North America News

Latest news and developments from North America region

• City of Summerside files petition against IRAC decision

  May 15, 2013
  The City of Summerside has filed an appeal against the recent rejection of the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) of its application to build their own transmission line and interconnection to access the two submarine cables at Maritime Electric’s switching station in Bedeque.

• NSP to spend USD2.1 million on transmission tower upgrades

  May 15, 2013
  Nova Scotia Power (NSP) has planned to spend USD2.1 million to upgrade the underground base of 10 transmission towers in the Grand Lake to north Beaver Bank area by end-2013.

• ETT receives approval from Texas PUC for 345 kV project

  May 10, 2013
  Electric Transmission Texas (ETT), a joint venture (JV) between subsidiaries of American Electric Power (AEP) and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, has received approval from the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) to develop its Rio Grande Valley Transmission Line project.

• Saugeen Ojibway Nation acquires 30 per cent stake in Bruce–Milton project in Canada

  May 10, 2013
  Saugeen Ojibway Nation has signed an agreement with Hydro One to acquire a 30 per cent stake in the Bruce–Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project.

• Arkansas PSC announces hearing schedule for SWEPC’s 345 kV project

  May 9, 2013
  Arkansas Public Services Commission (PSC) has finalised the hearing schedule for the Southwestern Electric Power Company’s (SWEPC) 345 kV project.

• ATC identifies route options for its Bay Lake Project

  May 9, 2013
  American Transmission Company (ATC) has identified route options for its USD273-409 million Bay Lake Project in Outagamie, Brown and Oconto counties on the basis of the feedback it received during the recently held public meetings.

• Construction works on 345 kV Sigurd to Red Butte line start

  May 9, 2013
  Rocky Mountain Power, a subsidiary of PacifiCorp, has initiated construction of the 345 kV Sigurd to Red Butte transmission line. The project received approval from the federal agencies in December 2012.

• IID awards EPC contract of Path 42 project to Spanish Abengoa

  May 9, 2013
  California-based utility Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has awarded an engineering, procurement and commissioning (EPC) contract to Spanish company Abengoa for its Path 42 Transmission Upgrade Project.

• TransAlta and MidAmerican to jointly bid for Fort McMurray West project

  May 9, 2013
  Alberta-based TransAlta Corporation has planned to form a strategic partnership with Warren Buffett’s MidAmerican Energy under the name of TAMA Transmission to bid for the USD1.6 billion Fort McMurray West Transmission Project.

• OG&E plans several long-term transmission projects [free access]

  May 8, 2013
  Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E) Company, which is developing several large-scale transmission projects in the state, is waiting for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval for the Order 1000 compliance filing of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), before evaluating future investment opportunity.

• FERC approves transfers of Dairyland Power’s assets to ITC Midwest

  May 8, 2013
  The Federal Electricity Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved ITC Midwest’s (a subsidiary of ITC Corporation) acquisition of certain transmission lines, line air-break switches and other transmission facilities from Wisconsin-based Dairyland Power Cooperative.

• FPL to invest USD500 million to strengthen grid

  May 8, 2013
  Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) plans to invest about USD500 million in the next three years for strengthening the electricity grid against storms and maintaining reliability of power supply.

• Anbaric Transmission receives EoI for GII project

  May 8, 2013
  Anbaric Transmission has received an expression of interest (EoI) on the Transmission Customer Open Solicitation it released in April 2013 for its Grand Isle Intertie (GII) Project as per the new guidelines issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

• ITC to complete its portion of Kansas V-Plan Project by 2014

  May 6, 2013
  ITC Great Plains, a subsidiary of ITC Holdings, is likely to finish the construction works of the second segment of the 345 kV Kansas V-Plan Project by the end of 2014, thus completing its portion of the project.

• SCE officials not in favor of burying TRTP line segment

  May 6, 2013
  Officials of Southern California Edison (SCE), developer of the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project (TRTP), are not in favour of burying the 3.5 mile (5.6 km) portion of the project in Chino Hills City.

• NPPD scheduled third round of public meetings for Hoskins–Neligh line

  May 6, 2013
  Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) has scheduled the third round of open house sessions for the Hoskins–Neligh transmission line project.

• BC Hydro scraps North Coast Transmission line project in Canada [free access]

  May 6, 2013
  BC Hydro has dropped its plan of developing its North Coast Transmission line project which entails the construction of a 500 kV line from Prince George to Kitimat via Terrace.

• Construction works on Jackrabbit–Big Sky Project to start soon

  May 5, 2013
  NorthWestern Energy (NWE) is in the final stage of receiving all the approvals for its Jackrabbit–Big Sky Project, and is likely to start the construction works of the project soon.

• FirstEnergy to host public meeting for 138 kV project in Fremont

  May 3, 2013
  FirstEnergy Corporation will host a public meeting in Fremont to discuss its 138 kV Hayes–West Fremont transmission project.

• CMP energises Albion Road substation

  May 2, 2013
  Central Maine Power (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, has energised the 345 kV Albion Road substation in Benton, which is a part of the utility’s Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP).