July 2021's Power Generation & Supply Market Recap is a snapshot of the data and information we curate. We share industry drivers, notable projects, recent mergers and acquisitions, interesting reads, and updates on upcoming meetings and conferences.
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Industry Drivers
Our data team tracks new and updated industry drivers. Here are some recent drivers we have been following this month:
Governor Murphy Signs Bills to Advance New Jersey’s Clean Energy Future
Status: Effective
Organization: New Jersey State Legislature
Summary: On July 9, 2021, New Jersey's Governor Murphy signed a package of four bills meant to help the state move toward his administration’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2050. The bills are:
S3223, which establishes numerical requirements and zoning standards for installation of electric vehicle supply equipment and Make-Ready parking spaces;
A1653, which encourages the development of zero-emission vehicle fueling and charging infrastructure in redevelopment projects;
A4554, which establishes a successor program to the Board of Public Utilities’ solar renewable energy certificate program that includes a solicitation process for certain solar power generation facilities, and;
A5434, which establishes a dual-use solar project pilot program for unpreserved farmland and allows land used for a dual-use solar project to be eligible for farmland assessment under certain conditions.
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Ohio Governor Signs Polarizing Energy Bill
Status: Effective
Organization: Ohio State Legislature
Summary: On July 12 2021, Gov. DeWine signed Senate Bill 52, which would make it easier for residents and officials to block proposed solar and wind projects in their counties. The law is expected to take effect on October 11, 2021.
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Demand-Response Management Act of 2021
Status: Proposed
Organization: U.S. Senate
Summary: On July 14, 2021, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, introduced the Demand-Response Management Act of 2021. The law would expand the use of demand response programs, which can improve grid reliability during periods of peak load in summer and winter months. The bill is part of an energy infrastructure proposal that is being considered by the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
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DOE’s Long Duration Storage Energy Earthshot Initiative
Status: Effective
Organization: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Summary: On July 14, 2021, the U.S. DOE launched the Long Duration Storage Energy Earth Shot, which establishes a goal of reducing the price of grid-scale energy storage by 90% in the next 10 years. The Energy Earth Shot is part of the DOE’s Energy Earthshot Initiative, which aims to accelerate the development of technology that makes clean energy more abundant, affordable and reliable within the decade.
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New Jersey SB 3926 - A Bill Related to Offshore Wind Projects and Powerline Construction
Status: Effective
Organization: New Jersey State Legislature
Summary: On July 22, 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill that limits local government input over where cables transmitting power from offshore wind energy projects can come ashore. The bill gives the state Board of Public Utilities the authority to construct and maintain wires for offshore wind projects as long as they run under streets or public property. The BPU can also approve a project if a municipality delays it.
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American Nuclear Infrastructure Act (ANIA)
Status: Proposed
Organization: U.S. Senate
Summary: A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act in mid-July. The act, which initially was introduced last November, is meant to give the United States an international presence in nuclear reactor design and boost the domestic nuclear power industry.
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Rep. Neguse Secures Funding for Wildfire Management, Climate Resilience in Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework
Status: Proposed
Organization: U.S. Senate
Summary: On July 29, 2021, Congressman Joe Neguse, D-Colo., who chairs the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, said funding allocations for wildfire management and climate resiliency that were part of his 21st Century Conservation Corps Act (H.R. 1162) and Disaster Safe Power Grid (H.R. 3209) bills were included in the bipartisan framework that formed the basis of the infrastructure bill being considered by the U.S. Senate. The framework included the following Neguse funding requests:
$28 billion to prevent power outages and enhance the resilience of the electric grid;
$5.75 billion for wildfire management to reduce the threat of wildfire, rehabilitate burn areas, and support forest restoration;
$1 billion for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program (an additional $500 million requested by Neguse has been included in text of the Homeland Security Appropriations bill);
$300 million for the Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program;
$300 million for Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trail Meditation, and;
$492 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Coastal Resiliency Fund.
