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News
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LCG, September 30, 2025--Vistra Corp. announced yesterday that it will proceed with the next phase of its capital plan to support grid reliability in Texas. In 2024, Vistra identified over $1 billion worth of potential capital additions in generation capacity within the Texas ERCOT market by 2028 if market conditions were supportive. Now, with West Texas' growing power requirements, particularly the state's expanding oil and natural gas industries, Vistra reached a final investment decision and confirms it will build two new advanced natural gas-fired power units on-site at its Permian Basin Power Plant.
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LCG, September 24, 2025--Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. (ERCOT) yesterday announced its new initiative to increase its efforts to fully use and apply innovation and transformation through industry collaboration to best overcome the challenges and opportunities facing future grid operations. The new Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation (GRIT) initiative will advance research and prototyping of emerging concepts and solutions to better understand the implications of rapid grid and technology evolution and position ERCOT to lead in the future energy landscape.
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Industry News
Minnesota Power Moves Forward with Biomass Initiative
LCG, April 18, 2007--Minnesota Power announced earlier this week its plans to develop biomass resources as a key element to providing clean, renewable, "carbon-friendly" electricity to serve its customers. The plans are part of its "Biomass Initiative," a long-term energy plan that includes the evaluation and screening of a variety of biomass projects. Primary biomass feedstocks include wood waste and forestry residues.
The screening process included a number of factors, and those feasible projects with the best economics have now advanced to become finalists in the process. The short list includes the construction of 50-MW biomass fueled unit at Minnesota Power's Laskin Energy Center in Hoyt Lakes, and consuming biomass fuel at existing Minnesota Power facilities; and developing projects at customer sites which provide process improvements and generation additions.
Minnesota Power will work with other entities to further define the top projects, including the development of the biomass supply plan necessary to support the fuel requirements of the projects. The final plans will be submitted by Minnesota Power to the State as part of the company's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) later this year.
In February, Minnesota Governor Pawlenty signed legislation that requires electric utilities, including municipal power entities, to use renewable energy to supply 25% of retail electric sales to customers in Minnesota by the year 2025. The new law includes renewable supply goals for most utilities of 7% by 2010, 12% by 2012, 17% by 2016 and 20% by 2020. The largest electric utility, Xcel Energy Inc., has a higher goal of 30% by 2020.
Renewable supply resources include wind, hydroelectric, solar, biomass and hydrogen. Wind energy is specifically targeted to account for one quarter of the renewable supplies utilized.
The new law includes provisions to develop a renewable energy credit trading system that would allow utilities to trade in order to achieve renewable goals. Financial penalties may be assessed if goals are not met.
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UPLAN-NPM
The Locational Marginal Price Model (LMP) Network Power Model
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UPLAN-ACE
Day Ahead and Real Time Market Simulation
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UPLAN-G
The Gas Procurement and Competitive Analysis System
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PLATO
Database of Plants, Loads, Assets, Transmission...
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