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National Grid to spend $1.7 bln on U.S. power projects

National Grid Plc. expects to spend up to $1.7 billion over the next five years to improve its electric transmission system in New York and New England, the company said. National Grid awarded contracts to design and build substations and transmission lines to two joint ventures — NorthEast Power Alliance for work in New York and New Energy Alliance for work in New England. National Grid expects to finalize the contracts by April 1. The investment of up to $1.7 billion over five years does not include the money the company plans to spend on its distribution system in New York and New England during that time. National Grid, headquartered in London, owns and operates more than 4,000 MW of generation in New York and transmits and distributes power to about 3.3 million customers and natural gas to about 3.4 million customers in New York and New England.

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first published week of:   02/02/2009

National Infrastructure Protection Plan is Available

The National Infrastructure Protection Plan provides the unifying structure for the integration of a wide range of efforts for the enhanced protection and resiliency of the nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) into a single national program.

The overarching goal of the NIPP is to build a safer, more secure, and more resilient America by preventing, deterring, neutralizing, or mitigating the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate, or exploit elements of our nation’s CIKR and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery of CIKR in the event of an attack, natural disaster, or other emergency.

The 2009 NIPP replaces the 2006 version and reflects changes and updates to program elements and concepts. It captures the evolution and maturation of the processes and programs first outlined in 2006 without changing the underlying policies. The revised NIPP integrates the concepts of resiliency and protection, and broadens the focus of NIPP-related programs and activities to an all-hazards environment.

Read the 2009 National Infrastructure Protection Plan ( PDF - 4.5 MB))

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first published week of:   02/23/2009

Natural Gas Quandary Widens
by Ken Silverstein, EnergyBiz Insider Editor-in-Chief

The quandary surrounding natural gas drilling is deepening. While natural gas is both cleaner and prevalent in unconventional forms, environmental groups have expressed concerns that it is becoming too easy to get exploratory permits and that drinking water supplies are becoming endangered as a result.

Accessing natural gas deposits is difficult because of environmental laws. And getting to unconventional sources is not any easier. But the difference is that the conventional fields are becoming depleted while the output from coal-bed methane and shale formations are expanding. Today, such fuel sources that can be transformed into natural gas represent a trend in energy production.

“Programs that encourage the use of alternative fuels should be coupled with programs that boost natural gas production,” writes Ed Ireland, executive director of the Barnett Shale Energy Education Council. “This is because clean-burning natural gas will provide another century or more of a stable energy resource to power the nation’s electric generation systems, and will help integrate wind and solar power into the energy resources currently available.”

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first published week of:   07/27/2009

NC budget move halts 200 water, sewer projects

In an effort to balance the state’s budget, the governor has taken $100 million from North Carolina’s Clean Water Management Trust Fund, a move that has resulted in the halting of nearly 200 water and sewer projects, according to a March 6 Triangle Business Journal article. Many of the 192 projects already were under construction. The Clean Water Management Trust Fund, formed in the mid-1990s, receives about $100 million annually from the General Assembly to make grants to North Carolina rural communities for water and sewer infrastructure projects, such as installing or expanding water lines. Of a total of about 692 Clean Water Management Trust Fund projects, 500 that already were through the final approval process will continue, the article said.

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first published week of:   03/23/2009

NERC approves strengthened cyber security standards

Eight revised cyber security standards for the North American bulk power system were approved by the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s (NERC) independent Board of Trustees last week. The action represents the completion of phase one of NERC’s cyber security standards revision work plan, which was launched in July 2008. Work continues on phase two of the revision plan, with version three standards already under development. The revised standards were passed by the electric industry last week with an 88 percent approval rating. The standards comprise approximately forty “good housekeeping” requirements designed to lay a solid foundation of sound security practices that, if properly implemented, will develop the capabilities needed to secure critical infrastructure from cyber security threats. Roughly half of those requirements were modified to clarify or strengthen the standards in this initial, expedited revisions phase. The revisions begin to address concerns raised by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in its Order No. 706, in which it conditionally approved the standards currently in effect. The revisions notably include the removal of the term “reasonable business judgment” from the standards. Entities found in violation of the standards can be fined up to $1 million per day, per violation in the United States, with other enforcement provisions in place throughout much of Canada. Audits for compliance with thirteen requirements in the cyber security standards currently in effect will begin on July 1, 2009.

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first published week of:   05/18/2009

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Volume 31

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