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OPPD Board Approves Selection of Jeff Bishop As CFO, Vice President Of Finance

October 22, 2021

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 22, 2021

The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) Board of Directors recently approved the selection of Jeff Bishop to serve as the utility’s chief financial officer (CFO) and vice president of finance.

He brings more than 20 years of experience in energy and consulting and will start Nov. 15.

The CFO position at Nebraska public power utility OPPD was previously held by Javier Fernandez, who recently became President and CEO of the utility. Fernandez

Bishop comes to OPPD from Washington State, where he was CFO of the Grant County Public Utility District for the past four years. He was responsible for a number of areas, including Finance, Accounting, Treasury, Accounts Payable, Information Technology, Forecasting, Planning & Analysis, and Corporate Services.

Jeff
Jeff Bishop

He previously served as the senior vice president, CFO & treasurer of GridLiance in Irving, Texas. GridLiance, a NextEra Energy company, develops, owns and operates transmission assets with public power utilities.

Before joining GridLiance, Bishop served as chief financial officer of Seattle City Light. His utility experience also includes eight years of service at PacifiCorp Energy in Portland, Ore., where he worked his way up from lead senior financial consultant to managing director of Finance/controller.

Bishop is a licensed certified public accountant and serves on the Large Public Power Council as a member of the Chief Financial Officers Committee.

LES Customers Helped Reduce Peak Summer Demand Through Utility Program

October 22, 2021

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 22, 2021

Participants in a Lincoln Electric System (LES) program this summer helped the Nebraska public power utility reduce peak summer demand by approximately four megawatts. This was accomplished through 15 events that adjusted thermostat temperatures thanks to program participants.

“Four megawatts is the equivalent power demand of eight big-box retail stores,” noted Marc Shkolnick, manager for Energy Services at LES. “By having the ability to reduce peak demand with the help of our customers, LES can cost-effectively delay the need to add another generating source to its portfolio.”

LES launched Peak Rewards in 2018 to work with residential and small commercial customers to better manage the system’s peak demand through internet-connected thermostat adjustments.

Customers with qualifying, internet-connected thermostats controlling their central air conditioning system are eligible to participate. They are rewarded with monetary incentives to enroll and reduce electricity use during periods of high demand.

Incentives come in the form of a one-time $25 Amazon e-gift card for enrolling. There is also a $25 bill credit after the close of each program year.

“During our peak demand season, we assess historical usage trends alongside a 15-day weather forecast every morning to help us decide if calling an event that day is necessary to minimize our monthly peak demand,” said Lee Anderson, supervisor, System Energy Maintenance at LES.

DOE Report Distills Challenges and Opportunities Utilities Face As EVs Proliferate

October 21, 2021

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
October 21, 2021

The Department of Energy (DOE) has released a report on the issues and opportunities facing utilities as electric vehicles become more widespread.

A wave of electrification will put millions of personal and commercial electric vehicles (EVs) on U.S. roads in the coming decade, according to the report, An EV Future: Navigating the Transition, by the DOE’s Office of Electricity’s Advanced Grid Research Division (AGR) and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO). That “wave may be more like a tsunami,” the report’s authors said, noting that the “merging the transportation and electricity sectors has the potential to fundamentally transform how customers fuel vehicles and how goods are transported across the country.”

To address the challenges of more widespread electric vehicle use, the AGR and VTO in July 2020 launched the Navigating the Transition initiative, taking the same Voices of Experience approach the DOE has used for other initiatives it has conducted.

To implement the EV initiative, the DOE hosted a series of 33 two-hour virtual meetings covering 15 topics. An industry steering committee provided feedback and input into the scope and topics to ensure alignment with stakeholder needs and interests and to avoid duplication of other efforts.

The steering committee included Bill Boyce, supervisor of electric transportation at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District in California, and Patricia Taylor, senior manager for regulatory policy and business programs at the American Public Power Association.

