Utilities
Tag: Utilities
California power regulators cast doubt on utility’s plans
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — California power regulators are poised to reprimand Pacific Gas & Electric for continuing to neglect its electrical grid that...
Japan’s Toshiba president steps down amid acquisition talks
TOKYO (AP) — The president of Toshiba Corp. stepped down Wednesday, a week after the Japanese technology and manufacturing giant said it was studying...
Japan to start releasing Fukushima water into sea in 2 years
TOKYO (AP) — Japan's government announced Tuesday it would start releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean...
Thousands rally in Serbia to protect the environment
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Protesters in Serbia rallied Saturday demanding that the government protect the environment in a Balkan nation that has seen record...
Airlines pull Boeing Max jets to inspect electrical systems
Airlines pulled dozens of Boeing Max 737s out of service for inspections after the aircraft maker told them about a possible electrical problem, the...
Japan to announce Fukushima water release into sea soon
TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government has decided to dispose of massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water stored in tanks at the...
California’s Pacific Gas & Electric charged in 2019 wildfire
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California prosecutor filed 33 criminal charges Tuesday accusing troubled Pacific Gas & Electric of inadvertently injuring six firefighters and...
Eating our lunch: Biden points to China in development push
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing for trillions of dollars in development spending, President Joe Biden and Democratic lawmakers are directing Americans’ eyes to the rear-view...
Eating our lunch: Biden points to China in development push
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing for trillions of dollars in development spending, President Joe Biden and Democratic lawmakers are directing Americans’ eyes to the rear-view...
SKorea’s LG to exit loss-making mobile phone business
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean electronics maker LG said Monday it is getting out of its loss-making mobile phone business to focus...
Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan resume talks on big dam amid tensions
CAIRO (AP) — A new round of talks between three African nations began Saturday, officials said, aimed at resolving a yearslong dispute over a...
Biden aims to juice EV sales, but would his plan work?
DETROIT (AP) — Dangling tax credits and rebates in his drive to fight climate change, President Joe Biden wants you to trade your gas-burning...
Western rivers face pinch as another dry year takes shape
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — As several states in the American West face intense drought, it’s shaping up to be a very difficult year for...
Biden’s ‘jobs Cabinet’ to sell infrastructure as GOP resists
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is setting about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, deputizing a five-member “jobs Cabinet” to...
US looks to keep critical sectors safe from cyberattacks
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Biden administration official says the government is undertaking a new effort to help electric utilities, water districts and other...
Biden aims to juice EV sales, but would his plan work?
DETROIT (AP) — Dangling tax credits and rebates in his drive to fight climate change, President Joe Biden wants you to trade your gas-burning...
Biden’s ‘Jobs Cabinet’ to sell infrastructure as GOP resists
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden set about convincing America it needs his $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan on Thursday, deputizing a five-member “jobs Cabinet”...
In stark warning, Egypt leader says Nile water ‘untouchable’
ISMAILIA, Egypt (AP) — Egypt’s president said Tuesday his country’s share of the Nile River's waters are “untouchable" in a stark warning apparently to...
Electric firm spending $25M on Georgia warehouse, hiring 120
MCDONOUGH, Ga. (AP) — A company that makes and sells electrical components will invest more than $25 million to create a distribution center in...
GOP lawmakers take aim at Arizona renewable energy standards
PHOENIX (AP) — As states across the U.S. West beef up their renewable energy requirements, a push to do so in Arizona has been...
Biden boosts offshore wind energy, wants to power 10M homes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is moving to sharply increase offshore wind energy along the East Coast, saying Monday it is taking initial...
New Mexico sues US over proposed nuclear waste storage plans
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico sued the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday over concerns that the federal agency hasn’t done enough to...
Texas death toll from February storm, outages surpasses 100
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas officials on Thursday raised the death toll from February's winter storm and blackouts to at least 111 people —...
Congress questions Texas officials about power grid failure
DALLAS (AP) — Congress is looking into last month’s massive and deadly power outages across Texas and questioning officials who oversee the state’s...
