DOE Launches Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Prize Competition
August 31, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 31, 2023
The Department of Energy’s Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Program is inviting public power utilities, electric cooperatives, and small investor-owned utilities with limited cybersecurity resources to apply for competitive funding and technical assistance.
The funding and technical assistance is being offered through the Advanced Cybersecurity Technology (ACT) 1 Prize.
ACT 1 is a three-phase competition that challenges eligible utilities to identify risks and implement solutions that will harden their systems against threats and improve their overall cybersecurity posture. Utilities that progress through the competition will receive cash prizes and technical assistance.
RMUC anticipates funding a series of prizes going forward. Organizations that would like to receive updates on future prizes can join the RMUC email list by sending a request to CESER.RMUC@hq.doe.gov.
The ACT 1 Prize will be conducted in three increasingly competitive phases, with a utility winning all three phases receiving a total of $200,000 in cash and up to 120 or 240 hours of technical assistance.
Two mandatory informational webinars for applicants will be held on September 27 and October 11, and recordings will be available for those who are unable to attend live.
The program is currently open for entries and submissions are due by November 29, 2023.
Questions regarding the program may be sent to ACT.Prizes@nrel.gov.
Department of Energy to Provide Hawaii with $95 Million for Grid Hardening
August 31, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 31, 2023
In the wake of wildfires on Maui, Hawaii, President Biden on Aug. 30 announced that the Department of Energy will provide $95 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to harden Hawaii’s electric grid, improve service, limit damage during future events, and help prevent failures in the future that could lead to severe events.
In early August, wildfires swept across Maui’s Lahaina community. More than one hundred residents of the community died as a result of the wildfires.
On Aug. 24, the County of Maui filed a lawsuit against Maui Electric Company, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. for civil damages to the county’s public property and resources caused by recent Maui fires, including fires in Lahaina and in Kula.
The DOE funding will:
- Help strengthen critical transmission lines, including two on Maui;
- Harden poles supporting critical facilities such as hospitals, water facilities, emergency response, and military;
- Replace wooden poles with fire-resistant material; deploy intelligent switches and materials to help reduce wildfire risk;
- Remove hazard trees; and
- Relocate a Maui control center to a more secure and resilient location.
This investment will help reduce the likelihood of outages, reduce restoration times following outages, reduce risk of wildfire events, and increase grid operational resilience, DOE said.
Hawaiian Electric responded to the County of Maui lawsuit on Aug. 28 through a news release in which it outlined events that occurred on Aug. 8.
The utility said that a fire at 6:30 a.m. appears to have been caused by power lines that fell in high winds. The Maui County Fire Department responded to this fire, reported it was “100% contained,” left the scene and later declared it had been “extinguished,” the utility said.
At about 3 p.m., a time when all of Hawaiian Electric’s power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours, a second fire began in the same area. The cause of the devastating afternoon Fire has not been determined, the utility said.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s CleanPowerSF Signs Battery Storage Contract
August 31, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 31, 2023
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s community choice energy program, CleanPowerSF, has signed a 15-year battery storage contract with the Corby project, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC.
The new facility is CleanPowerSF’s first standalone battery storage project located in Northern California.
Expected to be operational in 2025, the Corby project will have a total capacity of 300 MW of battery storage located in Solano County.
Specifically, the project will be able to store up to four hours of energy produced in the middle of the day “when solar is abundant and electricity is at its cheapest and discharge that electricity when it may be in short supply and costlier to produce, such as in the early evening,” the San Francisco PUC said.
“In California, we are experiencing weather whiplash — rapid swings of extreme weather caused by climate change,” said SFPUC general manager Dennis Herrera. “Whether it be prolonged drought, unprecedented rain, or seasonal wildfires, we’re focused on ensuring that our services are reliable and available. That’s why the Corby project is critical. We’re adding more clean energy to the grid and battery projects like Corby will improve reliability for our customers and people across California as we face an evolving future.”
The project will create up to 200 construction jobs and generate approximately $40 million in local tax revenue over the life of the project.
In addition, through the SFPUC’s Social Impact Partnership Program, NextEra Energy Resources has also committed to investing in education and workforce development initiatives in Solano County and beyond.
In addition to the Corby project, CleanPowerSF has also committed to sourcing energy from another NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary called Paulsell Solar Energy Center in Stanislaus County.
The solar photovoltaic power facility, which broke ground in August 2022 and is expected to be operational in June 2024, will generate up to 20 MW of renewable solar energy and 15 MW of battery energy storage.
To date, CleanPowerSF has contracted 467 MW of new wind and solar projects in California and signed four solar plus battery storage contracts.
