The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center forecasts that the current El Niño event will persist through winter 2015-16 and into spring 2016. The El Niño began in June 2015, with a minimal impact but will grow in intensity until it peaks by early next winter. El Niño occurs when the surface water temperatures of….

The Massachusetts State Legislature recently allotted $250,000 to SBANE to advise small and medium-sized Massachusetts-based manufacturers making a business transition. Once manufacturers match the Commonwealth’s qualifications here, they can receive expert advice for improving the workplace and boosting their bottom line. On July 22nd, join MassMEC as SBANE reviews how your company can gain from….

Kinder Morgan Inc. reduced the extent of their NE gas pipeline plan in a 15-mile stretch of North Central Massachusetts and one-mile in Connecticut due to lack of customers, reports the Boston Globe. After Kinder recently filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Houston company cut off its Mass lateral line in Bolton, Berlin,….

Massachusetts electric utility customers are advised to wait at least 1 month before signing electric supply contracts, since the basic service rates dropped significantly from the high winter ones.  Eversource rates filed  for July onward on average are over 30% lower for Residents and Small C&I customers, while they are over 38% lower for Industrial….

ISO New England VP and COO Vamsi Chadalavada announced recently that New England power plants should handle this summer’s peak electricity demand, despite losing 570 MW worth of generation after closing Mount Tom Power Station and Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station: “The New England power grid is prepared to meet consumers’ needs for power this….

Richard Kinder, CEO of the country’s largest midstream company, Kinder Morgan (KMI), spoke  with CNBC last week and affirmed the possibility of starting the Northeast Direct Project soon with a “I think we will. ” “And the main problem here is it’s just ironic that the highest price for electricity and natural gas in the….

In March, public projects within National Grid service areas reached the 256.6 MW (megawatt) net metering cap for 2015. Massachusetts net metering caps are based off each utility’s historical peak MW energy demand, with a small percentage cap allocated toward private (4%) and public (5%) solar projects, falling short from the State’s 1600 MW goal. NGrid….

On April Thirteenth, MA D.P.U. ordered  utilities to eliminate the recalculation fees for residential and small C&I customers who switch from their electric utility to supplier, keeping the fees for medium-large C&I customers and tracking when utility-supplier switches are made. In their investigation beginning last year, the D.P.U. argued that waiving the fees would open….

On April Ninth, the MA Dept. of Public Utilities ordered an investigation into the pricing and procurement of basic service electricity, affected by two key issues: High Costs: Massachusetts faced historically high basic service costs over the past two winters, and the DPU will review a full range of possibilities for basic service procurement and….

courtesy of The Waltham News Tribune WALTHAM The Massachusetts Manufacturing Energy Collaborative (MassMEC), a buying group of manufacturers that reduces energy costs by purchasing energy supply in bulk, announced that more than 100 businesses – including two from Waltham – have signed on to participate in the collaborative to save on the rising cost of….