NewsData’s Energy West: Recent Episodes
NewsData
Newsdata’s Energy West podcast delivers in-depth conversations with energy experts and weekly news updates about the energy industry in California, the Northwest and beyond. Stay plugged in with Newsdata’s award-winning journalists.
Follow along as Jason Fordney and Abigail Sawyer catch us up on the West's top stories from the past few weeks.
In the latest episode of the Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole looks at the hot temperatures that recently scorched the West, including Arizona’s heat emergency, a new record high peak demand in the Northwest, new research that says climate-driven droughts will lead to more greenhouse gas emissions, offshore wind of Oregon, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
After more than 30 years at NewsData, publisher Mark Ohrenschall is retiring. Before he leaves, he talks with Jason Fordney, Abigail Sawyer and Dan Catchpole about his time at the company, journalism and the energy industry.
California Energy Market's Jason Fordney covers the top stories from the West this week.
In this episode of Energy West, California Energy Markets Editor Jason Fordney gives a rundown of the latest energy news in the Golden State and beyond, including how wholesale cost to serve load in the California Independent System Operator doubled between 2020 and 2022; a request for rehearing from the California Community Choice Association of a state regulator decision to restrict CCA expansion because of resource-adequacy requirement failures; and a new rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission designed to address the severe backlog of interconnection requests from new generation resources across the U.S. Energy West is available at www.newsdata.com as well as on all the major podcast hosting platforms.
In the latest episode of the Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about concerns that CAISO’s extended day-ahead market could short-circuit the Western Resource Adequacy Program, Energy Northwest and X-Energy’s plans to build 12 small modular nuclear reactors, CAISO’s new subscriber-funded model for new transmission lines, Bonneville Power Administration sizing up day-ahead market offerings from CAISO and the Southwest Power Pool, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
In the latest episode of the Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about about the state of transmission planning in the West, California’s (good) battery boom, Bonneville Power Administration’s announcement of $2 billion in transmission system upgrades, fewer public safety power shut-offs in northern California, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
In the latest episode of the Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about Western transmission’s problem of the commons, zero-emission trucking in California, limits to offshore wind’s economic benefits, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Listen in as Jason Fordney discusses highlights from this past week in the energy industry on the west coast and northwest.
In the latest episode of the Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about state regulators talking utilities to task for vague decarbonization planning, worries about where California will get enough energy to meet its clean energy goals, high prices in Washington’s carbon emissions cap-and-invest program, and more.
Register now for NewsData’s virtual conference “Western Resource Adequacy: Progress, Perils & Paths Forward” on June 22-23. More information at newsdata.com/conf.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
In the latest episode of the Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Ener-gy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the largest hydropower dam removal in history getting underway, Shasta County’s dismissing criminal charges against PacifiCorp after reaching a settlement, truckers’ concerns that California’s zero-emission requirements for long-haul trucking are coming on too fast, battery storage becoming a regular part of utilities’ resource acquisitions, and more.
Register now for NewsData’s virtual conference “Western Resource Adequacy: Progress, Perils & Paths Forward” on June 22-23. More information at newsdata.com/conf.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
In the latest episode of the Energy West podcast, Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about obstacles to building offshore wind off California, interconnection delays across the country, Washington delaying new building codes in the wake of the 9th Circuit Court’s Berkeley decision, PacifiCorp booking a $120 million first quarter loss due to the 2020 Labor Day weekend wildfires, and more
Register now for NewsData’s virtual conference “Western Resource Adequacy: Progress, Perils & Paths Forward” on June 22-23. More information at newsdata.com/conf.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about what’s going on in the energy industry in the West.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at NewsData’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Unlike the rest of North America, the West’s power grid outside California is a patchwork of utility fiefdoms generating, wheeling and distributing electricity. Centralized electricity markets dominate the rest of the continent.
There is widespread consensus in the energy industry that the West needs greater coordination if it’s going to decarbonize and keep the lights on in millions of homes from New Mexico to British Columbia. Two organizations—the Southwest Power Pool and the California ISO—are pushing competing proposals to create a day-ahead and real-time market in the West.