In April 2021, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that CleanPowerSF will provide all customers 100% renewable electricity by 2025, five years ahead of the city’s original goal of 2030 and 20 years ahead of the state’s goal of 2045.
Along with CleanPowerSF, the SFPUC operates Hetch Hetchy Power, which provides 100% greenhouse gas-free energy to public facilities such as City Hall, schools and libraries, some private commercial developments, and affordable housing. Collectively, the two programs serve over 70% of the electricity consumed in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. It delivers drinking water to 2.7 million people in the Bay Area, collects and treats wastewater for the City and County of San Francisco, and meets over 70% of the electricity demand in San Francisco.
CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities, APPA’s Lotto Participate in Grid Security Roundtable Exercise
August 30, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 30, 2023
Adrienne Lotto, the American Public Power Association’s Senior Vice-President for Grid Security, Technical & Operations, and Travas Deal, CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities, recently participated in a grid security roundtable exercise at NORAD in Colorado Springs, Colorado, along with senior government and energy industry leaders representing some of the nation’s most critical energy infrastructure.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Strategic Plan for 2023-2025 sets goals and objectives to expand visibility of risks to infrastructure, increase CISA’s ability to respond to threats and incidents, and optimize collaborative planning and implementation of stakeholder engagements.
Through a series of high-level engagements, the United States Northern Command and CISA agreed to hold the exercise at NORAD.
The roundtable exercise included scenarios involving physical and cybersecurity threats.
Participation in the event at Peterson Space Force Base “was valuable and worthy of our collective attention,” said Deal.
“It was a chance to collaborate with leaders in the energy industry and military to help ensure that we’re mindful of and have planned for scenarios for the most critical energy infrastructure in the U.S. that could impact our national security. Colorado Springs is home to five military installations,” he said.
“Therefore, we’re not only 100% in support of anything we can do to help ensure national security, we also recognize the direct relationship between military resiliency and the growth, vitality and quality of life in the Pikes Peak region,” Deal said.
Agencies Issue Amendment to 2023 WOTUS Definition
August 30, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 30, 2023
The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Aug. 29 issued a final rule that conforms the definition of “waters of the United States” to a Supreme Court decision issued this year.
At issue is a May 2023 decision issued by the Supreme Court that involves the scope of the Clean Water Act and, more specifically, whether an appeals court set forth the proper test for determining whether wetlands are “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act (CWA).
The ruling in Sackett v. EPA was based on an appeal by a family of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling that they needed a CWA permit to build a home on their property. The court ruled in a 9-0 opinion that the wetlands on the property are not subject to CWA jurisdiction.
The Sackett decision eliminated the “significant nexus” test for determining whether any waters are jurisdictional while also excluding “adjacent” wetlands and “interstate wetlands” from the definition of jurisdiction waters under the CWA.
The agencies’ amendments changed the parts of the 2023 WOTUS rule definition that were invalid by the Sackett decision. For example, the rule removes the significant nexus test from consideration when identifying tributaries and other waters as federally protected.
It also revises the adjacency test when identifying federally jurisdictional wetlands, clarifies that interstate wetlands do not fall within the interstate waters category, and clarifies the types of features that can be considered under the “additional waters” category.
The final rule does not change the eight exclusions from the definition of “waters of the United States.”
The agencies finalized the rule without issuing a proposal and an opportunity for the public to comment under the Administrative Procedures Act “good cause” provision, arguing that public comment and notice are unnecessary because the Sackett decision renders certain aspects of the 2023 Rule invalid and inconsistent with the court reading of the Clean Water Act.
According to the agencies, the final rule is effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register because the rule does not impose any burdens on the regulated community and merely conforms to the 2023 Rule to the Sackett court decision.
The final rule will go into effect in 23 states. The 2023 Rule, as amended by the final rule, remains on hold in 27 states and for certain parties.
In the other 27 states and for certain parties, the agencies are interpreting “waters of the United States” consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime and the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett until further notice. EPA’s webpage on the WOTUS litigation status is available here.
The final rule is likely to be challenged based on the substance of the changes or the agencies’ position that the final rule did not require notice and comment (or both).
The agencies are hosting a public webinar to provide updates on the definition of “waters of the United States” on September 12, 2023, from 3 pm-4 pm ET. To register, click here.
The agencies have also provided a redline strike out of the regulatory text changes.
Groups Urge Congress to Pass FEMA Reimbursement Legislation
August 28, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 28, 2023
The American Public Power Association and other trade groups on Aug. 28 sent a letter to key lawmakers urging swift passage of legislation that calls for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse local governments and cooperative electric utilities for interest expenses of loans used to fund activities for which they receive assistance under FEMA’s public assistance program.
