She accepted the offer and her first official day on the line occurred in February 1994.
Foster, who is currently a safety specialist at Santee Cooper, noted that Santee Cooper has three classes of Line Technician: A, B and C Class.
“I progressed through our apprenticeship program as it is designed. We expect that most employees will be a C Class Line Tech for approximately 2 years and become eligible to take our progression test, if the supervisor is convinced you are ready,” she noted.
“If you pass the test, which consists of a written exam and field tasks, then you are promoted to B Class. After approximately 3 years and your supervisor believes you are ready, you test for your A Class.”
Foster spent 13 years on the line crew and had the opportunity to be Lead Line Tech for a few years. “I was also first response on stand-by. The position of Distribution Line Crew Training Instructor was posted,” and she decided to apply. “I enjoyed leading a crew and I appreciated watching new Line Techs learn and grow, so I thought the instructor job would be fun,” she noted.
She spent her time in training creating and teaching courses about distribution line work. “We host an annual Line Workers Rodeo and that was a large responsibility for our Learning and Development department.”
Foster noted that when a distribution safety specialist position was vacated, she thought that would be a natural progression for her. “Because a large portion of the topics I instructed was about safe operating procedures, I thought it would be a good transition.”
In terms of the biggest obstacles for increasing the number of women utility line workers, Foster said that one factor may be that young women don’t recognize the possibility of becoming an electric line worker.
“This career, in my experience, is so gratifying and challenging. If we could convince more young women to even consider this, they would love it as much as I do,” she said.
“I would love to have more women in this field,” Foster said.
What would Foster say to a woman who is thinking about becoming an electric utility line worker?
“Be prepared to work hard. Leave your feelings at home. Enjoy the ride, every day is a new adventure and it’s very rewarding to make people’s lives better by supplying them with reliable electricity for their homes and businesses,” she said.
Jacqueline Montero (Fayetteville Public Works Commission in North Carolina)
Jacqueline Montero is a line worker at Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC) in North Carolina.
Montero noted that after working at an events company in Florida for more than 10 years, she was looking for a change of pace and a job where she could have more stability and less travel.
“And I wanted to challenge myself by doing something that would challenge me mentally and physically,” she said.
After moving from Florida to North Carolina, she explored opportunities at the Fayetteville Technical Community College.
After speaking with staff at the college and reading material provided by the staff, she signed up for a basic training course for electric utility line workers.
“It sounded like a challenge and I like challenges, so I put myself to it,” Montero said.
She noted that most of the course was at a pole farm where she learned how to climb poles, how to work as a team, safety rules, how to change a line and how to put arms up.
Montero said she was surprised to learn that she was the first female to graduate from the course and that at age 38 she was able to successfully meet the physical challenges such as climbing associated with the course.
She also noted that two male classmates wound up quitting the course because they were scared of heights and didn’t want to go any higher than 10 feet. “I surprised myself that I was capable” of being able to “beat the guys on that.”
As for what daily life is like for her as a lineworker at Fayetteville PWC, Montero said that “we wake up early in the morning. We organize our trucks, our equipment and then go to the job site.”
Her team currently works as groundsmen. They are in charge of laying down all the pipes and wires for all new construction.
“It’s a great experience. I’m really grateful that they gave me the opportunity to work for them,” Montero said.
She noted that her teammates treat each other with respect and like family “because one mistake or one bad move or not paying attention,” can cost “my life or somebody else’s life,” so safety is always front of mind.
What would Montero say to a woman who is thinking about becoming an electric utility line worker?
Overall, not just as a female but also as a Latina, Montero said she would encourage the next generation of women to “go for it. It can seem challenging at times but if you focus and put your mind into it, you’ll be able to do it,” she said.
“Even if you’re not sure or just curious, to take the leap of faith like I did,” Montero said. “Just believe in yourself that you can accomplish anything that you put your mind into.”
Lisa Barbato (Colorado Springs Utilities)
As the newly named General Manager of Energy Supply at Colorado Springs Utilities, Lisa Barbato leads the overall business performance of generating facilities at the public power utility that produces approximately 1,000 megawatts of electricity from a combination of solar, coal, natural gas and hydroelectric plants, as well as the fuel acquisition for these facilities and supply of natural gas to the Colorado Springs Utilities’ system.
She is also responsible for retiring the coal-fired Martin Drake Power Plant by no later than 2023.
