utilities News

Houston Utility Slammed Over Fumbled Response to Beryl Power Outages

Thousands of people in the Houston area were still without power more than a week after Hurricane Beryl tore through the fourth-largest US city. Two factors are now emerging as important explanations for why the powerful but predictable storm caused …

CenterPoint Sued Over Hurricane Beryl Power Outages in Houston

A group of Houston restaurants that lost power for days after Hurricane Beryl sued the city’s main utility, accusing CenterPoint Energy Inc. of failing to adequately invest in infrastructure and respond to widespread power outages. The lawsuit, filed by various …

Half a Million Will Be Under Houston Outages a Week After Beryl

Days after Hurricane Beryl crashed through the city, Houston is still grappling with the aftershocks. Large swaths of America’s fourth-largest city are still without power, shutting stores and snarling traffic at non-functioning lights. Gas stations are either closed or swamped …

Tennessee Power Outages Amplify Calls for TVA to Rethink Fossil Fuels

A federal utility’s decision to resort to rolling blackouts after coal and natural gas units went offline during dangerously cold conditions has intensified questions about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s recent decision to double down on fossil fuels. TVA experienced its …

Ukraine Blames Russian Hackers for Attacks on Power Grid, Financial System

Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russian hackers of targeting its power grid, financial system and other infrastructure with a new type of virus that attacks industrial processes, the latest in a series of cyber offensives against the country. Oleksandr Tkachuk, Ukraine’s …

French Utility Firm Veolia Beefs Up Cyber Security to Protect Water Plants

Veolia Environnement SA, the French utility that provided drinking water to 100 million people last year, has beefed up cyber security to protect installations from hackers. “Cyber crime is the main threat for the company,” Jean-Louis Fiamenghi, the head of …

Tokio Marine Covers Geothermal Power Firms from Hot Springs Risk

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. has begun offering a type of insurance intended to ease the concern of hot springs operators about the impact of new geothermal power stations. Developers of geothermal power projects can now buy an …

Ascot, Chaucer & Skuld Form Underwriting Consortium for Renewable Energy

Ascot Underwriting Ltd. has formed Renewco Consortium (ReCo), a dedicated and independent underwriting platform for the renewable energy industry. The Lloyd’s consortium is jointly led by Ascot and Chaucer and managed by Ascot; Skuld is the third consortium partner. With …

Smart Meters Pose New Risks for Energy Industry

Last November, Felix Lindner came very close to shutting down the power supply of Ettlingen, a town of almost 40,000 people in the south of Germany. “We could have switched off everything: power, water, gas,” Lindner, head of Berlin-based Recurity …

Southern California Spot Power in Surges Due to Fires

Spot electricity in Southern California surged as Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric Co. utility worked to restore service following a fire that disrupted high-voltage transmissions. On-peak, spot electricity at Southern California’s SP15 hub more than doubled to $152.73 …