UTILITIES

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PUC Staff Presses XCEL for Wind Program Refund

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission contends that Xcel overcollected more than $1.5 million from Windsource customers who voluntarily paid about $10 extra per month for wind-generated electricity between 2005 and 2007.

29Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Natural Gas Outlook is Mixed

Power generation will again surpass industry as a consumer of natural gas, and a solid increase in domestic production will more than compensate for any increased demand, according to the NGSA forecast.

26Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Luca Technologies Raises $76 Million for Coal Gasification

The Golden company has developed technology to use micro-organisms to revive old coal seams and natural gas wells. The micro-organisms are used to break down coal into methane underground.

25Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Poudre Valley REA Inks $4.5 Million Smart Grid Contract

The system includes automated energy monitoring and control capabilities to help achieve greater efficiency and detection of surges and interruptions in the power supply. When fully installed, it will enable real-time grid diagnostics across the 5,760 square mile PVREA service area.

19Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Digital Technology and Interoperability Key to Smarter Grid

Making the shift to modern digital technology will be a major endeavor. “Interoperability is really the big part of the focus for researchers and engineers,” says NREL’s Dick DeBlasio.

16Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Update - Rio Tinto Job Cuts Don’t Include Colorado

The one bright spot, at least for the Rocky Mountain region, is that the layoff plans for 2009 won’t include employees in company coal mines in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.

15Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Hallador Petroleum Secures Credit

The Denver-based company said it has closed on a $70 million credit facility for its majority-owned subsidiary, Sunrise Coal in Carlisle, Indiana, which will use the funds to expand the mine production to roughly 3 million tons of coal a year.

13Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Energy Software Key to Xcel’s Wind-to-Battery Project

Xcel Energy says incorporating GridPoint’s software in the wind-to-battery project is part of their efforts to modernize and upgrade the grid to allow easier integration of variable renewable energy sources.

4Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Xcel Wants to Raise Customers’ Tab for Renewable Energy

The state’s largest utility said more money is needed to pay for solar and wind projects that will help it meet both state-mandated and voter-approved goals for using renewable energy resources to generate power.

3Dec2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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West-Wide Energy Corridors Plan Includes
Smart Lines for Renewables - in Some Areas

With certain preconditions, several of these corridors will help the West transition to a new energy economy based on clean renewables — without significant lands impacts. Major problems remain, however, according to Western Resource Advocates.

25Nov2008 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
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Proposed Tri-State Coal Plant Could
Burden Rate Payers

The Innovest report warns that Tri-State’s plans to build another 700-megawatt coal plant in either Colorado or Kansas could mean significantly higher rates for consumers served by the utility’s network of cooperatives.

25Nov2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Restart of Climax Mine Near Leadville Postponed

FCX said it remains “positive” about the long-term prospects for the mine and the molybdenum business, but construction activities will cease until market conditions improve.

10Nov2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Editor’s Notebook: Coal in the Crosshairs

Coal is the spouse you can’t live with and you can’t live without. While there is no denying it is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases, the plentiful natural resource generates more than half our nation’s electricity, and electrical demand is growing twice as fast as capacity.

10Nov2008 | admin | 3 comments | Continued
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Coloradoans Enlisting in Xcel’s Renewable
Programs in Big Numbers

Nearly 46,000 customers are currently enrolled in the program, with the average subscriber paying an additional $10-$20 per month on their electric bill. The utility has been amazed at the demand, particularly from businesses.

6Nov2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Tough Times for Evergreen Energy

The Denver-based “Clean” coal manufacturer has retained an international investment banking adviser to help review the company’s “strategic alternatives,” including but not limited to the sale of assets or bringing in a joint venture partner.

6Nov2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Feds to Expand Geothermal Energy Leasing

it is estimated that the available leases could produce enough energy to generate 5,540 megawatts of electricity and power 5.5 million homes. Each project will still have to undergo site-specific environmental reviews.

1Nov2008 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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