FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Illinois Regulator Approves ComEd's 345-kV Transmission Project in Illinois

By

Exelon (EXC) utility Commonwealth Edison said Monday that the Illinois Commerce Commission approved its plan to build a new transmission line in DeKalb County aimed at strengthening grid reliability and accommodating rising electricity demand.

The regulator issued the company a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Kishwaukee Area Reliability Extension, or KARE, project, authorizing the utility to proceed with the infrastructure development.

The project, located south of the city of DeKalb, will include a double-circuit 345-kilovolt overhead transmission line extending about 6 miles along an existing right-of-way, as well as a new 345-kV and 138-kV substation.

An existing ComEd transmission line will also be extended to connect with the new substation near the intersection of Keslinger Road and Crego Road in Afton Township.

The company said the project will reinforce the region's transmission system and provide capacity to connect future customers, businesses and other facilities as electricity demand grows. It also said that it could accommodate the future interconnection of renewable energy resources.

"KARE represents the least cost and best fit approach to meeting the growing demand for electricity in the area," ComEd Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer David Perez said.

The KARE development is ComEd's first transmission line requiring ICC siting approval since the 60-mile Grand Prairie Gateway entered service in 2017.

Related Articles

Commodities

Update: Market Chatter: Cheniere's Corpus Christi LNG Plant Sees Lower Gas Flows During Maintenance

(Updates with Cheniere's comments in the 4th paragraph.)Cheniere Energy's (LNG) Corpus Christi LNG export plant in Texas continued to see reduced natural gas demand on Monday as planned maintenance work continued, Reuters reported, citing preliminary data from LSEG.The facility was reportedly on track to consume about 1.8 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, below its typical intake of around 2.6 Bcf/d.Feedgas deliveries to US LNG export plants totaled about 16.7 Bcf/d on Monday, below national capacity of nearly 18 Bcf/d, Reuters said.In an emailed response to, a Cheniere spokesperson confirmed that Corpus Christi Liquefaction has been undergoing planned maintenance activities but declined to comment on timing and the units involved.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

$LNG
Commodities

Market Chatter: Lukoil's Perm Refinery Faces 2nd Unit Outage After Ukraine Drone Strike

A Ukrainian drone strike on Friday forced Lukoil's Perm refinery to suspend operations after the attack ignited a fire and damaged processing equipment, Reuters reported Monday, citing two industry sources.The CDU-4 unit can process 14,000 metric tons of oil daily and accounts for almost 40% of capacity, while preliminary estimates put repairs at one to two weeks, sources said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Ukraine's forces carried out a strike on the Perm refinery, the report said.Another refining unit, CDU-5, representing 34% of capacity, has remained offline since a July 29 drone strike, according to the report. Lukoil did not immediately reply to' request for comment.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Futures Ease as Ample Supply Offsets Hotter Weather Forecasts

US natural gas futures prices softened in after-hours trading Monday as ample supply and mixed weather forecasts outweighed hotter conditions expected in parts of the Midwest and Northeast.The front-month Henry Hub contract fell 0.69% to $2.754 per million British thermal units, while the continuous contract declined 0.14% to $2.807/MMBtu.Natural gas prices weakened during Monday's session despite warmer forecasts for the Northeast and Midwest, as cooler revisions elsewhere across the Lower 48 limited the impact of the bullish weather outlook.Aegis Hedging said weekend weather-model changes were mixed, with forecasts turning warmer across the Northeast and Midwest but cooler across much of the rest of the Lower 48. The most significant shift was in the Midwest, where temperatures increased by more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit across the forecast period.Overall, near-term cooling demand is expected to ease, with cooling degree days around 12 this week, according to Criterion. Demand is forecast to strengthen next week, when CDDs are expected to climb above 13, Aegis said.Supply provided additional pressure on prices. Lower 48 production fell to 111.4 Bcf/d on Monday, according to Gelber & Associates, lending some underlying support to the market, though the decline could prove temporary.LNG feedgas demand stood at 17.8 Bcf/d, with flows constrained by the slow ramp-up at Golden Pass and ongoing maintenance at Freeport LNG and Cheniere Energy's Corpus Christi facility.