Ameren Corp., St. Louis, Mo., said a subsidiary has ceased efforts to build a new pumped-storage hydroelectric plant at Church Mountain in Reynolds County, Mo., because of environmental objections. Ameren Development Corp. said it has withdrawn applications to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to perform feasibility studies of the project.
The city of Natchitoches, La., signed a contract under which Cleco Power LLC, the regulated utility subsidiary of Cleco Corp., Pineville, La., will supply all the city's power needs for the next 5 years, Cleco reported. The wholesale contract will add 68 Mw of load to Cleco's system. The city will continue to own and operate its 55 Mw gas-fired power plant.
Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, Halifax, NS, said it has begun an open season for its Phase IV expansion, a new project to bring additional Atlantic Canadian supplies to the northeastern US and eastern Canada. Pipeline officials said they anticipated transporting up to 1 bcfd on the system by 2004. Moreover, they said firm capacity commitments are now in hand for 800 MMcfd.
A unit of Exelon Corp., Chicago, Ill., reported it has begun preliminary development of a 850 Mw gas-fired combined cycle power facility in the Waukegan, Ill., area. Construction of the plant is anticipated to begin by the end of 2002 and be completed in 2004. Sithe Energies, a project development affiliate of Exelon Corp., will work in partnership with Exelon Generation to site and manage the construction of the plant.
Ocean Peaking LP, an affiliate of Consolidated Edison Inc., New York, NY, received approval from the Lakewood Planning Board to build 500 Mw peaking power plant in the Lakewood Industrial Park, NJ. The new plant will be built next to an existing Con Edison plant and is expected to be in operation in the summer of 2002, Con Ed said.
TM Power Ventures LLC, a joint venture between TECO Power Services Corp., Tampa, Fla, and Mosbacher Power Partners LP, Houston, reported the second phase of its Commonwealth Chesapeake power station in Accomack County, Va. , has begun operating. With this second phase, the facility has increased its capacity by 180 Mw, for a total of 315 Mw, the companies said..
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission granted the utility unit of Avista Corp. a 11.5% revenue increase to pay for wholesale gas purchases the company made from September 1999 through March 2001. The increase granted for this year will allow the company to recover about $6.9 million of the $22.3 million requested. The commission said it will allow the company to recover the remainder, pending a review, during the company's next purchase gas adjustment in 1 year to verify that recovery is still warranted.
The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement and ordered Alpena Power Co. to refund $118,693, including interest, to its electric customers through billing credits. The commission approved the refund because Alpena overcollected for its power supply costs in 2000.
Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., Newark, NJ, said it expected to sign a deal to buy 35% of Polish power plant Elektrownia Skawina in September for $25 million. Under the deal, PSEG will later be allowed to raise its stake in the 590 Mw coal-fired facility to more than 50% for $50 million.