Canada’s Supreme Court says carbon price is constitutional
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national carbon price is entirely constitutional.
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California power grid operators try to avert blackout replay
LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s primary power grid manager approved plans Wednesday aimed at averting a repeat of the blackouts that rolled across parts...
Judge mulls requiring PG&E to turn off power more frequently
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge overseeing Pacific Gas & Electric's criminal probation said Tuesday that he is considering requiring the utility...
Damage from virus: Utility bills overwhelm some households
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Millions of U.S. households are facing heavy past-due utility bills, which have escalated in the year since the pandemic...
Report: California wildfire sparked when tree hit power line
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Northern California wildfire that killed four people and destroyed more than 200 buildings last year was sparked when tree...
Feds want to fix canal, but Nevada town lives off the leaks
FERNLEY, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada town founded a century ago by pioneers lured to the West by the promise of free land and...
Strong quake shakes Japan; minor injuries, no major damage
TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake struck Saturday off northern Japan, shaking buildings even in Tokyo and triggering a tsunami advisory for a part...
DeWine picks ex-judge as new Ohio utility commission chair
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former county judge was selected Friday by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine as the next chair of the Public Utilities...
Texas company behind huge electricity bills seeks bankruptcy
The company that drew attention after sending huge electricity bills to customers after last month’s blackout-causing winter storm in Texas has filed for bankruptcy...
Mexico’s ex-oil boss quits; Fuel oil burn to increase
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The former leader of Mexico’s oil workers’ union will finally be resigning from his symbolic post as a worker at...
Ethiopia rejects outside mediation in Nile River dam dispute
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — An Ethiopian official said on Tuesday that his government opposes calls by Sudan for outside mediators including the United States...
Timing key in consulting deal between FirstEnergy, regulator
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Shortly before a utility lawyer and lobbyist was appointed Ohio’s top regulator of electric and power generating companies, he received...
Korea’s LG to invest $4.5 billion in its US battery business
NEW YORK (AP) — LG Energy Solution says it will invest more than $4.5 billion in its U.S. battery production business by 2025 as...
EXPLAINER: How dangerous is the Fukushima nuke plant today?
OKUMA, Japan (AP) — A decade ago, a massive tsunami crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Three of its reactors melted down,...
Still recovering, Japan marks 10 years since tsunami hit
TOKYO (AP) — Japan fell quiet at 2:46 p.m. Thursday to mark the minute that an earthquake began 10 years ago, setting off a...
As climate fight shifts to oil, Biden faces a formidable foe
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s bid to tackle climate change is running straight through the heart of the U.S. oil and gas...
Japan’s recovery from tsunami disaster, by the numbers
TOKYO (AP) — Ten years after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan’s northeastern coast, triggering meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, much...
Senate confirms Fudge to lead housing agency, Regan for EPA
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development and North Carolina...
Lawsuits expected over Mexican law on power generation
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The International Chamber of Commerce’s Mexico chapter said Wednesday it expects a wave of lawsuits, legal appeals and international investor-dispute...
GE, AerCap join air leasing businesses in $30 billion deal
General Electric is combining its aircraft leasing business with Ireland’s AerCap Holdings in a deal valued at more than $30 billion, a big step...
Japan seeks ‘recovery of people’s hearts’ decade after quake
TOMIOKA, Japan (AP) — Ten years after Japan's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, the lives of many who survived are still on hold.
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Biden hopes to boost offshore wind as Mass. project advances
WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge wind farm off the Massachusetts coast is edging closer to federal approval, setting up what the Biden administration hopes...
Trump policy that weakened wild bird protections is revoked
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration on Monday reversed a policy imposed under former President Donald Trump that drastically weakened the government's power...
Germany gives nuke plant operators $2.9B for early shutdown
BERLIN (AP) — The German government said Friday it has agreed with four utility companies that they will receive a combined 2.4 billion euros...
AP Interview: DOE reviving loan program, Granholm says
WASHINGTON (AP) — As part of its clean-energy agenda, the Biden administration is reviving an Energy Department program that disbursed billions of dollars in...