NewsData’s Abigail Sawyer, Jason Fordney and Dan Catchpole have been closely covering these evolutions. They recently sat down to discuss the proposals, what’s happened so far and what could happen next.Read more coverage from NewsData’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about income and racial disparities in the home solar market, volatility concerns of some BPA customers, Salt River Project adding more grid storage, the uncertain fate of NW Natural’s renewable hydrogen pilot project, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from the energy industry on the northwest and west coast.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about California studying expanding its energy market, rising CAISO prices, wind power off the West Coast, EV battery makers, demand response’s increasing importance in the Northwest, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at NewsData’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about updated load-management standards by the California Energy Commission, the Northwest falling short of its six-year energy efficiency target, how much millionaires in California should pay for new electric vehicle chargers and wildfire mitigation, the huge amount of solar power that FERC expects to be built by 2025, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about Southwest Power Pool’s vision for an RTO in the West, intrigue and in-fighting in Arizona’s Salt River Project, a growing rift between Northwest public power utilities and the White House, environmentalists’ objections to hydrogen fuel development, and a push in the Northwest to ban sales of gas-powered cars. They also discuss the tragic death of industry leader Therese Hampton.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about:
- expediting utility undergrounding,
- Jason's response to opinion columns in the LA Times about whether or not rural California towns that were destroyed by wildfires should be rebuilt,
- Southwest Power Pool's draft service offering,
- and electric transportation news.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at NewsData’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney discuss expanding the Southwest Power Pool’s regional transmission organization into the West, California’s ambitious plan to install 250,000 EV chargers, the reliability of hydropower in the West during droughts, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about how the Northwest helped California keep the lights on during its early September heat wave–and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about one of the worst wildfire weekends in the West this year.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
UPDATE: Since this was recorded, several more Western utilities said they are also moving forward with the next phase of Southwest Power Pool’s market proposal for the West.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Abigail Sawyer talk about efforts by California lawmakers to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant operating, growing support for the Southwest Power Pool’s market proposal for the West and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @energy_abigail.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about two top Washington elected officials say they’re in no rush to breach the four lower Snake River dams, California is one (big) step closer to requiring all new cars are zero-emission by 2035, Western AGs join to oppose natural gas pipeline expansion, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata, @CEMnewsdata, @dcatchpole and @fordneyenergy.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about California ISO’s latest market proposal, a major step forward for the West’s new surplus capacity sharing program, a much quieter wildfire season, NW Natural’s hydrogen project to reduce carbon emissions, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata and @CEMnewsdata.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about California’s huge offshore wind goals, upgrading transmission lines to reach clean energy goals, lawmakers pushing CAISO to expand into a regional market and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata and @CEMnewsdata.
Due to vacation plans, NewsData's Energy West Weekly Wrap Up is off this week. Jason and Dan will be back next week with the latest on what's happening in the West.
Stay current with the latest power industry news at NewsData's Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Listen in as Jason Fordney and Abigail Sawyer discuss highlights from the energy industry in the northwest and west coast. This episode was recorded on April 1.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the state and federal regulators’ increasing focus on the critical need for more transmission lines, the West’s increasing momentum toward organized markets, California’s $7 million push to electrify trucking, why Oregon is the “Saudi Arabi of offshore wind,” and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Follow us on Twitter: @CUnewsdata and @CEMnewsdata.
In the latest episode of NewsData's Energy West podcast, California Energy Markets Editor Jason Fordney and Clearing Up Associate Editor Dan Catchpole discuss happenings at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' Summer Policy Summit in San Diego this week, a new study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that says breaching the Lower Snake River dams is necessary to protect salmon populations, comments from a top federal energy regulator on transmission development, and more!
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the eye-popping cost estimate of replacing the four federally-owned dams on the lower Snake River dam, California state agencies’ newfound ability to procure generation, cost projections for Washington’s carbon cap and invest program, and more.
California’s sweeping energy legislation to boost the grid’s capacity–even if it includes fossil fuel resources, the latest assessment of taking down the lower Snake River dams, possibly keeping the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant longer than previously planned, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at NewsData’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the California’s sweeping energy legislation to boost the grid’s capacity–even if it includes fossil fuel resources, the latest assessment of taking down the lower Snake River dams, possibly keeping the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant longer than previously planned, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the increasingly volatile conditions in the West’s wholesale markets, resource adequacy plans in California, BPA’s outlook for secondary sales, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the calls for more oversight of Pacific Gas & Electric, bold predictions for the future of wind energy, more money for Bonneville Power Administration’s salmon mitigation programs, tech giants’ turn toward renewable energy, and more.
Read more about what’s happening in the power industry in the West at Newsdata’s Clearing Up and California Energy Markets.
In the latest episode of Energy West, California Energy Markets Editor Jason Fordney and Associate Editor Abigail Sawyer dive into the California Air Resources Board's latest zero-emission vehicle proposal, $18 million in grants awarded by the California Energy Commission, mixed reactions to the Inslee-Murray lower Snake River dams report, a Norwegian battery maker's plans to open a factory in Washington state, and more!
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the Southwest Power Pool’s governance straw proposal for Markets+, consternation over FERC’s refund order, and more.
Learn more about regional market conditions and near-term market outlooks at the 6th Annual Pacific Northwest Wholesale Power Markets Conference. The June 23-24 virtual event—co-presented by NewsData and CJB Energy Economics—will feature leading energy officials from around the Northwest and beyond.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about Dan’s scoop that the Bonneville Power Administration is considering joining an informal group exploring regional market structures in the West, the hidden risk of sleeping cybersecurity intrusions, how state energy policies in California are falling short of long-term emissions goals, Newsdata’s 40th anniversary, Jason’s bands and more.
