Utility Infrastructure

Con Edison Wins ReliabilityOne Award for the Northeast Region

On Nov. 29, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana, PA Consulting Group, Inc. recognized Con Edison the recipient of the 2017 ReliabilityOne™ Award for Outstanding Reliability Performance in the Northeast Region. ReliabilityOne™ Awards are given annually to utilities achieving outstanding reliability perfor..

ACWA Honors Rowland Water District

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has awarded its Huell Howser Best in Blue Award to the Rowland Water District for its innovative OPARC Fire Hydrant Maintenance Program that provides meaningful employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. The maintenance p..

Utility Fined for Gas Pipeline Safety Violations

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is paying a $900,000 fine after state regulators found that the utility failed to keep accurate maps and records of its underground natural gas lines. The settlement approved Wednesday by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission instruc..

New York Sends 72 More Utility Workers to Assist with Power Restoration Efforts in Puerto Rico

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the deployment of 72 additional electric utility experts to Puerto Rico arriving today and tomorrow to assist with the ongoing recovery of the country’s power grid. The deployment coincides with the arrival of a barge loaded with an additional 55 uti..

Idaho Commerce Department Director to Join Utility

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Department of Commerce Director Megan Ronk is stepping down to take a job with Idaho Power after nearly two years of leading the commerce department. Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter announced Monday that the department’s chief operating officer, Bobbi-Jo Meuleman, will take ..

Navajo Family in Utah Gets Electricity in Time for Holidays

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — For years, Thomas and Annie Hamm walked around their southern Utah home with flashlights at night, heated water on a wood burning stove and kept their food cold on ice. Sometimes, they ran an extension cord from a car battery to power a television. They had a small solar pan..

200 More Utility Workers from New York Arrive in Puerto Rico

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Another 200 utility workers from New York state have arrived in Puerto Rico to assist in getting the power back on following Hurricane Maria. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the workers arrived Tuesday along with 180 utility vehicles. They follow 160 utility workers and near..

Kansas Regulators to Review Westar Merger with Great Plains

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Shareholders overwhelmingly approved a proposed merger of Kansas’ largest electric company with a Missouri firm Tuesday, a move that aims to create a new unified company with a combined equity value of about $14 billion in a revised deal that still requires regulatory approval. ..

Avista Shareholders Approve Merger with Hydro One

Avista Corporation today announced its shareholders have approved the proposed acquisition of the company by Hydro One Limited. “We are pleased that our shareholders have demonstrated their strong support of this transaction and the value and benefits it will provide for all of our stakeholders,” A..

Westar Energy, Great Plains Energy Shareholders OK Merger

Westar Energy, Inc. and Great Plains Energy Incorporated, the parent company of Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L), today announced the companies’ shareholders have approved the proposals necessary for the merger between the two companies. “We are excited about today’s approval from shareholders of ..

ACWA Board of Directors Votes to Support 2018 Water Bonds

On Nov. 17, the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Board of Directors voted unanimously to support two general obligation bonds that likely will appear before California voters in 2018. The bonds would fund an array of water-related projects intended to bolster the state’s water system ..

Lawsuit Accuses Utilities of Jacking up Natural Gas Prices

BOSTON (AP) — A class-action lawsuit has accused two utilities of conspiring to drive up energy costs in New England in a multi-year scheme that affected millions of customers. The lawsuit filed this week in Boston federal court alleges Eversource Energy and Avangrid Inc. used their market po..

Sale of Texas Water System Finalized

SJW Group has closed on the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Texas Water Alliance Limited (TWA) to Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA). On Feb. 22, 2016, SJW Group entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with GBRA, pursuant to which SJW Group agreed to sell TWA to GBRA for $31,000,000. “..

Grid Operator Discusses New England’s Constrained Gas Pipelines

CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) — The independent corporation overseeing the operation of New England’s power system says natural gas pipelines feeding the region are so constrained that electricity prices are driven higher during cold winters. ISO New England President Gordon van Welie (WHEE’-lee) says region..

Indiana American Water Acquires Georgetown Water System

Indiana American Water President Deborah Dewey today announced the company’s acquisition of Georgetown Water, a municipal water utility located in southern Indiana. The purchase of the system adds approximately 1,300 customers to the company’s customer base, which represents a population of approxim..