In addition to participation on the steering committee, the following public power utilities also participated in the initiative as presenters:

The topics participants in the initiative explored and debated fell into three broad areas: planning, operations, and business case. Planning topics included forecasting EV market penetration and adoption rates, as well as considerations regarding the fulfillment service requests and the timing of adding new EV charging infrastructure.

Operations included topics such as how fast charging technologies can affect the electric grid and the impact extreme events could have going forward.

Business case topics included ownership models for the EV technologies that will be deployed and the financing of charging infrastructure.

While electric rate reform is an important issue, the design of the DOE initiative touched on existing rate structures but did not explore rate reform alternatives because of the enormity of the topic.

Key Takeaways

Noting that the report is not a roadmap or technical report, the authors did compile several key takeaways based on the 66 hours of stakeholder conversations. Among those takeaways was the recognition that EV loads are mobile and unpredictable and, therefore, processes and regulations may need to evolve to respond to customer requirements. The participants also noted that social justice issues will require special attention as the country moves away from an early adopter phase.

The participants agreed that a robust, visible charging network will be critical as EV penetration rises. Not all drivers will be able to charge at home, the participants noted, and even those who can charge at home will likely want the comfort and security of being able to charge when they need to wherever they are.

The deployment of EV infrastructure will face the added challenge of a shortage of skilled workers, including electricians, meter technicians and contractors that can work with high voltage equipment, the participants said.

The participants also noted that the charging of electric vehicle fleets will be more challenging than charging in residential neighborhoods. Electrifying a fleet of delivery trucks or buses could increase load requirements by double or triple digits, possibly requiring new substations or transmission lines, they said.

Utilities will be a key nexus in the transition to an electrified transportation sector, the participants said. Utilities will likely, in the near term, be required deploy and maintain the backbone infrastructure needed for charging stations. The modernization of the grid is changing the nature of utilities’ relationships with their customers, and electric vehicles will amplify this change, the participants noted in the report.

As electrification continues to move forward, collaboration will be key and stakeholders who have worked together in the past will likely work together differently in the future, the initiative participants noted. They also noted one piece of recurring advice throughout the initiative: embrace the local utility as a partner.

CPS Energy President and CEO Paula Gold-Williams To Depart Utility In Early 2022

October 21, 2021

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 21, 2021

CPS Energy President and CEO Paula Gold-Williams on Oct. 21 informed the public power utility’s Board of Trustees of her plans to leave CPS Energy in early 2022.

Gold-Williams will work cooperatively with the Board of Trustees through this transition, San Antonio, Texas-based CPS Energy said.

The board will form an executive search committee for a new President and CEO and will update the public once that information is finalized.

“We are confident that Ms. Gold-Williams will continue to provide excellent guidance to her employees and the company as we go through this transition period,” said Board Chair Dr. Willis Mackey. “Board members are committed to a thorough search to fill this vital role. We expect to have additional information about next steps in the coming days.”

JEA Launches Program To Shift EV Charging To Off-peak

October 21, 2021

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
October 21, 2021

JEA, the public power utility serving the greater Jacksonville, Florida, area, has launched JEA Drive Electric, an electric vehicle education, marketing, and peak load reduction program.

JEA and its partner, Sagewell, designed the program to encourage electric vehicle adoption and provide incentives to drivers who charge their electric cars during times of lower electric demand.

The marketing program was built around Sagewell’s EV Expert service, a concierge service that educates customers about electric vehicles and connects them with local dealerships and installers of residential EV chargers.

The JEA Drive Electric program will also work with automobile dealers and manufacturers to secure and publish electric vehicle purchase and lease discounts.

Sagewell and JEA are also working to reach a wider group of customers by coordinating with local organizations to reach new communities and lower barriers to electric vehicle ownership.

JEA is seeking to enroll 1,000 drivers in an EV Charging Rebate program, its version of Sagewell’s Bring Your Own Charger (BYOC) load management program. Participants would program their vehicles to charge during off-peak hours, and algorithms developed by Sagewell would confirm off-peak charging compliance from regular household smart meters.