“Working for a public power company provides a great sense of pride when you can see how your contributions benefit your own community,” Barbato said.
In 2017 Barbato was named General Manager of the Distribution, Collection and Treatment Department at Colorado Springs Utilities.
The following year the Utilities Board named a new CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities, Aram Benyamin. One of his first actions was to institute a four-service general manager rotation program to give leaders the ability to learn how different parts of the organization operate, to expose them to different industries and to introduce them to new employees they otherwise would have never met.
Barbato was one of four general managers selected for this pilot program. She went from her role overseeing wastewater and water operations to the General Manager of Energy Supply. She had never worked in energy before and now she was one of the top energy executives at the organization.
“I was kind of excited. There were so many changes that were going to be happening on the energy side of the business and I was excited to be a part of that,” Barbato remembered, when Benyamin told her about her new position.
“With the integrated resource plan discussion and retiring of the coal power plants, it all seemed a little daunting. But I was ready to make a difference and leave a legacy with the future of energy in this organization,” she said.
After the general manager rotation program ended in June 2020, she competed for the job and was named the first female General Manager of Energy Supply for Colorado Springs Utilities in July 2020.
Barbato oversees 250 employees. She focuses on energy policy development, is responsible for understanding the fuels and commodity markets, engaging new technologies, driving innovation toward the delivery of reliable energy solutions and demonstrating expertise in the area of North American Electric Reliability Corporation regulatory compliance.
When asked what advice she has for other women wanting to enter the skilled/technical trades, Barbato said, “Don’t be afraid of being uncomfortable. You may think you cannot do things, but you are very capable and more than qualified.”
She added, “Don’t be afraid to choose a path less traveled than others in your demographics. You will find that you will be valued and add a diverse perspective.”
Sheri Rice (Seattle City Light)
Sheri Rice has been with Seattle City Light for 23 years. She started as a flagger and has since completed two apprenticeships, one as a utility construction worker and the other as an electrician constructor for substations. Between those apprenticeships she worked as a material supplier for line crews.
She has been a constructor for the last 16 years.
When asked what she enjoys most about her job and working for public power, Rice said “The variety. I think people underestimate the opportunities working for a public utility. I really enjoy keeping the public’s lights on. There is a sense a pride in solving the problems and getting people in power during and after storms.”
She said that the equipment “is constantly changing and advancing which means we as journeymen are constantly learning.”
As for what advice Rice has for other women wanting to enter the skilled, high-voltage trades, she said that apprenticeships are the best path. “If you want to learn, earn college credit, make a stable livable wage with benefits and retirement it is the way to go,” she said.
“Do your research, find out which aspect of the High voltage trades interests you. If there is an opportunity to work as a helper on the crews apply, get your feet wet. There are all kinds of free guides on training, study guides and pre-tests to check aptitude online, take them and use them,” Rice said.
“Don’t underestimate yourself. Don’t be intimidated by the physical aspects of these jobs. You will learn how to use your body mechanics on how to get the job done.”
Rice also said that public power utilities can do a number of things to support bringing more women in to high-voltage trades.
“Publications like this help. Going out to high schools, job fairs and outreach programs. Start talking to your daughters, nieces and neighbors,” she said.
“Apprenticeships need to be presented alongside college opportunities. Women need to understand the opportunities of these careers and that they are completely capable of being successful in them.”
Texas lawmakers hold series of hearings over recent power outages
March 1, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 1, 2021
Texas lawmakers over two days last week held a series of hearings tied to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) last month entering emergency conditions and initiating rotating outages in the state in the wake of an arctic blast.
On Feb. 25, ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness appeared before the Texas Senate’s Committee on Business and Commerce. Magness offered a presentation and fielded questions from state senators for a little over six hours during the hearing.
Magness said that “this storm, at its worst, took out 48.6 percent of the generation available to ERCOT to manage the system. Now, we always keep reserves. We don’t ever want to manage it down to zero. But when you lose almost half of your generation. When you have record demand like we have never seen in the winter in Texas, you’re going to have a problem.”
He said that if ERCOT had not acted by calling for controlled outages, “Texas was headed for a blackout.” Magness said that if the outages had not been ordered, “we’d probably be talking today about when the power’s going to come on. And what my team and the folks at the utilities in Texas would be doing is an exercise called black start, and we drill it every year, but we’ve never done it.”
