On November 5, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an update on the Energy Infrastructure in the country, related to natural gas and hydropower, and covering the highlight for electric generation and transmissions.

One pipeline project was placed in service in September, while another three were certified, and one other pipeline project was proposed.

A total of 10 pipeline projects have been placed into service between January and September of 2018, whereas the same timeframe in 2017, a total of 18 were put in service. Forty-two pipeline projects have been certified in the first nine months of the year, while last year only 27 were certified.

No storage facilities were put into service in those months, and only a single one was put into service in 2017. Four storage facilities were certified, as opposed to only one in 2017.

One liquefied natural gas (LNG) project was put in service for exports, and none were certified for either imports or exports. Last year there were two LNG projects put in service in that timeframe, but none were certified.

As for electric generation, six different projects were put online in September. Three wind plants went online in September, whereas 32 have been brought online in the first nine months. Nine solar power facilities also went online, part of the 310 that have been put in action since January

Four coal plants have gone online this year, along with 68 natural gas facilities, one nuclear facility, 11 oil facilities, ten water, 11 biomass, two geothermal steam, and two waste heat facilities; none of these went online in September. This is compared to the same time period last year, where no coal plants, 79 natural gas, one nuclear, 18 oil, 12 water, 55 wind, 25 biomass, one geothermal steam, and 433 solar facilities were brought online.

There were a large number of proposed additions and retirements of facilities with the goal of being finished by October 2021. For coal there was one addition and 74 retirements; 291 additions and 112 retirements for natural gas; eight additions and retirements for nuclear power; 18 additions and 22 retirements for oil; 252 additions and 19 retirements for water; 57 additions and 24 retirements for biomass; 22 additions and no retirements for geothermal steam; 2,020 additions and five retirements for solar power; six additions and no retirements for waste heat; and 88 additions labeled under the “other” category, which encompasses  “purchased steam, tires, and miscellaneous technology such as batteries, fuel cells, energy storage, and fly wheel.”

The only update FERC had for hydropower was: “NorthWestern Corporation was issued an order raising the capacity of its Missouri-Madison Project No. 2188 from 303.500 MW to 305.240 MW. The project is located on the Missouri and Madison Rivers in Gallatin, Madison, Lewis and Clark and Cascade Counties, MT.”

There were no transmission activities in September that needed to be highlighted in the report, no projects were completed in that month.

• FERC