Wind Power News: Idaho
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Feds sue Idaho PUC over wind power
BOISE — Calling it the first of its kind, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has filed suit against the Idaho Public Utility Commission in federal court, claiming the Idaho PUC violated the long-standing Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. The suit stems from contracts between two wind-energy producers and Idaho Power, which the Idaho PUC ultimately ruled were null because they were not signed prior to Dec. 14, 2010, when the qualification threshold for smaller energy providers was reduced . . .
Idaho PUC’s new rules could be bad news for large wind projects
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has established new rules for renewable energy projects that enter into sales agreements with regulated utilities. The rapid development of wind projects led utilities to petition the PUC in November 2010 to investigate the methods the commission uses to set the price that should be paid to renewable energy developers. Utilities complained that the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) was forcing them to buy power they did not need at rates that . . .
PUC ruling favors small renewable developers, but not big wind or solar projects
New rules governing small renewable energy projects in Idaho will likely make it tougher for wind and solar developers to succeed but will be helpful for new dairy digesters and small, canal-based hydroelectric projects, reports AP reporter John Miller. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission issued a 69-page decision today, establishing new ground rules for renewable power projects and regulated utilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act, or PURPA, a 34-year-old federal law meant to promote alternative resources. Under the . . .
Idaho PUC OKs new rules for renewable energy
Renewable energy advocates praised Tuesday’s wide-ranging order by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, which will guide future development. The three-member commission that regulates the state’s three monopoly electric utilities denied Idaho Power’s request to curtail existing wind power plants during low demand except in emergencies, a proposal that developers said could threaten their viability. But it also limited the size of wind and solar plants eligible for a simple published power price to only 100 kilowatts, forcing larger developers to . . .
Feds tell Idaho to honor Murphy wind power pact
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees electric and natural gas policy, says in its ruling that the Idaho PUC violated federal law when it denied an appeal by developers of three Murphy Flat wind projects to get paid higher power rates. The appeal was based on FERC’s decision that the Public Utilities Commission’s rejection of contracts for Murphy Flat with Idaho Power were “inconsistent” with regulations and rules governing projects under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. The federal . . .
FERC initiates unprecedented enforcement action against Idaho PUC
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will seek to enforce an earlier order against the Idaho Public Utilities Commission over wind power projects near Murphy. The federal commission oversees electric and natural gas delivery policy. Its ruling says the Idaho commission violated federal law when it denied an appeal by developers for three Murphy Flat wind power projects. The appeal was based on FERC’s 2011 decision that the commission’s rejection of contracts for Murphy Flat with Idaho Power were “inconsistent” with . . .
Idaho’s power line route reveals clashing values, dueling processes
No matter who wins the election Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management is going to have to thread a needle to find routes Idaho Power Co. and Rocky Mountain Power can use for the Gateway West power line across southern Idaho. The decision to toss out two routes across the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey area that had been negotiated by the involved parties has brought ire from local, state and national Idaho politicians. At the same time, . . .
Idaho curtailment row could set precedent
A clash over turbine curtailment in Idaho may have national implications as the US wind industry struggles against a backdrop of scarce power purchase agreements, historically low gas prices and the likely year-end lapse of the federal production tax credit (PTC). In late September, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) ruled that utility Idaho Power must buy contracted wind energy even at times of low customer demand. Ferc cited the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (Purpa) – a 1978 federal . . .
More allegations fly over wind farm near Blue Earth
A Minnesota contractor has accused an Idaho wind farm developer of seeking a “dubious” $2.6 million fee. Contractor Fagen Inc. leveled new allegations against an Idaho-based wind developer Friday and asked a federal judge for an expedited ruling on who owns the nearly completed Big Blue Wind Farm in southwestern Minnesota. Fagen, a construction company based in Granite Falls, Minn., alleged that the project’s financially struggling original developer, Exergy Development Group of Idaho, has tried to extract a “dubious and . . .
Upset with FERC ruling, Idaho Power wants do-over
Idaho Power Co. wants federal regulators to reconsider their September ruling forbidding utilities from rejecting electricity from wind farms during certain periods of low demand. The state’s biggest utility on Monday told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission its Sept. 20 order was premature and disregards negative impacts on ratepayers. Idaho Power and other utilities have been scuffling with wind farms over whether utilities can curtail contractually-required purchases at times when few customers need electricity. Fearing that state regulators would side . . .