Magness noted that Texas has never had a blackout. “There’s been blackouts in the Northeast. There’s been blackouts in New York. There’s been blackouts in California. Several places have had major blackouts. But if we have one, we’re going to be relying on folks in the utility industry to basically restart the electric grid,” which he said is a “very difficult process” and it is at a minimum weeks in terms of duration. “There’s no way it’s not weeks and it could be months,” he said.
“I feel a great deal of responsibility and remorse about the event,” he said at a later point. “I believe the operators on our team did everything they could have.”
“But you wouldn’t have changed anything in terms of your play calling during those critical hours?” asked Texas Sen. John Whitmire.
“As I sit here now, I don’t believe I would,” Magness responded. “I wouldn’t step in front of them and question their judgement and their experience,” he said in reference to ERCOT’s operators.
“If we listen to all the tapes and we look at all the evidence and there were things that they should have done differently, that should certainly be on me because I’m ultimately responsible” for ERCOT.
Whitmore also asked Magness whether he was “ever concerned in the early parts of the crisis when the generators were saying, we’re doing the best we can because the gas lines are freezing up – do you ever” worry about the natural gas lines “not being really as frozen as were being claimed for the purposes of raising the price of gas?”
“What we were concerned about at the time was the generation units that were reporting that they couldn’t run or could run less because of gas shortage kind of issues. We don’t have any real significant interface with the gas industry. We don’t manage any of their operations,” Magness said.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 22 said that its Office of Enforcement is examining wholesale natural gas and electricity market activity during recent extreme cold weather to determine if any market participants engaged in market manipulation or other violations.
When asked by another state senator whether the market construct in ERCOT is adequate or should be changed, Magness said that “We’re certainly not the policymakers on that. We’ve seen a lot of success with the market structure we’ve got. We’ve served the highest demands during the summer that we’ve ever seen. We’re getting some new investment – maybe not the type of investment everybody wants – but we’re getting new investment.”
Along with the Committee on Business and Commerce, the Texas House Committees on State Affairs and Energy Resources on Feb. 25-26 held a joint public hearing related to the outages.
Texas governor delivers speech on response to power outages
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Feb. 24 delivered a televised statewide address on the state’s response to the recent power outages.
Among other things, he said that ERCOT must be overhauled. He noted that five ERCOT board members have already resigned, including the Chair and Vice-Chair. “But more must be done,” he said.
“I am already working with the Legislature on reforms to add more power to the grid and to ensure that we never run out of power again. Also, the Office of the Attorney General has launched a formal investigation into ERCOT,” he said.
City of Denton files suit against ERCOT
On Feb. 25, the City of Denton, Texas, filed suit against ERCOT in the District Court of Denton County seeking to prevent the unconstitutional use of public funds. The City of Denton owns and operates Denton Municipal Electric (DME).
ERCOT is using a mechanism within its protocols known as “uplift,” the city noted in a news release.
“Due to the recent record-high wholesale energy prices, some ERCOT market participants have failed to pay ERCOT for power purchases. Ultimately, uplift may spread the costs of those ERCOT market participants to other market participants, including DME,” the city said.
The city “views the payment of the costs of other utilities as an unconstitutional gifting of public funds and unconstitutional lending of its credit,” it said.
Late Thursday, the district court granted a Temporary Restraining Order in favor of the City of Denton in this matter.
The City of Denton said it “will explore all legal options to protect the financial assets of the City of Denton and its ratepayers from improper use. As this is a pending legal matter, there is currently no additional information or comment.”
Texas cooperative files for bankruptcy
Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., Texas’ oldest and largest generation and transmission power cooperative, announced on March 1 that it filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Brazos Electric initiated this financial restructuring to maintain the stability and integrity of its entire electric cooperative system.
Brazos Electric provides wholesale power supply to its sixteen member-owner distribution cooperatives whose service territory extends across 68 Texas counties from the Texas Panhandle to Houston.
Brazos Electric said in a news release that before the severe cold weather that blanketed Texas with sub-freezing temperatures February 13-19, “it was in all respects a financially robust, stable company with a clear vision for its future and a strong ‘A’ to ‘A+’ credit rating.”
Brazos Electric said that as a result of the catastrophic failures due to the storm, it was presented with excessively high invoices by ERCOT for collateral and for purported cost of electric service, payment of which was required within days.
