ISO New England Inc. will open its fifteenth annual forward capacity market auction to procure the capacity resources needed to meet electricity demand for the 2024-2025 delivery period. The grid operator proposed an installed capacity requirement of 34,153 megawatts for this auction. Clearing prices have declined since peaking at $9.55 per kilowatt-month in 2015 and hit an all-time low of $2 per kilowatt-month last year. The previous auction received commitments for nearly 34 gigawatts for the 2023–2024 commitment period, with 1,466 megawatts of surplus supply over the net installed capacity requirement.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority is due to receive a joint procurement plan from electric distribution companies for low-emission and zero-emission facilities as it seeks to review the plans and establish tariffs for non-residential customers who install such projects on their premises. Last month, the agency issued a draft decision regarding tariff options for residential customers to buy products generated from a Class I renewable energy source located on their premises. The decision proposed two options consisting of a netting tariff with a monthly netting interval and an export rate at the applicable retail rates and a “buy-all” tariff with a fixed compensation rate over the term. 20-07-01

The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive a proposal from its staff on modernizing the natural gas system planning process. In light of moratoria invoked by utilities claiming supply constraints, the commission opened a proceeding in March 2020 to consider issues related to gas distribution companies’ planning procedures. The commission noted that conventional gas planning and operational practices have not kept pace with recent developments and demands on energy systems. The proceeding seeks to explore improvements that meet customer needs and expectations in a transparent and equitable manner, while minimizing infrastructure investments and ensuring reliable service. The commission underscored that planning must be consistent with the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires the state to achieve carbon-free power by 2040. READ MORE

PJM Interconnection LLC, which manages the electric grid across 13 states and the District of Columbia, will discuss enhancements to its capacity market. This will be the first in a series of four workshops that the grid operator announced in January to gather stakeholder input, in order to determine a path forward for advancing market design enhancements. The workshop will discuss historical elements of the market with a focus on framing the scope of the improvements to be considered including guiding principles. The grid operator’s long-delayed capacity auction, for the 2022-2023 delivery year, is set to take place in May under market reforms directed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. READ MORE

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is due to receive applications for grants to facilitate the development of dual-port EV Level 2 charging stations in public settings to further bolster the presence of electric vehicles in the state. The grant opportunity is derived from Minnesota’s share of $47 million from federal settlement funds issued by Volkswagen in the wake of the emissions-reporting fraudulence the German automaker was found guilty of in 2017. Other projects within the state employing Minnesota’s portion of the settlement include an electric school bus pilot program and expenses geared towards the maintenance of heavy-duty electric vehicles and off-road equipment. READ MORE

The Nevada Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments regarding the applicabilIty of the Utility Environmental Protection Act to standalone energy storage projects. In March 2020, the commission established biennial energy storage procurement targets to reach the state’s goal of 1 gigawattby 2030, which would require the state’s electric utilities to quadruple their storage capacity by the end of 2024. As this is expected to significantly increase the amount of standalone systems over the next few years, commission staff seeks to determine how the aforementioned law is applied. READ MORE

The Nevada Public Utilities Commission will discuss Southwest Gas Corporation’s application for authority to purchase renewable natural gas, or RNG, to be included in its supply portfolio. The request is in accordance with 2019 legislation, which requires at least 3 percent of the company’s total retail gas sales by 2035 to be derived from RNG. Upon incorporation into its supply portfolio, Southwest’s customers would receive a combination of RNG and conventional natural gas. Portfolio purchases would include environmental attributes if applicable. READ MORE