utilities

(Runtime 1:00)Looking back on this past winter, some Northwest utilities have noticed they were really close to potential outages during extremely cold…

Four utilities in Washington state received funding from the U.S Department of Energy to strengthen the electrical grid against future wildfires and ensure reliability to customers. That funding comes from the federal Grid Resilience and Innovations Partnerships Program, which is investing in 58 projects across 44 states.

Washington's governor wants the state to start treating the internet the same way it treats electricity. That is, as a necessity. For example, many areas of the reservation of the Colville Tribes lacks broadband and therefore can't communicate with doctors through telemedicine.

A new federal report shows the amount of coal burned for power has fallen to its lowest point in almost 40 years. That’s because natural gas is cheap, renewable energy is growing and coal plants are shutting down.

Washington utility regulators say the Canadian utility Hydro One may not acquire the Spokane-based utility Avista. In a statement, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission said "the proposed merger does not serve the public interest."