“As a cooperative whose costs are passed through to its members, and which are ultimately borne by Texas retail consumers served by its member cooperatives, Brazos Electric determined that it cannot and will not foist this catastrophic financial event on its members and those consumers,” it said.
Throughout the forthcoming financial restructuring process, Brazos Electric said it will remain committed to:
- Delivering affordable and reliable electric service to its member cooperatives and their retail members;
- Assisting its member cooperatives, their retail members and their communities impacted by the extreme cold weather event in the rebuilding effort; and
- Supporting the orderly, fair and expeditious treatment and satisfaction of its liabilities resulting from the extreme cold weather event
The filing also includes several “first day” customary operational motions Brazos Electric filed with the court in support of its financial restructuring including requests of authorizations to continue paying employee wages and benefits and certain critical vendors.
Brazos Electric will pay all obligations under normal terms of business for goods and services provided on the filing date of March 1, 2021 and thereafter.
Granholm comments on Texas situation in Q&As with Washington Post, NPR
Meanwhile, in a Q&A with the Washington Post, the newspaper noted that Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm recently tweeted that what happened in Texas, and what happened in California in the summer heat there, shows a need to upgrade the grid. “But was there anything that happened in Texas that was new to you, that made you think again about what kinds of changes are needed?,” Granholm was asked.
“A hand of friendship extended to Texas — to consider upgrading their connectivity to the national grid so that their neighbors can help them in times of crisis,” Granholm responded.
“Obviously, they have to winterize their energy system. I understand the desire to be independent. I get that that’s the ethos in Texas. But in emergencies, it would be good to know there’s backup,” she said.
The transmission grid that the ERCOT independent system operator administers is located solely within the state of Texas and is not synchronously interconnected to the rest of the United States. The transmission of electric energy occurring wholly within ERCOT is not subject to the Commission’s jurisdiction under sections 203, 205, or 206 of the Federal Power Act.
Similarly, in an interview with National Public Radio, Granholm said “I think the country would welcome Texas being at least connected to the national grid in some way, shape or form that allows for its neighbors to help.”
Granholm said that “We all plan for redundancies and backups in our lives and this might be just a backup that Texas might want to consider at this time.”
She also told NPR that “Texas needs to weatherize, winterize its energy systems.”
Legislation would reinstate the ability to issue tax-exempt advance refunding bonds
February 26, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 26, 2021
Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Debbie Stabenow. D-Mich., on Feb. 25 introduced legislation that would reinstate the ability to issue tax-exempt advance refunding bonds. The bill is supported by the American Public Power Association.
The Lifting Our Communities through Advance Liquidity for Infrastructure (LOCAL Infrastructure) Act of 2021 is cosponsored by Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., John Boozman, R-Arkansas, and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.
Advance refunding would allow state and local governments to refinance outstanding municipal bonds to more favorable borrowing rates or conditions before the end of the initial bond term on a tax-exempt basis. This process is very similar to how a homeowner may refinance the mortgage on their property to lock in a lower interest rate.
The federal tax-exempt debt could be refinanced only once, but local communities would be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates to generate additional savings on existing bonds. Local governments could reinvest these savings to fund infrastructure, education, health care, or other capital improvement projects.
Advance refunding has saved state and local governments billions of dollars over decades but has been unavailable to state and local governments since 2017.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the ability to issue advance refunding bonds and since that time, APPA has worked to put back in place advance refunding bonds.
A companion bill to the LOCAL Infrastructure Act of 2021 has not yet been introduced in the House.
NYPA program helps local governments to host community solar project
February 24, 2021
by APPA News
February 24, 2021
New York recently accelerated its efforts to help local governments and agencies in the state participate in community solar projects.
Under the new program, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) will work with municipal and state government entities to assist in the development of community solar projects on their buildings and land to mitigate the challenges they face in adopting distributed renewable energy.
Long development timelines and uncertain revenue streams can pose problems for municipalities trying to secure approvals and find funding for community solar projects. The new program provides NYPA staff to assist in the project development process, from scoping, design, and purchasing to execution, project management and close-out.
As project hosts, local governments would bear no upfront capital cost for the solar projects, which would be able to generate revenues in the form of lease payments and subscriber fees.
NYPA said the new program would help it meet its 2025 community solar target of having 75 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity online by 2025, including 15 MW of paired battery storage. NYPA estimates those projects could stimulate more than $135 million in direct, private investments toward their development, construction, and operation, and create more than 1,250 jobs. NYPA estimates the program could support at least 40 community solar projects.
