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Southwest Power Pool Board Approves New Process to Accelerate High Impact Large Load Connections

LCG, September 16, 2025--Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) Board of Directors today announced that the Board approved a process to facilitate the connection of large users of electricity to the power grid while continuing to support energy needs for the entire region. SPP's new process is designed to incorporate transmission service, generation, load interconnection and other relevant reliability studies into a single framework that enables timely, informed decision-making and action.

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Longroad Energy Announces Financial Close of 1000 Mile Solar Project in Texas

LCG, September 15, 2025--Longroad Energy announced today the financial close of 1000 Mile Solar, its 300 MWac (400 MWdc) solar project in Yoakum County, Texas. Longroad Energy finalized a long-term offtake agreement with Meta late last year in the form of an Environmental Attributes Purchase Agreement, which includes a financial settlement arrangement for the entire energy output of 1000 Mile Solar.

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Industry News

Gas Suppliers Threaten to Cut PG&E

LCG, Jan. 2, 2001--Pacific Gas & Electric Co. told the California Public Utilities Commission on Friday that the cash and credit squeeze created by the electricity crisis in California has prompted between 15 and 20 natural gas suppliers to decline to sell gas to the company beyond their current commitments.

The utility has enough gas locked up to see its 3.8 million customers through January, so long as there isn't an unusual cold snap, the company said. But that gas will cost those customers a lot more than it did in December, and December bills with 50 percent higher than the customers were used to.

PG&E said the average residential gas bill will rise to $125 in January. A year ago, it was $50.

But, don't blame the utility, the utility says. California's natural gas industry has been deregulated for more than 10 years, and utilities simply buy gas for delivery, charging customers what they pay for it without a markup, and charging an additional sum for transporting the gas to the customers' meters. PG&E says its "delivery rates have not changed significantly for several years."

PG&E has joined the chorus of Californians who, wounded in the wallet, are blaming "price gouging" energy companies for high bills. Chief executive Gordon R. Smith said "We recognize that this dramatic increase in the market price of gas will be very difficult for many of our customers, and we would like to be able to cushion the blow. However, Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s current financial position, resulting from the outrageous wholesale electric prices we are being forced to pay on behalf of our customers, prevents us from being able to finance this high cost and spreading it out over a few months."

Just to make sure customers know who to blame, Smith continued "What should be noted is that many of the companies who have declined to sell us natural gas are the same companies who own power plants in California and are currently charging as much as 30 times what it costs them to generate the power."

In August 1997, another PG&E Corp. subsidiary purchased 15 power plants with a combined capacity of around 5,000 megawatts from New England Electric System. Now, a pledge from PG&E Corp. to charge cost-based rates to New England utilities might get Smith a little sympathy. But the price for the NEES plants was $1.59 billion, and it's likely PG&E will try to get its money back as fast as possible. Just like the companies that bought its plants in California.

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