US-China tensions threaten global climate change efforts
WASHINGTON (AP) — The world’s hopes for curbing climate change hinge on action by two giant nations whose relations are deteriorating: China and the...
House panel seeks storm documents from Texas grid operator
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee is investigating the agency that operates the Texas power grid, seeking information and documents about the lack...
Water crisis continues in Mississippi, weeks after cold snap
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s largest city is still struggling with water problems more than two weeks after winter storms and freezing weather ravaged...
Mexico Senate passes energy bill favoring state, fossil fuel
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Senate passed an electrical energy bill that favors government-owned generating plants that largely run on fossil fuels Tuesday, putting...
Farmers in Fukushima plant indigo to rebuild devastated town
MINAMISOMA, Japan (AP) — Because of radiation released by the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster a decade ago, farmers in nearby Minamisoma weren't allowed to...
Texas power company seeks bankruptcy protection after storm
The largest and oldest power cooperative in Texas is filing for bankruptcy protection, citing last month’s winter storm that left millions without power, and...
Texas top utility regulator quits in fallout over blackouts
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' top utilities regulator resigned Monday in the widening fallout from blackouts triggered by an unusually heavy and widespread winter...
AG sues Texas utility over customers’ sky-high energy bills
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas' attorney general said Monday he's suing electricity provider Griddy for passing along massive bills to its customers during last...
Texas jail inmates hungry, shivering during unusual freeze
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When an unusually heavy winter storm blanketed much of Texas with snow, knocking out electricity to millions of homes and...
White House climate czar to AP: Texas storm ‘a wake-up call’
WASHINGTON (AP) — The deadly winter storm that caused widespread power outages in Texas and other states is a “wake-up call” for the United...
Water near Arizona Air Force base is tainted in latest case
PHOENIX (AP) — The U.S. Air Force says it will be distributing bottled water to thousands of residents and business owners near its base...
‘Who is at fault?’ Investigation into Texas blackout begins
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The catastrophic Texas blackout was a wider failure than the state's power grid, which teetered on the brink of an...
Former Michigan Gov. Granholm confirmed as energy secretary
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm won Senate confirmation Thursday to be energy secretary, joining President Joe Biden's Cabinet as a leader...
Southern exposure: Cold wreaks havoc on aging waterworks
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The sunshine is back, and the ice has melted. But more than a week after a deep freeze across the...
Trash fills Bosnia river faster than workers can pull it out
VISEGRAD, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Environmental activists in Bosnia are warning that tons of garbage floating down the Balkan country’s rivers are endangering the local...
France extends lifetime of its oldest nuclear reactors
PARIS (AP) — France’s nuclear safety authority agreed Thursday to extend the operational lifetime of the country’s 32 oldest nuclear reactors by a decade...
Wildfire victims sue former PG&E executives alleging neglect
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — A trust representing more than 80,000 victims of deadly wildfires ignited by Pacific Gas and Electric’s rickety electrical grid...
Top board leaders resign after deadly Texas power outages
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Top board leaders of Texas’ embattled power grid operator said Tuesday they will resign following outrage over more than 4...
USPS selects Oshkosh Defense to build greener mail truck
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States Post Office said Tuesday that it has chosen Oshkosh Defense to build its next-generation mail-delivery vehicle, part of...
2 giraffes in Kenya park electrocuted by power lines
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s wildlife agency says two giraffes were electrocuted on Sunday when they walked into low-lying electric power transmission lines that...
Fukushima nuclear plant operator: Seismometers were broken
TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Monday that two seismometers at one of its three melted reactors...
Why some Texans are getting sky-high energy bills
After unusual icy weather left millions of Texans without power, some are facing another crisis: Sky-high electricity bills.
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Hospitals confront water shortages in winter storm aftermath
HOUSTON (AP) — Hospitals across the South grappled with water shortages Sunday in the wake of a devastating winter storm as the region carried...
Why some Texans are getting sky-high energy bills
After unusual icy weather left millions of Texans without power, some are facing another crisis: Sky-high electricity bills.
