On February 7, 2024, the US Department of Energy (DOE) and FEMA released a joint study suggesting that Puerto Rico has the potential to transition to 100% renewable energy. [1] The study highlights the feasibility of this transition, emphasizing the island's abundant renewable resources and the benefits of reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. By harnessing solar, wind, and other renewable sources, Puerto Rico could enhance energy resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and lower energy costs for residents. The report underscores the importance of strategic planning, infrastructure investment, and policy support in realizing this ambitious goal. It also highlights the role of federal agencies in providing technical assistance and funding opportunities to support Puerto Rico's renewable energy transition. Overall, the study provides a roadmap for Puerto Rico to achieve energy independence and sustainability while enhancing its resilience to future disasters and climate change impacts.
[USA] PG&E has undergrounded 197 miles of power lines in 2023
On November 1, 2023, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced as of October 30, 197 miles of powerlines have been undergrounded and energized so far in 2023.[1] That tops the 180 miles of undergrounded powerlines in 2022 and the 73 miles in 2021, which was the year that the utility’s 10,000-mile Undergrounding Program was launched. The end-of-the-year target for 2023 is 350 miles. According to PG&E, undergrounding eliminates nearly 98% of the risk of wildfire ignition from electrical equipment for about $3.40 per month per customer from 2023-2026. According to the press release, an average of about 20 miles of undergrounded line will be energized each week through the end of the year. PG&E customers in Placerville, Murphys, Elk, and Potter Valley are among those now being served and protected by underground powerlines. Expanding PG&E's electric system underground in High Fire-Risk Areas (HFRAs) will help reduce wildfires caused by utility equipment, improve reliability, and reduce the need for safety-related power outages.
[1] https://www.pge.com/en/newsroom.html?pageID=b19403d2-b47d-495d-9124-851ffea6771f&ts=1698796800979
[USA] NERC finds large portions of North America at risk for outages this winter
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) released its Winter Reliability Assessment (WRA) for the upcoming winter period (December-February) on November 17, 2022.[1] The report reviews how prepared regions are to withstand extreme winter weather. The report noted that almost all areas are well prepared for normal conditions and highlighted the actions taken to strengthen parts of the nation's high voltage systems and gas fuel supplies since Winter Storm Uri in February 2021.
However, the WRA found that a large portion of North America, including the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), and ISO New England (ISO-NE), is at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions. For example, MISO’s reserve margins have fallen more than 5% since last year, as 4.2 GW of nuclear and coal-fired generation have been retired. The WRA also found that a shortage of distribution transformers could slow restoration efforts during winter storms. As part of its recommendations, NERC suggested that power plant owners line up their fuel supplies for this winter to ensure that they have an adequate supply.
[1] https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_WRA_2022.pdf
[USA] FERC, NERC to investigate outages following severe cold weather in central U.S.
On February 16, 2021, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) announced that they will open a joint inquiry into bulk-power system operations during the polar vortex that has hit states in the Midwest and central South.[1] FERC and NERC will investigate all regions impacted by the polar vortex, including the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). The severe weather across the Midwest, Oklahoma and Texas, which began on February 11, 2021, led to a spike in demand on the night of February 14, 2021. Coinciding with this event, there was a drop in supply. As a result, ERCOT, SPP, and MISO directed generators to begin rolling blackouts starting on February 14, 2021 in order to avoid negative system impacts.
On February 14, 2021, President Biden declared a state of emergency in Texas and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts.[2] On February 16, 2021, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott (R), directed his state's legislature to investigate ERCOT following the outages.[3] According to officials, increased electricity demand due to the extreme weather, limited gas supplies, frozen wind turbines, and frozen thermal plant instrumentation lines equipment were the major contributors to rolling blackouts across ERCOT.[4] According to a news release from ERCOT on February 18, 2021, roughly 40,000 MW of generation, including 23,500 MW of thermal generation, remains on forced outage due to the extreme weather event.[5]
[1] https://www.ferc.gov/news-events/news/ferc-nerc-open-joint-inquiry-2021-cold-weather-grid-operations
[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/02/14/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-approves-texas-emergency-declaration/
[3] https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-declares-ercot-reform-an-emergency-item
[USA] California utilities plan to spend nearly $15 billion on reducing wildfire risk in 2021 and 2022.
According to annual wildfire mitigation plans filed with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on February 5, 2021, PG&E, Edison International's Southern California Edison (SCE) and Sempra Energy's San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) plan to spend $15 billion in 2021 and 2022 to reduce the risk of live wires sparking wildfires.[1] The CPUC began requiring utilities to file annual wildfire mitigation plans after power lines ignited a series of fires in 2017 and 2018. PG&E’s 2021 plan will cost $5 billion in 2021 and $5.2 billion in 2022. The utility will use a new fire risk model to prioritize its wildfire mitigation work, including system hardening and tree trimming. SCE plan outlines strategies such as installing an additional 1,000 to 1,400 miles of insulated powerlines and installing 375 weather stations in its service territory. SCE expects to spend $3.5 billion in 2021 and 2022. SDG&E plans to spend over $646 million in 2021 and nearly $670 million in 2022 on wildfire mitigation. The utility will continue with many of the programs it initiated last year, including expanding outreach to vulnerable communities and strengthening data collection and analyses processes. All three utilities aim to reduce the impact of public safety power shut-offs (PSPS) on their customers.
[Japan] The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Initiated a Working Group on Electricity Resilience
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced that it will initiate a Working Group on Electricity Resilience on October 9, 2018. The working group was jointly established by the Electricity and Gas Basic Policy Subcommittee under the Electricity and Gas Industry Committee of the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources, and the Electric Power Safety Subcommittee under the Industrial Safety and Consumer Product Safety Committee of the Industrial Structure Council.
The 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake caused a large-scale power outage in the Hokkaido region. The local residents, the utility company, and the government worked together to reduce their energy usage in response to the situation. On September 18, the operation of Tomato-Atsuma Coal-Fired Power Plant Unit 1 resumed, which stabilized the electricity supply and demand.
METI established a third-party committee under the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, Japan (OCCTO)[1] to identify the cause of the large-scale power outage and develop preventative measures for the future. An interim report is expected to be published by the end of October 2018. Meanwhile, the Ministerial Council on Emergency Inspection of Critical Infrastructure has decided to inspect the critical infrastructures across Japan, including electricity facilities, in November 2018 and will then develop measures to improve critical infrastructure resiliency. In order to accomplish these goals, METI has established a Working Group on Electricity Resilience to discuss challenges and possible measures to enhance the resiliency of Japan’s electricity infrastructure, and to establish a disaster-resilient electricity supply system.
[1] OCCTO is an organization that aims to promote the development of electricity transmission and distribution networks in Japan, which are necessary for cross-regional electricity use and the enhancement of the nationwide function of adjusting the supply-demand balance of electricity.