“By setting a stretch target to address the need for more solar and storage systematically, NYPA will help governments overcome potential hurdles in onboarding solar projects and more effectively serve as ‘anchor subscribers’ which can then help engage the surrounding community,” Gil Quiniones, president and CEO of NYPA, said in a statement.
A June 2020 New York Public Service Commission order allows Community Distributed Generation (CDG) projects to sign up large commercial customers to “anchor” a community solar project.
Prior to the order, the incentives available for community solar projects often put developers in the position of trying to support a project’s financing wholly on the basis of residential customer subscriptions.
The commission’s order allows large electric customers to serve as anchor subscribers for distributed solar projects, helping to reduce costs by improving economies of scale and providing more certain income streams, NYPA said.
NYPA has several community solar projects in its development pipeline, including projects in Quarryville in Ulster County and at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, as well as a community solar program with the City of White Plains.
The new program is part of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act agenda that calls for installing 6,000 MW of solar power by 2025 and 3,000 MW of energy storage by 2030.
Public power offers help with rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in their communities
February 24, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 24, 2021
Public power utilities and their staff are making themselves available to help with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in their communities.
“We are supporting the vaccination process at a Chelan County community center in several ways,” said Neil Neroutsos, Communications Manager at Washington State’s Chelan County PUD.
Specifically, Chelan County PUD is assisting with site logistics, security, parking lot attendants, snow-removal and supplemental back-up generators. It is also providing overflow parking in a Chelan PUD park for people waiting for vaccinations.
“This support is coming in part from the PUD’s Public Power Benefit program, which uses a portion of funds from surplus energy sales for investments in the community,” Neroutsos said.
“We have a few folks acting in support on planning teams, including myself” in the county joint information system “and have offered the county some facilities for storage and other power supply needs,” said Aaron Swaney, a spokesperson for Snohomish County PUD. “They haven’t needed it so far.”
Meanwhile, Patty Garcia-Likens, a spokesperson for Arizona’s Salt River Project, said that like a number of organizations in the community, SRP has worked with a couple different vaccine distribution sites to assist with their staffing requirements.
“These opportunities are done on a voluntary basis only and SRP employees have been able to react on short notice and with enthusiasm,” she noted.
Washington State’s Grant PUD has asked employees who may want to assist with vaccination events to complete a short survey “based on feedback we have received from Grant County Health District,” noted Chuck Allen, Public Affairs Supervisor at Grant PUD.
“At this time, they have not asked for our support for anything, but we are ready to offer support as much as possible if they do make a request,” Allen noted.
Dothan Utilities installs EV chargers as part of AMEA initiative
February 24, 2021
by Ethan Howland
APPA News
February 24, 2021
Dothan Utilities has installed two DC fast chargers in what is seen as a step in adapting to the growing numbers of electric vehicles on U.S. roads.
“We’ve got to be ready,” said Chris Phillips, Dothan Utilities assistant director for electric operations.
There are few electric vehicles in Dothan, a city of about 75,000 in southeast Alabama, according to Phillips.
However, Dothan is close to beaches in Florida and the utility expects travelers from other areas will take advantage of the new charging stations, which can provide an electric vehicle about 100 miles of range in an hour.
The ChargePoint chargers will put Dothan on the electric vehicle map and draw visitors to the town as they pass through the region, according to Phillips.
While waiting for their cars to charge up, visitors can grab something to eat and enjoy downtown Dothan, Phillips said. The chargers may boost Dothan’s efforts to revitalize its downtown, he said.
The effort comes as some states and the federal government are taking steps to spur the adoption of electric vehicles.
General Motors, the largest U.S. automaker, in late January said it aims to sell only emissions-free light-duty cars and trucks by 2035. GM is working with EVgo Services, an electric vehicle charging station company, to add 2,700 fast chargers by the end of 2025. The fast chargers will be powered by renewable energy.
The Alabama Municipal Electric Authority (AMEA) is trying to get ahead of the electric vehicle trend.
“We saw the writing on the wall,” said Arthur Bishop, AMEA manager of transmission and distribution technology support. “EVs are coming, and faster than we thought. When you see a trend that is definitely going to happen, you want to embrace it.”
AMEA, which supplies power to its 11 members, including Dothan Utilities, started its EV Charging Initiative two years ago. The initiative provides funding to its members to pay for charging infrastructure and electric vehicles.