The American Public Power Association awarded the BYOC program its Energy Innovator award in 2018. In 2019, the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant in Massachusetts launched a BYOC program, making it the fifth municipal electric department in Massachusetts to adopt the program.

Communities that have adopted a BYOC program have seen participants shift over 90 percent of their charging to off-peak hours, reducing the need for costly utility upgrades, according to Sagewell.

Biden Administration Lays Out Plan For As Many As Seven Offshore Wind Leases

October 21, 2021

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
October 21, 2021

The administration of President Joe Biden has outlined a path for the potential sale of up to seven new offshore leases for wind power projects by 2025.

The announcement aims to further the Biden administration’s goal of deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030.

That goal, as stipulated in Executive Order 14008, calls for the Interior Department to partner with other federal agencies to increase renewable energy production on public lands and waters, including offshore wind, as well as at least 25 GW of onshore renewable energy by 2025.

The lease sales would be conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for tracts in the Gulf of Maine, the New York Bight, the Central Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as offshore the Carolinas, California, and Oregon.

BOEM is refining its process for identifying additional wind energy areas, specifically the agency is developing clear goals, objectives, and guidelines that can be shared with government agencies, Native American tribes, industry, ocean users, and others prior to identifying such areas. BOEM also said it would use the best available science, as well as knowledge from ocean users and other stakeholders to minimize conflict with existing uses and marine life.

“We are working to facilitate a pipeline of projects that will establish confidence for the offshore wind industry,” BOEM Director Amanda Lefton, said in a statement. “At the same time, we want to reduce potential conflicts as much as we can while meeting the Administration’s goal to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind by 2030. This means we will engage early and often with all stakeholders prior to identifying any new Wind Energy Areas.”

In addition to identifying new offshore wind lease sales, BOEM is considering new lease stipulations consistent with the goals and objectives of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, such as lessee reporting requirements on efforts to minimize conflicts with other ocean users; mechanisms for project labor agreements; and investments in the U.S. domestic supply chain. Such stipulations were included in the New York Bight proposed sale notice announced in June.

Earlier this year, BOEM completed review of a construction and operations plan (COP) for the Vineyard Wind project. The agency said it is reviewing nine additional construction and operations plans and aims to complete the review of at least another six by 2025, for a total of at least 16 construction and operations plans reviews representing more than 19 GW of clean energy.

PJM Details Responses To Offshore Wind Solicitation

Separately, the PJM Interconnection said it has received 80 proposals in response to a solicitation it issued last November for transmission projects that could help connect planned offshore wind projects to PJM’s wholesale power grid.

The proposals were submitted under the State Agreement Approach provision of PJM’s Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP), which typically is driven by reliability or market-efficiency criteria.

The State Agreement Approach provides an avenue for incorporating public policy goals into the RTEP process. It enables a state, or group of states, to propose a project to assist in realizing public policy requirements as long as the state, or states, agrees to pay all costs of any state-selected buildout included in the RTEP. Those costs would be recovered from customers in those states.

New Jersey has set a goal of delivering 7,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind generation by 2035. So far, the state has awarded contracts for a total 3,758 MW of wind power projects and has three more solicitations pending.

The projects submitted to PJM included 45 proposals to upgrade existing onshore facilities, 22 proposals for new onshore transmission connection facilities, 26 proposals for new offshore transmission facilities, and eight proposals for offshore networks.

The submitted proposals will be evaluated by PJM and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, which are expected to render a decision in the second half of 2022.

Lawmakers Seek IRS Guidance On Taxation Of Utility Assistance Under American Rescue Plan

October 21, 2021

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 21, 2021

Members of the California delegation in the U.S. House and Senate recently asked Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig to provide guidance that recipients of residential utility assistance funded through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSLFRF) will not need to report it as income.

