Top News
Citing neighbors' inaction, Maine looks again at leaving ISO New England
Maine Gov. Paul LePage has directed staff to research the possibility of the state leaving ISO New England's wholesale electricity market and integrating closer with Canada as a potential response to the continued blocking of new natural gas pipelines by Massachusetts and New York.
PJM says coal, nuke plants are worth saving, but obsolete infrastructure is not
Coal and nuclear power plants will continue to have a place in PJM Interconnection's footprint, but the regional transmission organization is not out to save "aging infrastructure with old technology," a representative said at an industry conference.
Boardwalk Pipeline stockholders sue over potential discounted buyout by Loews
A pair of Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP investors filed a lawsuit alleging that parent company Loews Corp. artificially depressed Boardwalk's stock price to give Loews the opportunity to buy out the partnership at a steep discount.
Power
* Recent transactions by NextEra Energy Inc. and Southern Co. demonstrate the immediate focus by the two integrated utility giants on re-calibrating strategic priorities to achieve longer-term balance sheet flexibility.
* NRG Energy Inc. agreed to pay fines to the Environmental Protection Agency and the state of Illinois to settle a federal lawsuit involving six coal-fired power plants it operates, the Chicago Tribune reported. The decade-old lawsuit alleged that the former owner of the power plants skirted clean air laws for years.
* Experts have offered various explanations for why they believe prices in PJM Interconnection's recent capacity auction, which secures commitments three years in advance of when the power is needed, cleared about 83% higher in certain transmission zones than in the previous year's auction.
* VivoPower International PLC is exploring new initiatives and strategic partnerships with interested parties for co-development or a sale of its 1.8-GW development portfolio in the U.S. VivoPower also agreed to sell minority interests in two operating solar plants in North Carolina to a subsidiary of New Energy Solar.
* The New England Power Generators Association wants federal regulators to stop ISO New England from having Exelon Corp. bid its two Mystic Generating Station units into the next capacity auction at a price of zero dollars, which it alleged would severely suppress the resulting auction clearing price and exacerbate fuel security concerns.
Natural gas/Oil
* Kinder Morgan Inc. said it shut the Trans Mountain pipeline for several hours May 27 after discovering an oil leak at a metering station in central British Columbia.
* Canada's Finance Minister Bill Morneau may announce today the government's three options to ensure that the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project is built, according to The Canadian Press.
* Sunoco Pipeline LP can win a quick reversal of a Pennsylvania judge's order shutting down construction and operations on the Mariner East family of NGL pipelines, a key outlet for Appalachian liquids production, a midstream stock analyst said.
* Trump administration attorneys argued that the current support for Keystone XL project, which was opposed by the Obama administration, reflected a legitimate shift in policy with "interests of energy security and economic development" outweighing climate change concerns, according to The Associated Press.
* EnLink Midstream Partners LP is constructing a $40 million Redbud pipeline system that will transport crude oil from STACK operations of Marathon Oil Co., The Oklahoman reported.
Coal
* The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced that a draft environmental review is available for public comment on San Juan Coal Co.'s proposed modification that provides for continued development of its deep lease extension.
* Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed a bill reinstating tax credit for certain coal producers, The Associated Press reported.
* Natural gas fueled over 32% of power generation in the U.S. during March, while coal supplied 25%, continuing a downward trend from February.
Commodities
* Following a 0.1-cent slump to settle near unchanged at $2.939/MMBtu ahead of the long Memorial Day weekend, NYMEX June natural gas futures ticked higher overnight leading up to the Tuesday, May 29, open and the contract's roll off the board at the close of business.
* Power dailies could unravel at the start of the abbreviated workweek Tuesday, May 29, on the back of predominantly deflated demand expectations for Wednesday.
* Solar and nonsolar renewable energy credit prices in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania advanced in value during the last full week of May amid increased buying interest.

Quoted
"Enabling storage facilities to provide transmission service under a cost-of-service framework, while also participating in the energy and ancillary services markets, can generate additional ratepayer benefits relative to a solely regulated asset," said a straw proposal that the California ISO is considering.
New from RRA
* On May 24, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued an order establishing the accounting treatment for investor-owned utilities to flow back to ratepayers savings from the federal tax act, which reduced corporate income taxes this year.
The day ahead
* Early morning futures indicators pointed to a lower opening for the U.S. equity markets. To view more SNL equity market indexes, click here. To view more SNL Energy commodities prices, click here.
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