Through the initiative, AMEA members have installed two DC fast chargers and 9 Level 2 chargers, according to Bishop. They are preparing to add another fast charger and five more Level 2 chargers, he said.
It’s unlikely Dothan Utilities would have installed its chargers without the roughly $265,000 in funding it received through the initiative, according to Phillips.
Besides the charges, the utility is preparing to use the funding to help buy two electric vehicles, one for the utility and one for the city, Phillips said.
As part of the electric vehicle initiative, AMEA is meeting with its members to discuss electric vehicles, according to Bishop.
Alabama doesn’t have many electric vehicles but is surrounded by states like Tennessee and Georgia that do, Bishop said.
When travelers with electric vehicles come through Alabama, they determine their routes based on where charging stations are located, Bishop said.
AMEA has three chargers at its headquarters in Montgomery.
Utility members are also exploring options for buying electric vehicles, Bishop said.
Besides the AMEA initiative, the authority’s members can apply for electric vehicle-related grants from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, according to Lisa Miller, AMEA communications and economic development manager.
The ADECA funding comes from Volkswagen’s agreement to pay nearly $15 billion to settle allegations the car company installed software in its diesel vehicles to evade emission standards. Alabama received $25.5 million in the settlement.
The state provided grants to replace diesel buses and recently started a funding process for charging infrastructure to be built on key highway corridors. Several AMEA members are eligible for the charging infrastructure funding, according to Bishop, who is on a board that advises ADECA on electric vehicles.
Established in 1981, AMEA is a coalition of public power utilities that provide power to the Alabama cities of Alexander City, Dothan, Fairhope, Foley, LaFayette, Lanett, Luverne, Opelika, Piedmont, Sylacauga, and Tuskegee.
Public power crews from the Carolinas help Virginia’s Danville Utilities restore power
February 24, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 24, 2021
Crews from North Carolina and South Carolina public power entities recently helped Virginia’s Danville Utilities restore power after Danville was hit by ice storms.
Jason Grey, Director of Utilities at Danville Utilities, on Feb. 24 noted that Danville this month was hit by two ice storms that caused approximately 10,000 outages at peak.
Danville was assisted by North Carolina’s ElectriCities, South Carolina’s Santee Cooper, Rocky Mount, N.C., Statesville, N.C., Tarboro N.C., and Apex, N.C., Grey noted. Service restoration was completed on Feb. 21.
ElectriCities is a not-for-profit membership organization of municipally owned electric utilities that are spread across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Santee Cooper is the state-owned public power utility in South Carolina.
Apex Electric Utilities crews assisted with the power outages in Danville by replacing electric poles broken during the ice storm, it noted in a Feb. 16 tweet.
“Our crews returned safely last night from Danville, Va. where they were helping with recovery efforts after snow and ice storms,” Santee Cooper noted in a Feb. 22 Facebook post.
APPA, APGA urge President Biden to declare a natural gas supply emergency, cap prices
February 23, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 23, 2021
The American Public Power Association (APPA) and the American Public Gas Association (APGA) recently urged President Biden to use the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA) to declare a natural gas supply emergency and to authorize the Secretary of Energy to exercise delegated authority under section 302 of the act to cap the price for purchases of natural gas from producers of natural gas or other persons to the extent authorized by the NGPA.
In their Feb. 19 letter to Biden, APPA and APGA noted that the recent cold weather in the Midwest and Texas has driven high demand for electricity while at the same time supply (power generation) has been constrained due to natural gas well and pipeline freezes, wind turbine freezes, and freezes/cold weather impacts at power plants themselves.
“As a result, many public power customers in Texas have been without power as their local providers have been forced to ‘shed load’ (reduce demand) to help the entire Texas electrical system (known as ERCOT) remain stable and functioning,” the letter said.
In addition, natural gas prices, which had hovered around $3/MMBtu, skyrocketed to upwards of $300/MMBtu and even higher in some cases, APPA and APGA pointed out.
“With demand for natural gas rising in response to the cold temperatures, our members had no choice but to purchase gas at the inflated prices or pay even steeper penalties to ensure that our members could meet their communities’ energy needs,” the letter said.
“This situation has also driven up wholesale gas and power prices in adjacent areas of the country, into the Southwest and Southeast.”