The Treasury Department has issued similar guidance relating the emergency rental assistance program, but has not yet done so for CSLFRF, which was funded under the American Rescue Plan Act.

“Many states and local governments have expressed interest in issuing utility assistance to households or populations facing negative economic impacts due to COVID-19, in accordance with the Department’s interim final rule,” the lawmakers said in their letter.

They noted that California is using a portion of its $27 billion allocation to provide $993.5 million in assistance for electric and natural gas customers under the California Arrearage Payment Program and $985 million in assistance for water and wastewater customers under the California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program. Both programs will assist residential and commercial customers.

However, the state, as well as the agencies and utilities tasked with implementation, have expressed concern that they would be required to report such assistance as income to the IRS.

“We believe that taxing utility assistance provided through fiscal recovery funds would be inconsistent with the exemption of tax liability under other COVID-19 relief programs like economic impact payments and emergency rental assistance, as well as other long-standing utility assistance programs,” the lawmakers said in their letter.

“Households already facing the adverse economic impacts of the pandemic should not have to worry whether receiving utility assistance would result in additional tax liability or a decrease in other tax benefits. Additionally, without immediate action, the provision of such assistance to those most in need could be delayed unnecessarily as agencies manage these tax implications,” the letter.

The letter was signed by 21 members from the House and both of California’s senators. Signatories to the letter include members on both the House Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over the IRS, and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, which has oversight of the CSLFRF.

The letter follows a similar request sent in September 2021 by 18 associations, including the American Public Power Association and the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA). Other organizations joining in signing the letter represent water, gas, and electric utilities, consumer groups, energy assistance groups, cities, counties and state and local financial officers.

Colin Hansen To Become CEO And General Manager Of Kansas Power Pool In 2022

October 20, 2021

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 20, 2021

Colin Hansen, who is currently Executive Director of Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU), will be joining Kansas Power Pool (KPP) effective Feb. 1, 2022 as KPP’s new CEO and General Manager. 

Hansen will succeed current KPP CEO and General Manager Mark Chesney, who announced his retirement for the end of January 2022.

KPP was founded in 2004 to pool generation resources and services in order to maintain low-cost power supply to community-owned electric utilities.

Hansen will serve as KPP’s third general manager.

“The opportunity to have Colin Hansen assume KPP’s leadership reins, was too good to be true,” said Gus Collins, KPP’s Board Chairman. “Colin watched the formation of KPP and has supported the growth of the organization. His knowledge of the KPP membership and the utility space in Kansas and nationally is unmatched.  We know good things are in store for the KPP membership with Colin Hansen’s leadership.”

At the same time, Collins noted that Chesney “has built upon the foundation laid by Colin Whitley and has grown KPP’s service offerings and financial capabilities tremendously. Under Mark’s leadership, KPP has embarked upon transformational projects with the addition of Dogwood, the Solomon Battery Storage Project, EV deployment and new transmission build and upgrades.”

“Colin’s dedication to public power at both the national level and in Kansas, along with his impressive record of accomplishments while serving as Executive Director of KMU, make him the perfect choice to serve as the next CEO and General Manager of KPP and to build upon Mark Chesney’s incredible work,” said Joy Ditto, President and CEO of the American Public Power Association (APPA).

 

colin
Colin Hansen

“Having worked closely with Colin through his roles as a member of the APPA Advisory Committee, the APPA board and now as board chair, I have seen firsthand how deeply Colin cares about the public power community. I know that he will bring that same sense of mission to KPP and succeed as a leader, just as he has done at KMU for so many years,” Ditto said. “Since Colin has moved to another APPA member in good standing, he can also stay on as board chair in his new role at KPP. This is great news for all of us given his excellent leadership in that capacity.”

Hansen’s Legacy At KMU

Hansen has served in the role of KMU’s Executive Director for nearly 22 years.

Under Hansen’s leadership, KMU grew more than 10-fold in size and scale and built the KMU Training Center, a world-class utility training facility dedicated to workforce development for municipal utilities.