The groups wrote in support of the FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act (H.R. 2672, S. 1180), sponsored by Representatives Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), and Garret Graves (R-La.) and by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.)
“Collectively, we represent the counties, cities, and non-profit electric utilities that are on the front lines responding to natural disasters throughout the country. We urge the committees to consider and pass this bipartisan legislation without delay,” the letter said.
The letter was sent to Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ranking Member for the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Ranking Member on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
The groups noted that following a disaster, line workers, locally-elected officials, public works employees, and emergency managers are first on the scene and play a key role in coordinating recovery and rebuilding efforts.
“As the frequency, severity, and cost of disasters continues to increase, we have learned that even the most well-resourced communities may not have the funds needed to adequately respond to a disaster. Therefore, our members are often forced to take out large loans or lines of credit to cover the immediate costs of recovery to return their communities and residents’ lives back to normal as quickly as possible,” the letter said.
The groups said that they appreciate the eventual reimbursement offered through FEMA’s Public Assistance program. However, this process “can often be arduous and time consuming, with final payments sometimes not made until years after the fact. And when communities must borrow to cover these recovery costs until reimbursement is made, that means years of accumulating interest, all of which must be paid by local residents.”
They noted that on October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall at Mexico Beach in Bay County Florida as a devastating Category Five storm with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour. “Fifty-six months later, local communities and utilities that took out hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of loans to cover the costs of recovery are still paying interest while they await FEMA reimbursement.”
The FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act would mitigate this additional burden by requiring FEMA to reduce the cost of loans taken out while the public assistance process is completed.
“Specifically, in an approach that enjoys broad bipartisan support, FEMA would reimburse local governments and cooperative electric utilities for interest expenses of loans used to fund activities for which they receive assistance” under the public assistance program, the groups said.
This reimbursement would be limited to the lesser of the actual interest paid or the interest that would be paid at the prime rate.
SMUD Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Substation
August 27, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 27, 2023
California public power utility SMUD on Aug. 24 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest substation, Station G, located in the heart of downtown Sacramento, Calif.
“Aligned with SMUD’s regional decarbonization goals, Station G uses advanced technologies to support the city’s clean energy transformation for decades to come while improving grid resilience and ensuring a dependable power supply for the ever-evolving energy needs of the Sacramento area,” SMUD said.
“Through our innovative and visionary approach, SMUD is introducing a state-of-the-art facility to the region’s power infrastructure, boosting our grid’s world-class reliability, resilience, capacity for electric load and advancing regional decarbonization,” said SMUD CEO and General Manager Paul Lau.
“As we embrace a future powered by carbon-free sources and the adoption of electric technology in our daily lives, SMUD’s advanced and resilient infrastructure is crucial in helping clean the air and drive sustainable progress toward a clean energy future that benefits the entire region,” he said.
SMUD said that the substation’s architecture was designed with aesthetics in mind. Station G “is accentuated by striking lighting elements that harmonize with the surrounding downtown neighborhood, art scene and landmarks.”
Construction on Station G began in August of 2020 and was completed ahead of its projected summer of 2023 completion date.
Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency Seeks Electric Intermediate Capacity, Energy Resources
August 27, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 27, 2023
The Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency has issued a request for proposals for electric intermediate capacity and energy resources.
KYMEA intends to purchase power from one or more suppliers starting on June 1, 2024, for a term of three to five years.
Resources should: (i) be deliverable on a firm, non-interruptible basis to the LGE/KU transmission system, (ii) be delivered to KYMEA on a first call basis and not be committed for sale to third parties, and (iii) qualify for designation as network resources under the LGE/KU Open Access Transmission Tariff to serve the loads of KYMEA’s member municipal electric systems.
Potential proposers may request a copy of the RFP by emailing KYMEA at: rleesman@kymea.org. Those requesting the RFP are asked to provide the organization’s legal name and address and a primary contact name, email address, and phone number.
The RFP specifically provides that prospective proposers must contact only Rob Leesman at KYMEA to obtain information about this solicitation. Contacts by prospective proposers with KYMEA Board members and other representatives of KYMEA or its Members will be a cause for disqualification of proposals, as further explained in the RFP.
The RFP requires the submittal of a proposal responsive to the RFP and containing data at a level sufficient for KYMEA to screen alternatives to determine if the proposal is reasonably susceptible of being accepted for an award based upon the evaluation factors set out in the RFP.
