Review of October 29 PUC Hearing on HB 1365
HB 1365 Primer Xcel’s New HB 1365 Implementation Plans Timeline Peabody to PUC: Gas Is the New Coal A Peabody Energy witness today challenged the conventional wisdom that natural gas is a clean alternative to coal. Kipp Coddington, a consultant contracted by the coal company, warned the PUC that, “there is not the information before […]
Update on PUC Hearings for HB 1365: Another Long Day of Cross Examinations
Today Will Be Another Long Day of Cross Examinations The Colorado electricity industry is regulated such that investor-owned utilities like Xcel cannot make any significant decisions without approval from the PUC. As a result, electricity businesses don’t compete with one another on the market, but rather in PUC hearings. For these companies, profits are dictated […]
Review of October 27 PUC Hearing on HB 1365: Commissioner Baker Must Be a Persuasive Guy!
Brief Refresher on Xcel’s New Plans [N.B. I am repeating this refresher on Xcel’s new plans because I think it’s a handy reference] Xcel on Monday proposed four alternative plans to comply with HB 1365, after its original plan was rejected by the PUC on October 21. The four alternative plans are similar. They all […]
Preview of October 27 PUC Hearings on HB 1365: Everyone Gets a Swing at Xcel's New Plans
Very Brief Refresher on Xcel’s New Plans Xcel on Monday proposed four alternative plans to comply with HB 1365, after its original plan was rejected by the PUC last Thursday. The four alternative plans are similar. They all call for the retirement of four coal plants and top-of the line pollution controls for three others. […]
Running Timeline of HB 1365 Implementation Plan
August 13: Xcel filed its preferred emissions reductions plan (“plan 6.1E” or “preferred plan”). To read a brief summary of Plan 6.1E, click here. September 4: A group of independent power producers, electricity generators that compete with Xcel on the wholesale electricity market, challenged plan 6.1E, arguing that it is illegal because it included actions […]
HB 1365 Update: Xcel's New Plan Is Actually an Old Plan
Xcel’s New Plan: It’s Actually an Old Plan Rather than offer a new HB 1365 implementation plan after the PUC rejected its preferred plan, Xcel settled on an old plan. Here’s a quick review of the process that led to the new/old plan. Last summer, Xcel considered nine scenarios to comply with HB 1365. In […]
Update on PUC Hearings for H.B. 1365: It's Going To Be a Long Weekend for Xcel's Top Brass
The Public Utilities Commission this week held deliberations on Xcel’s implementation plan to meet H.B. 1365 (“The Clean-Air Clean Jobs Act”), legislation that effectively mandates fuel switching of 900 megawatts of electricity generation from coal power to natural gas. If you haven’t been following H.B. 1365, it’s a classic case of government picking and choosing […]