Hansen transitioned the association from being 90% dues-funded to diversify its income streams to allow for greater programmatic offerings to its member cities.

He oversaw the purposeful growth of the expanding technical and safety training opportunities for electric and natural gas utilities while dedicating new resources to enhance water and wastewater training and programming for member cities. During his tenure, Hansen coalesced the public power utility community to support more robust legislative and regulatory initiatives.

“Colin is going to be sorely missed at KMU,” said Barry Hodges, President, KMU Board of Directors. “Fortunately, he is not straying from Kansas and the municipal utility community.  Under Colin’s leadership, KMU is well-positioned to continue providing top-shelf services to KMU member cities via a great staff. We thank Colin for everything he has done for the municipal utility community over the last two decades and wish him well in his new endeavor.”

“KMU has meant the world to me — the member cities and staff are family,” said Hansen. “The progress we have made together in support of community-owned utilities will be some of the proudest achievements of my career. The concept of a joint action agency, unique to municipal utilities, has always interested me and I look forward to serving the municipal utility community in this new endeavor in power supply and transmission,” he said.

He has many other notable achievements during his tenure at KMU including being appointed by a Kansas Governor to Chair the Kansas Energy Council and also serving as Chair for Public Power Inc., Midwest Municipal Utilities, and the APPA Legislative and Resolutions Committee. 

He was appointed to committees and task forces on electric, natural gas, water and telecommunications issues by four separate Kansas governors. 

During the search process for the new KMU Executive Director, the organization will continue to be spearheaded by the KMU Executive Committee and KMU’s senior staff including Brad Mears, Assistant Executive Director, Brian Meek, Director of Training and Safety, and Katie Miller, Director of Technical Services. Kimberly Gencur Svaty will continue legislative and regulatory work with the municipal utility community.

AMP Transmission Breaks Ground For Construction Of New Substation

October 20, 2021

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 20, 2021

AMP Transmission (AMPT) recently broke ground for the construction of its new Bellard Substation. 

The 138/69 kilovolt (kV) substation will provide a fourth source for the City of Bowling Green, Ohio, an AMP member, and is AMPT’s first greenfield substation. Construction is scheduled for May 2022 completion.

AMPT was formed by the AMP Board in 2018 to provide cost-effective transmission, related services, and a competitive alternative for the benefit of AMP members to enhance reliability and ensure comparable service. 

AMPT is a transmission owner in the PJM Interconnection and has a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-approved formula rate applicable to the entire PJM footprint. AMPT is currently active in the American Electric Power and American Transmission Systems Inc. transmission zones. 

AMPT owns one 138 kV station, one 138/69 kV substation, six 69 kV stations, and 21.4 miles of 69 kV transmission line. AMPT has completed two relay upgrades and is in the process of acquiring right of way for 0.3 miles of 138-kV transmission line.

“Breaking ground at Bellard is a major milestone for AMPT,” said Pamala Sullivan, AMPT’s President.  “This is our first new construction project, and will bring great benefits to AMP’s member, the City of Bowling Green.”

“It’s exciting to now be in the construction phase,” said Kim Magovac, Director of Transmission Project Management.  “Watching a project come to fruition validates the hard work contributed by the entire team; a true testament to the collaborative process.” 

NPPD’s Tom Kent, City of Marlow, Okla.’s Jason McPherson Elected To APPA Board

October 20, 2021

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
October 20, 2021

Tom Kent, President and CEO of Nebraska Public Power District, and Jason McPherson, City Administrator, City of Marlow, Okla., were recently elected to serve on the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Board of Directors.

Kent will fill the Region 3 Board seat, which covers the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, while McPherson will fill the Region 4 Board seat, which covers Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

“I am honored and humbled by this appointment and the opportunity to serve public power on the local, state and now national level,” McPherson said. “I look forward to this challenge and intend to work diligently to fulfill my role.”

Additional details on APPA board members are available here.