Regulators urge dismissal of PATH line
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - Virginia regulators are recommending the dismissal of an application to build a $2 billion power line from West Virginia to Maryland.
A hearing examiner with the State Corporation Commission said that regulators should approve a motion to withdraw filed by American Electric Power and FirstEnergy Corp.
The utilities suspended the plan to build the 765-kilowatt line in February because PJM Interconnection, the group that oversees the electric grid for a 13-state region, forecasts weaker-than-expected demand for electricity in mid-Atlantic states and directed the companies to halt the project.
The 275-mile Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline PATH was to run from AEP's John Amos power station in Putnam County, West Virginia, 31 miles across three counties in northern Virginia, to a substation near Kemptown, Maryland. It was originally envisioned to meet expectations of growing demand for electricity in the region. Officials predicted that if the line wasn't built, the region would suffer from brownouts and blackouts.
The SCC must still issue a final order. West Virginia and Maryland regulators have already granted withdrawal requests.
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P.E.I. government exploring ways for communities to generate their own electricity
CHARLOTTETOWN - The P.E.I. government is taking steps to review energy legislation and explore new options when it comes to generating power across Island communities.
Energy Minister Steven Myers said one of those options will be identifying ways for Island communities to generate their own energy.
He said the move would provide energy independence, create jobs and economic development, and save the communities on their energy bills.
But the move will require sweeping legislative changes, that may include the merging of the Electric Power Act and the Renewable Energy Act.
Myers said creating energy independence should ensure a steady supply of electricity while…