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Power failure: How a winter storm pushed Texas into crisis
HOUSTON (AP) — Two days before the storm began, Houston’s chief elected official warned her constituents to prepare as they would for a major...
Frozen pipes, electric woes remain as cold snap eases grip
DALLAS (AP) — Higher temperatures spread across the southern United States on Saturday, bringing relief to a winter-weary region that faces a challenging clean-up...
Senator seeks probe of natural gas price spikes during storm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic senator is calling for federal investigations into possible price gouging of natural gas in the Midwest and other regions...
Suspected hypothermia deaths in homes mount in Texas
DALLAS (AP) — With the snow and ice clearing in Texas after days of unusually cold temperatures, bodies are being found of people...
Southern cities hit hard by storms face new crisis: No water
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Southern cities slammed by winter storms that left millions without power for days have traded one crisis for another: Busted...
Texas governor’s biggest donors: Energy industry that failed
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — As frozen Texas reels under one of the worst electricity outages in U.S. history, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has blamed...
US: Aid pause to Ethiopia no longer linked to dam dispute
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United States says it has decided to “de-link” its suspension of millions of dollars of aid to Ethiopia from...
Water leaks indicate new damage at Fukushima nuclear plant
TOKYO (AP) — Cooling water levels have fallen in two reactors at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant since a powerful earthquake hit the area...
The Latest: Most of a Mississippi city is without water
The Latest on winter weather across the U.S. (all times local):
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Texas crisis has governor facing big backer: energy industry
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — As frozen Texas reels under one of the worst electricity outages in U.S. history, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has blamed...
Some electricity restored in Texas, but water woes grow
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Power was restored to more homes and businesses Thursday in states hit by a deadly blast of winter that overwhelmed...
Investor Icahn signals interest in buying FirstEnergy stock
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has signaled an interest in making a large purchase of voting shares from one of the...
Blackouts continue in Mexico as energy crisis spans border
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador urged Mexicans on Thursday to conserve electricity as rolling blackouts in the north and...
US needs to brace itself for more deadly storms, experts say
WASHINGTON (AP) — Deadly weather will be hitting the U.S. more often, and America needs to get better at dealing with it, experts said...
Snowstorm brings ‘most dangerous conditions’ seen by utility
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Nearly 150,000 customers remained without power Wednesday in and around Portland, Oregon, nearly a week after a massive snow and...
Frigid temperatures, power outages lead to water problems
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — About 7 million people in Texas — a quarter of the nation's second-most populous state — were told to boil...
‘A complete bungle’: Texas’ energy pride goes out with cold
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Anger over Texas' power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze continued to mount Wednesday as millions...
EXPLAINER: Why the power grid failed in Texas and beyond
DALLAS (AP) — The power outages tormenting Texas in uncharacteristically Arctic temperatures are exposing weaknesses in an electricity system designed when the weather's seasonal...
US needs to brace itself for more deadly storms, experts say
WASHINGTON (AP) — Deadly weather will be hitting the U.S. more often, and America had better get better at dealing with it, experts said...
Texas blackouts fuel false claims about renewable energy
With millions of Texas residents still without power amid frigid temperatures, conservative commentators have falsely claimed that wind turbines and solar energy were primarily...
Power outages linger for millions as another icy storm looms
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Millions of Americans endured another frigid day without electricity or heat in the aftermath of a deadly winter storm...
The Latest: Thousands remain without water, power in US
The Latest on winter weather across the U.S. (all times local):
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Ford to go all electric in Europe by 2030
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Ford is vowing to convert its entire passenger vehicle lineup in Europe to electric power by 2030 in just the...
U.S. industrial production climbs 0.9% in January
WASHINGTON (AP) — American industry expanded for the fourth consecutive month in January but has yet to recover fully to the level of activity...
‘A complete bungle’: Texas’ energy pride goes out with cold
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Anger over Texas' power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents...
Millions endure record cold without power; at least 20 dead
OCEAN ISLE BEACH, N.C. (AP) — A winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather claimed more lives Tuesday, including three...
The Latest: Biden says Milwaukee is ‘cold as the devil’
The Latest on winter weather across the U.S. (all times local):
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