Utility Honored for Technology Innovation to Predict and Prevent Power Outages

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has been awarded the prestigious AEIC Achievement Award from the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) for a technology breakthrough in anticipating intermittent power failures and, in turn, improving the company’s ability to take preventative ac..

Two American Water Executives Honored

American Water today announced that two of its executives were honored by the Philadelphia Business Journal. Chief Operating Officer Walter Lynch was named a Veteran of Influence, while Deborah Degillio, president of American Water’s market-based business, was among a group of honorees recognized as..

ARCOS' Software to Help Electric Utility Expedite Service Restoration

ARCOS LLC today announced it has started the process of implementing its ARCOS® Callout and Scheduling Suite to help Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) expedite electric service restoration, focus on safety and reduce the utility’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), whic..

Vermont Council Reopens Bidding Process for Telecom Utility

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Burlington officials have formed a committee to determine how to vote on a buyer for the city’s Burlington Telecom utility following a failed joint venture proposal. The Burlington Free Press reports a final vote has been scheduled for Nov. 27. The finalists, Ting and Keep Bu..

City OKs Sale of Water System to California American Water

The Bellflower City Council has approved the sale of the city’s municipal water system to California American Water. “We have a strong legacy and presence in the Los Angeles region where we’ve been providing water service for over 50 years,” said Rich Svindland, California American Water President...

EQT Appoints New Directors

EQT Corporation today announced it has has appointed Thomas F. Karam and Norman J. Szydlowski to the company’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Karam has served as a senior executive and entrepreneur in the midstream energy sector for more than 25 years. He is the founder and Chairman of ..

New York Utility Crews Arrive in Puerto Rico to Help Restore Power

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than 160 electric public and private utility experts and nearly 100 utility vehicles have arrived in Puerto Rico to assist with the recovery of its power grid caused by severe damage from Hurricane Maria in September. Governor Cuomo also announc..

Alaska Commission Rejects Canadian Firm’s Offer for Utility

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s utility regulator has turned down a Canadian firm’s offer to take over Alaska Electric Light and Power citing a legal technicality. The Juneau Empire reported Sunday that the Regulatory Commission of Alaska denied Ontario-based Hydro One’s application to acquire the e..

National Grid, Department of Energy to Collaborate on Grid Modernization and Energy Storage Research

National Grid and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have entered into an agreement to work together on research in the areas of transmission grid modernization and energy storage technologies. The electricity industry is undergoing sweeping changes, inclu..

Firm Opposes Subpoena in Bribery Case Against Ex-Regulator

PHOENIX (AP) – A water company whose owner is charged with bribing a former Arizona utility regulator is opposing a subpoena that orders the Corporation Commission to turn over records as part of the criminal case. Lawyers for Johnson Utilities say the records are related to its rate case before th..

Utility Set to Meet with Officials About Buying Gas Company

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A utility company’s representatives are scheduled to meet with state officials to work on the terms for buying a natural gas business that will bring service to more customers in the Fairbanks area. Interior Gas Utility Board Chairman Mike Meeks and recently appointed board..

Largest Public Tender Database for Water, Sewer Utilities Now Available

AquaSPE AG and H2bid have joined forces to make the largest public tender database for U.S. and Canadian water and wastewater utilities available on The Water Network. Effective immediately, contractors can visit The Water Network’s Business Exchange to view thousands of public tenders sorted by sp..

Oncor, Sharyland Complete Asset Exchange

InfraREIT, Inc. today announced the closing of the asset exchange transaction between the company’s subsidiary, Sharyland Distribution & Transmission Services, L.L.C. and Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, in which Sharyland Distribution & transmission Services exchanged its retail distributio..

Emera Announces Board Appointment

Emera Inc. today announced the appointment of Kent Harvey to Emera’s Board of Directors, effective immediately. Harvey is an accomplished executive with more than 30 years of experience at PG&E Corporation. After 33 years in progressively senior roles, he retired as Chief Financial Officer for PG&E..

SJW Group to Purchase Deer Creek Ranch Water System Assets

SJW Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SJWTX, Inc., has entered into an agreement to purchase Deer Creek Ranch Water Co., LLC’s water system assets. The system includes approximately 750 service connections over an area of 1,191 acres in Hays and Travis counties on the rapidly growing western fringe o..