PJM Files Price Formation Reforms for Proper Valuation of Energy Reserves

PJM Files Price Formation Reforms for Proper Valuation of Energy Reserves

PJM Interconnection LLC on March 29 filed a proposal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revise its energy and reserve market rules to properly value the energy reserves that support grid reliability by providing the flexibility needed to accommodate the evolving resource mix. The grid operator said that the growing variability of power demand…...

Natural Gas Dethrones Coal in Nation's Largest Wholesale Electricity Market

Natural Gas Dethrones Coal in Nation’s Largest Wholesale Electricity Market

Natural gas accounted for nearly 31 percent of power generation in PJM Interconnection LLC’s footprint in 2018, surpassing coal’s share of about 29 percent, according to a March 18 report from the grid operator’s market monitor. Nuclear power dominated the region’s generating sector representing about 34 percent of the generation mix last year. Renewables had…...

FERC Drops Case Against Footprint Power for Alleged False Supply Offers in New England Power Market

FERC Drops Case Against Footprint Power for Alleged False Supply Offers in New England Power Market

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 25 ended its investigation into allegations that Footprint Power LLC made false and misleading power supply commitments in the summer of 2013 for its natural gas-fired Salem Harbor Power Plant in Salem, Massachusetts. The move follows the Office of Enforcement’s recommendation that the commission vacate its order to…...

New England Grid's Reliability Risks to Crop Up Year-Round With Shift to Gas, Renewables

New England Grid’s Reliability Risks to Crop Up Year-Round With Shift to Gas, Renewables

New England’s grid is undergoing a rapid change as nuclear, oil, and coal-fired power plants that operate with stored fuel are retiring in larger numbers, and are being replaced by natural-gas-fired plants and renewable generation. Natural gas accounted for 49 percent of the region’s power generation last year, up from just 15 percent in 2000…....

New England’s Evolving Resource Mix Makes Power System Operations More Complex

New England’s Evolving Resource Mix Makes Power System Operations More Complex: ISO-NE Report

New England’s power system is strong, but the changing resource mix, driven by industry trends and state policies, is making operations more complex, according to a Feb. 20 briefing on the state of the region’s grid by Gordon van Welie, president and CEO of ISO New England Inc. Nuclear, oil, and coal-fired power plants that…...

California Grid Operator Forms Oversight Committee to Advance Reliability Coordinator Services

California Grid Operator Forms Oversight Committee to Advance Reliability Coordinator Services

The California Independent System Operator Corporation on Feb. 20 announced that its reliability coordinator service, named RC West, established an oversight committee to “provide guidance and foster consensus on reliability compliance.” RC West has completed 39 service agreements with balancing authorities and transmission operators across the west. The ISO announced last month that it is…...

Midwest Grid Operator Delivered Up To $3.9 Billion in Benefits in 2018: MISO Report

Midwest Grid Operator Delivered Up To $3.9 Billion in Benefits in 2018: MISO Report

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. estimates that benefits in the range of $3.2 billion to $3.9 billion were realized in its region last year, according to the results of its annual value proposition study released on Feb. 19. The study, which identifies several factors that drive positive value, found that footprint diversity, wind integration,…...

PJM Staff to File Revised Price Formation Proposal as Stakeholders Fail to Reach Consensus

PJM Staff to File Revised Price Formation Proposal as Stakeholders Fail to Reach Consensus

PJM Interconnection LLC’s board of managers on Feb. 13 directed PJM staff to submit a revised version of its energy price formation proposal for approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The move comes after market participants failed to reach an agreement on a compromise proposal to update the energy reserve pricing rules. The board asked PJM…...

Massachusetts Regulator Unveils Framework

Massachusetts Regulator Unveils Framework for Capacity Rights in Solar Incentive Programs

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued an order on Feb. 1 clarifying ownership of capacity and energy rights of facilities under net metering and Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, programs participating in the ISO New England Inc.’s forward capacity market. The order allows owners of storage-paired facilities to retain their energy or capacity…...

PG&E Cannot Avoid FERC Review to Cancel Power Contracts in Bankruptcy

PG&E Cannot Avoid FERC Review to Cancel Power Contracts in Bankruptcy

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that it has concurrent jurisdiction with bankruptcy courts over wholesale power contracts that Pacific Gas & Electric Company may seek to reject through bankruptcy, according to a Jan. 25 order. The ruling comes in response to a request by NextEra Energy Inc. and NextEra Energy Partners L.P seeking commission…...

Multi-Year Strategy Seeks to Align Market Design With Policy Goals

New York Grid Operator’s Multi-Year Strategy Seeks to Align Market Design With Policy Goals

The New York Independent System Operator Inc. on Jan. 22 released a five-year plan that outlines a path forward to tackle the changing grid dynamics and support the growing role of public policy initiatives in reshaping the grid. The 2019-2023 plan identifies strategic initiatives to guide the development of projects and resource allocations as evolving regulations and…...

U.S. Court Upholds New England Capacity Market Exemptions For State-Sponsored Renewables

NextEra Seeks FERC Action to Protect Renewable Contracts as PG&E Faces Bankruptcy

NextEra Energy Inc. and NextEra Energy Partners L.P on Jan. 18 asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order that Pacific Gas and Electric Company may not reject its wholesale contracts in bankruptcy without the federal regulator’s approval. PG&E announced it will file for bankruptcy protection on or about Jan. 29 as it faces billions…...