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Coal Royalty Fairness and Communities Investment Act
Status: Proposed
Organization: U.S. Senate
Summary: On July 29, 2021, Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13) and his colleagues reintroduced the Coal Royalty Fairness and Communities Investment Act to provide $70 million for former coal communities to help strengthen their economies, diversify industries, and promote new job creation opportunities. The act would improve the value of federal coal for royalties by creating a coal price index and establishing a Coal Area Economic Revitalization Fund. It also would set up a national and economic workforce development aid program, and provide $5 million to the Secretary of Energy for large-scale projects to obtain and store carbon dioxide from industrial sources.
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Notable Projects
We track notable projects from the proposal stage to becoming effective. Here are some of the recent notable projects we have been tracking.
$455 Million Declaration Energy Center Project
Type: Solar Generation
Status: Proposed
Organization: North Park Energy, LLC
Region: New York
Summary: North Park Energy, LLC, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, filed an application to construct a major electric generating facility for its subsidiary company, Declaration Energy Center, LLC. The Declaration Energy Center Project proposes to generate roughly 450MW of power, potentially with an energy storage system. The project location would be on land leased from private property owners in the Towns of Romulus and Varick, Seneca County, New York. The estimated value of the project is $455 million. Construction will start in January 2022 and end in December 2023.
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$369 Million Darien Solar Energy Center
Type: Solar Generation
Status: Proposed
Organization: Darien Solar Energy Center, LLC
Region: Wisconsin
Summary: Darien Solar Energy Center, LLC, an affiliate of Invenergy Solar Development North America, LLC, is proposing to develop, design, permit, construct and operate a 250 MW solar electric generation facility in the Town of Bradford, Rock County, Wisconsin and the Town of Darien, Walworth County, Wisconsin. The project could include a battery energy storage system, and would include a 138 kV project substation that would be located near an existing substation, and a newly constructed 138 kV gen-tie transmission line of approximately 75 feet in length connecting the project substation. The estimated value of the project is $369 million. Construction was to have begun in July. Darien Solar is proposing to have the project in service by the end of next year. until December 2023.
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$360 Million Birch Solar Project
Type: Solar Generation
Status: Proposed
Organization: Birch Solar, LLC
Region: Ohio
Summary: On February 12, 2021, Birch Solar LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lightsource Renewable Energy Development, LLC, , filed a an Application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need with the Ohio Power Siting Board for the proposed construction of a 300-MW solar-powered electric generation facility on 1,410 acres in Shawnee Township, Allen County, Ohio, and Logan Township, Auglaize County, Ohio. The estimated value of the project is $360 million. Birch Solar estimates that construction will begin in the first quarter of 2022 and commercial operations will begin in the second quarter of 2023.
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$955 Million Lava Butte Solar Project
Type: Solar Generation
Status: Proposed
Organization: 331 LB 8me, LLC
Region: Nevada
Summary: On July 16, 2021, 8minute Solar Energy subsidiary 331 LB 8me, LLC filed a notice with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada of an application with the Bureau of Land Management to build the Lava Butte Solar Project. The project is a 200 MW PV solar and 200 MW energy storage facility with a 500 kV single circuit Gen-tie Line and associated facilities located near Dre East Lake in Clark County, Nevada on roughly 1,543 acres of BLM-managed land. Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in 2023 and take nine to 12 months. The facility is expected to begin commercial operation in 2024 and cost $455 million to build.
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$371 Million Juno Solar Facility
Type: Solar Generation
Status: Proposed
Organization: Juno Solar, LLC
Region: North Carolina
Summary: On July 12, 2021, Juno Solar, LLC applied to the North Carolina Utilities Commission for a Conditional Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity authorizing the development of a 275 MW solar PV facility in Marks Creek Township, Richmond County, North Carolina. The facility will sit on roughly 2,586 acres of land and will connect to the 230 kV Richmond-Laurel Hill DEP transmission line located on-site. Construction of the Juno Solar Facility is slated to commence in April 2023, with commercial operation expected in September 2024. The facility’s estimated cost is close to $371 million and its projected service life is 40 years. Juno Solar is a subsidiary of Birch Creek Development, LLC.