Questions regarding the RFP must be submitted by email no later than 2 pm EDT on September 8, 2023, to assure an answer.
KYMEA must receive proposals by email from interested proposers no later than 2 pm EDT on October 9, 2023.
Created in September 2015, 11 municipal electric utilities entered into an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement creating KYMEA, a joint public agency.
NYPA Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage Project is Now Operating
August 27, 2023
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
August 27, 2023
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Aug. 25 announced that New York’s first state-owned utility-scale battery energy storage project is now operating in Franklin County, N.Y. The 20-megawatt facility was installed and is operated by the New York Power Authority.
The facility will connect into the state’s electric grid, helping to relieve transmission congestion “and pave the way for the utility industry and the private sector to better understand how to integrate more clean energy into the power system, especially during times of peak demand,” NYPA said.
The Northern New York Energy Storage Project also will help accelerate the state’s aggressive target to install 6,000 MW of energy storage by 2030, NYPA said.
The project, located in Chateaugay, about 40 miles northwest of Plattsburgh, is the Power Authority’s first utility-scale battery project and the first one built by New York State.
The facility, maintained and operated by NYPA’s St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, consists of five 53-foot walk-in enclosures, each with more than 19,500 batteries grouped in modules and stacked in racks. Each container pulls in and can disperse 4 MW of power.
The Northern New York Energy Storage Project is strategically located in a region that generates more than 80 percent of its electricity supply from renewable resources, including the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, which generates more than 800 MW of hydropower, and more than 650 MW of wind generation.
“This is a first-of-its-kind project for the Power Authority and with it we are breaking new ground as we actively help lead New York State’s decarbonization efforts,” said NYPA President and CEO Justin Driscoll.
“By demonstrating large-scale battery development and operation, we are showing our ability to execute forward-thinking strategies and new technologies. The Northern New York Energy Storage Project will help New York achieve its aggressive climate goals and ensure that 70 percent of the state’s electricity supply comes from renewables by 2030.This project is a reliability and resiliency energy storage trendsetter that will be a model for others to follow,” he said.
The system also includes inverters, transformers, a control house, and back-up generator, all connected to the Willis substation, located north of the project.
The project, which provides 20 MW of power utilizing a lithium-ion battery system, was constructed by O’Connell Electric Company, Inc., of Victor, N.Y.
NYPA’s engineers were involved with the planning, development and permitting of the project and the project team met with local fire departments for training on the battery storage technology used at the facility.
NYPA’s engineers have ensured that the Northern New York Energy Storage Project met all fire safety and permitting requirements, it said.
NYPA is also testing other types of battery technology, such as advanced lithium-ion and zinc-air technologies, that demonstrate a reduction in the potential for thermal runaway, the most common cause of energy storage fires.
Register to download bidding documents for
Mount Hope Conversion Project 2023
for City of Mount Hope, Kansas
City of Mount Hope, Kansas (the
“City”) is located between the Cities of Wichita and Hutchinson directly
adjacent to the four-lane K-96 Highway in Northwest Sedgwick County. It has a
population of 806 based on 2020 Census numbers. The City began converting its electric system
from 4160 to 12,470/ 7200 as well as
converting most of the system
to UG. Dual voltage transformers were installed at this time. The
final circuit of this system
needs to be converted and the 4160 substation needs to be
dismantled.
Project description:
The final circuit of the electric
system needs to be converted from 4160V to 12,470V. Most but not all the transformers have been replaced with Dual
voltage transformers. Some commercial
transformers need replaced such as the grain elevator and the school as well as
a few residential transformers. All
the UG has been installed with 15KV wire and terminations. Most of all the poles have been replaced
and insulated with 15KV equipment. The work to be done is replacing the final transformers. Rerouting a few overhead areas along the
circuit for more efficient operation. Doing
the changeover of the circuit and decommissioning the 4160 Substation.
The City will provide
the materials needed
as well as a local representative to answer any questions and do final inspection.
The City, along with The
Kansas Power Pool (KPP), a Municipal Energy Agency (the “KPP”), has walked
through the project
and developed maps and staking sheet of the project. The maps and staking sheets should be
reviewed by bidder for completeness. The
City and KPP are asking for a per unit quote to do the project along with a not
to exceed budget to allow for proper financing.
Calendar
Pre Bid Meeting 9/19/23 1:00 PM- Mount Hope City Hall
Bids Opening 10/30/23 1:00 PM – Mount Hope City Hall
Award bid 11/10/23
Estimated construction to begin May 2024 (expected final material delivery)
Completion by December 2024
Bidding Documents
[mpdl-file-links category=”mount-hope-conversion-project-2023″]