American Public Power Magazine

Open configuration options SPONSORED ADVERTISING FEATURE In 2020, after South Carolina’s Rock Hill Utilities implemented texting, the public power utility, whose operations include electric, water and sanitation, saw quick results. Initially, the texting rollout focused on electric outage notifications, which reduced costs by significantly reducing customer calls. “It was easy to implement and made an immediate impact on customer communications.

APPA Comments on OMB NOPR on Guidelines for Federal Funding Assistance The American Public Power Association recently filed comments in response to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In the NOPR, OMB proposed a series of new guidelines for federal funding assistance.

LUMA Energizes Three New Transformers in Substations to Strengthen Puerto Rico Electric System LUMA on July 8 announced the energization of three new power transformers at the Sabana Llana substations in Carolina, one of the largest in the system, Crea in Bayamón and Mora in Isabela. The addition of this equipment in Puerto Rico strengthens critical network infrastructure and improves service reliability for nearly 782,500 customers, LUMA said.

Small Modular Reactor Developer Receives Strategic Equity Investment from Constellation Venture Arm Blue Energy, a developer of financeable, prefabricated nuclear power plants, recently announced a strategic equity investment from Constellation Technology Ventures, the venture arm of Constellation.

KPUB, Mutual Aid Partners Complete Major Power Restoration Following Hill Country Flooding Kerrville Public Utility Board (KPUB), alongside nearly 40 mutual aid personnel, successfully restored power following the devastating Hill Country flooding event that began during the early morning hours of July 16. Power outages began occurring just before 1:00 a.m. as floodwaters and severe weather damaged electric infrastructure across KPUB’s service territory.

Indiana Governor Launches Advanced Nuclear Ready Community Program Indiana Governor Mike Braun recently announced the launch of the Indiana Advanced Nuclear Ready Community program, an initiative aimed at supporting communities seeking designation as sites for nuclear energy-related development. The program forms a core part of Indiana’s broader state strategy to attract clean energy investment. It focuses specifically on small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced nuclear facilities.

Arizona’s Electrical District No. 3 Holds Successful Bond Sale, Gets Rating Upgrade Arizona public power utility Electrical District No. 3 recently held a successful $84 million bond sale “locking in refinancing savings and issuing new money to support our multi-year capital improvement plan that advances reliability and capacity expansion for our distribution and transmission,” Brian Yerges, ED3’s General Manager recently noted in a LinkedIn post.

NPPD Power Plant Project Advances With Groundbreaking Nebraska Public Power District on July 17 celebrated the groundbreaking for Princeton Road Station, the district’s newest generation facility, just north of Hallam, Neb. State and local officials and stakeholders were in attendance, alongside NPPD staff, to recognize the start of construction on what will become the largest natural gas generation facility in NPPD’s fleet. “Today marked a truly historic moment for NPPD.

Lincoln Electric System Celebrates Launch of First Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage System Lincoln Electric System, a Nebraska public power utility, on July 17 celebrated the launch of its first utility-scale battery energy storage system, a milestone project that will strengthen grid reliability, support the LES Community Microgrid and expand the utility’s energy storage capabilities.

California’s Metropolitan Water District Partners with Federal Government to Help Water Levels in Lake Mead With the water level at Lake Mead projected to soon reach its lowest point since it was initially filled, California's Metropolitan Water District is working with the federal government to help add water to the reservoir and protect hydropower generation at Hoover Dam, under an agreement approved on July 14 by Metropolitan's Board of Directors.