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$350 Million Chestnut Solar Project
Type: Solar Generation
Status: Proposed
Organization: Golden State Clean Energy, LLC
Region: California
Summary: In June 2021, Golden State Clean Energy, LLC proposed revising the previously approved Conditional Use Permit for the Chestnut Solar Project to allow for a 175-foot-tall central microwave communication tower and an increase in the area covered by battery storage units from about 2 acres to 6 acres. The number of battery storage units will be increased to 150 from 44. The project consists of a 150 MW solar generation complex, a 150 MW energy storage system, and a 230 kV substation on 1,040 acres in Kings County. Construction on the estimated $350 million project was to have begun in 2020 and last for a year.
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Notable M&A
The following M&A transactions in the Power Generation and Supply Industry stand out in the month of May:
- On June 30, 2021, Enlight Renewable Energy agreed to acquire 90% of Clēnera.
- On July 13, 2021, Enel Green Power North America acquired a 3.2 GW solar portfolio from Dakota Renewable Energy.
- On July 27, 2021, WEC Energy Group agreed to acquire 90% ownership of Sapphire Sky Wind Energy Center for $412 million.
What We Are Reading
Here are some recent articles our team has been reading:
- Baker Seeks $100 Million for Offshore Wind Port Infrastructure
- Alabama Power Gets Approval to Build Solar Facility in Butler County
- Southern California Edison Plans for 38,000 EV Charging Stations in Next Five Years
- Transalta Completes 2nd of 3 Planned Alberta Plant Conversions to Natural Gas
- PG&E Will Bury 10,000 Miles of Cable to Stop Sparking California Wildfires
- New Wires? Electrical Transmission Line Planned From Noble to Tulsa Counties; Public Forums Set
- Cheswick Coal-Fired Power Station, Last in Allegheny County, Will Stay Open Until April
- Washington, DC-Area Utility Outlines Plan to Meet City Climate Goals
- Xcel Energy Needs a Smarter, Greener Electric Grid. But Should Colorado Customers Foot the $344 Million Bill For it?
- 78 Solar Projects Proposed for Penobscot County are Requesting to Connect to the Grid
- New York Utility Company Seeks Proposals to Electrify Buildings Instead of Building More Gas Pipelines
Meeting Planner
Organizations have shifted their event strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are tracking these changing meeting plans.
Meetings in August and September 2021
- MREA NABCEP Continuing Education Conference - Aug. 9 - Aug. 12, 2021
- APPA PFAS Liability and Insurance Costs - Aug. 10, 2021
- NAESCO Webinar - Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Solutions for ESCOs - Aug. 23, 2021
- IEEE - PES International Smart Cities Conference: Smart Cities – Post-pandemic vision and challenges - Sept. 7 - Sept. 10, 2021
- NMA MINExpo International - Sept. 13 - Sept. 15, 2021
- APPA Business & Financial Conference - Sept. 19 - Sept. 22, 2021
- MREA SPI, ESI, and Smart Energy Week - Sept. 20 - Sept. 23, 2021
- SEPA North America Smart Energy Week - Sept. 20 - Sept. 23, 2021
- The International Pittsburgh Coal Conference - Sept. 20 - Sept. 23, 2021
- IDEA Annual Conference & Trade Show - Sept. 27 - Sept. 29, 2021
- API Offshore Safe Lifting Conference & Expo - Sept. 28 - Sept. 29, 2021
- NESEA BuildingEnergy NYC - Sept.29 - Sept. 30, 2021
Early Birds Registration
- Event: MREA ASES National Solar Tour: Experience Solar in your Community
Dates: Oct. 2 - Oct. 3, 2021
Date for Early Registration: Aug. 15, 2021 - Event: APPA Business & Financial Conference
Dates: Sept. 19 - Sept. 22, 2021
Date for Early Registration: Aug. 20, 2021 - Event: NMA MINExpo International
Dates: Sept. 13 - Sept. 15, 2021
Date for Early Registration: Aug. 20, 2021 - Event: ICMA Annual Conference: Let’s Restart & Begin to Reimagine
Dates: Oct. 3 - Oct. 6, 2021
Date for Early Registration: Aug. 31, 2021