Learn more about regional market conditions and near-term market outlooks at the 6th Annual Pacific Northwest Wholesale Power Markets Conference. The June 23-24 virtual event—co-presented by NewsData and CJB Energy Economics—will feature leading energy officials from around the Northwest and beyond.
Clearing Up's Dan Catchpole and California Energy Markets' Jason Fordney talk about the elevated risk of blackouts and other loss of load across the West this summer, possible progress on the Columbia River Treaty, CPUC’s approval of SoCal Edison storage projects and more.
Learn more about regional market conditions and near-term market outlooks at the 6th Annual Pacific Northwest Wholesale Power Markets Conference. The June 23-24 virtual event—co-presented by NewsData and CJB Energy Economics—will feature leading energy officials from around the Northwest and beyond.
The power industry’s traditional forecasting models were built for a different world. Newsdata reporter and host Dan Catchpole and co-host Josh Keeling of Cadeo Group talk to Ben Kujala, the outgoing head of power planning at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, about the 2021 Power Plan and forecasting the future amid tectonic shifts in the industry. They also discuss the fate of the lower Snake River dams.
This week, Clearing Up’s Dan Catchpole and CEM’s Jason Fordney talk about concerns about the energy system this summer in California, regulators pinning California blackouts on climate change, greenlights for PacifiCorp’s Energy Gateway transmission project and more.
Newsdata and CJB Energy Economics are hosting the 6th annual Pacific Northwest Wholesale Power Markets Conference, June 23 and 24. The conference covers the latest on current energy market conditions and near-term market outlooks around the West. Find more information at Newsdata.com.
Follow Newsdata’s publications on Twitter: Clearing Up and CEM.
Read more of Newsdata’s coverage of energy in the West at Newsdata.com.
This week, Clearing Up’s Dan Catchpole and CEM’s Jason Fordney talk about Western state regulators’ wariness about FERC changing federal rules for transmission planning and cost allocation, development of small modular nuclear reactors, the Bonneville Power Administration joining the Western Energy Imbalance Market and much more.
Newsdata and CJB Energy Economics are hosting the 6th annual Pacific Northwest Wholesale Power Markets Conference, June 23 and 24. The conference covers the latest on current energy market conditions and near-term market outlooks around the West. Find more information at Newsdata.com.
Follow Newsdata’s publications on Twitter: Clearing Up and CEM.
Read more of Newsdata’s coverage of energy in the West at Newsdata.com.
This week, Clearing Up’s Dan Catchpole and CEM’s Abigail Sawyer talk about forming organized markets in the West, the latest in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s corruption case, an update on the 2021 explosion at the 600 MW Russell City Energy Center natural gas-fired power plant, offshore wind development, and Energy West’s first reader mail!
This extended episode of Energy West features an interview with Jason Hunter, a former employee of Riverside Public Utilities who for the past several years has been a whistleblower. For more than two years, in its “Tangled Web” series, CEM has been covering the situation around the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and its former general manager, David Wright. This week, on April 25, Wright was sentenced to six years in prison for accepting bribes from a lawyer in exchange for official action to secure a three-year, $30-million, no-bid LADWP contract for the lawyer’s company. The topic of this podcast is not LADWP, but Wright’s activities at RPU, which Hunter has been working to expose. Hunter’s allegations about Wright were backed up by a report completed in May 2019 by a private investigator hired by the City of Riverside Human Resources Department. Don’t miss this in-depth exploration of corruption in Southern California!
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from the energy industry on the northwest and west coast. This episode was recorded on April 26.
This week, Clearing Up’s Dan Catchpole sits down with the Department of Energy’s Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Michelle Manary to talk about DOE’s $2.5 billion program to jumpstart new transmission construction.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from the energy industry on the northwest and west coast. This episode was recorded on April 4.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from the energy industry on the northwest and west coast. This episode was recorded on March 25.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from the energy industry on the northwest and west coast. This episode was recorded on March 21.
The Northwest power system needs to decarbonize to fight climate change. That will allow transportation, buildings and other sectors to decarbonize, too. But how does the energy industry get there?
Guest Steve Wright, former head of the Bonneville Power Administration and Chelan County PUD, talks to Newsdata reporter and host Dan Catchpole and co-host Josh Keeling of Cadeo Group about how the Northwest energy industry already is changing and how much more it has to evolve to meet new challenges, such as maintaining reliability when renewable energy resources make up the bulk of generation.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from the energy industry on the northwest and west coast. This episode was recorded on March 14.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from February 28 through March 4 in the energy industry on the west coast and northwest.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from February 19-28 in the energy industry on the west coast and northwest.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from February 11-18 in the energy industry on the west coast and northwest.
Listen in as Dan Catchpole and Jason Fordney discuss highlights from February 1-7 in the energy industry on the west coast and northwest.