Within ERCOT and the Midwest markets known as the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), prices for power purchased on the wholesale market in these regions have sharply risen over the last several days, APPA and APGA pointed out.
Natural gas powers a significant amount of the baseload generation in the regions impacted, and inadequate supplies of natural gas have caused the price of this critical fuel to skyrocket.
“This, in turn, has impacted the spot prices of electricity, compounding the financial burden on many of our not-for-profit utility members. While these utilities have hedging strategies and reserves in place, the magnitude of the spike has outpaced these risk management tools in some cases,” APPA and APGA said.
“For example, natural gas for one public power-owned power plant cost $78 million for four days of supply — whereas fuel had cost only $18 million for all of 2020. If no relief is provided, these staggering costs will ultimately have to be borne by utility customers at a time when many have lost their jobs or are otherwise struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Given the magnitude of this situation, the groups urged Biden to consider using his authority under section 301 of the NGPA to declare a natural gas supply emergency and to authorize the Secretary of Energy to exercise delegated authority under section 302 of the NGPA to cap the price for purchases of natural gas from producers of natural gas or other persons to the extent authorized by the NGPA.
Inadequate supplies of natural gas threaten the availability of the fuel for high priority uses, including electric power generation, the groups said.
“Limiting the price of gas to a fair and equitable level, we believe, would assist in meeting the requirements of such high priority uses. While the natural gas supply emergency authority under the NGPA has been used sparingly, we believe this financial crisis is significant enough to merit such action.”
In the meantime, public power and public gas utilities “are focused on keeping the lights and heat flowing and taking steps like conservation measures to ensure consumers have the energy they need. They are also communicating with their customers about ways they can save energy (to prevent future curtailments in the case of generation); stay safe while using generators and space heaters; and avoid scams,” APPA and APGA noted.
The letter was signed by Joy Ditto, President and CEO of APPA, and Dave Schryver, President and CEO of APGA.
FERC’s Office of Enforcement to examine potential wrongdoing in markets during recent cold snap
February 23, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 23, 2021
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Feb. 22 said that its Office of Enforcement is examining wholesale natural gas and electricity market activity during recent extreme cold weather to determine if any market participants engaged in market manipulation or other violations.
The move came in the wake of the arctic storm impacts on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Southwest Power Pool, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, and other surrounding regions.
If the Office of Enforcement finds any potential wrongdoing that can be addressed under FERC’s statutory authority, it will pursue those matters as non-public investigations, FERC said.
FERC explained that this examination will take place as part of the Division of Analytics and Surveillance’s (DAS) ongoing surveillance of market participant behavior in the wholesale natural gas and electricity markets.
The Division uses market participant-level trading data and data from the financial markets to screen daily and monthly trading at the majority of physical and financial natural gas trading hubs in the United States and the organized and bilateral wholesale electricity markets.
DAS closely identifies and scrutinizes any potentially anticompetitive or manipulative behavior to determine if an investigation is appropriate.
Throughout this process, the Office of Enforcement will work with FERC’s federal partners as necessary and appropriate, FERC said.
In a Feb. 19 letter to FERC Chairman Richard Glick and David Huizenga, Acting Secretary for the Department of Energy, the American Public Power Association and the American Public Gas Association said that FERC, in coordination with the DOE, should expand a current inquiry into the operations of the bulk-power system during recent extreme weather to include the significant price increases experienced in the natural gas markets.
FERC and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation announced on Feb. 16 that they will open a joint inquiry into the operations of the bulk-power system during the extreme winter weather conditions experienced by the Midwest and South Central states.
FERC to examine threat of climate change, extreme weather to reliability
February 23, 2021
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
February 23, 2021
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Feb. 22 said that it will open a new proceeding to examine the threat that climate change and extreme weather events pose to electric reliability.
The proceeding will examine how grid operators prepare for and respond to extreme weather events, including, but not limited to droughts, extreme cold, wildfires, hurricanes, and prolonged heat waves.
FERC said that the proceeding would include a technical conference with an opportunity for parties to submit comments in advance of that conference, with additional details to follow.
Climate change “is unfortunately already having a dramatic impact on our weather, be it wildfires, hurricanes or the extreme cold we’ve seen across the middle of the country,” FERC Chairman Richard Glick said at FERC’s monthly meeting on Feb. 18.
“The challenges that climate change poses for the grid are only going to grow more starker and more immediate,” he said