Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc., a wholesale generation and transmission cooperative, on April 16 asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to authorize the transfer of electric service contracts as part of a 2019 agreement under which Delta-Montrose will withdraw membership from Tri-State. The transaction allows Tri-State to assign its wholesale electric service contracts with…...
Amid the economic downturn ensuing from the pandemic, state utility regulators are faced with the challenging task of protecting customers from power shutoffs while also considering costs incurred by utilities. A growing number of state commissions are directing utilities to establish a regulatory asset account to capture and track COVID-19-related incremental costs.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on April 16 largely rejected requests to reconsider its December 2019 order that directed PJM Interconnection LLC to extend the minimum offer price, or MOPR, to state-subsidized resources attempting to enter the capacity market. The agency also denied rehearing of its June 2018 order which found that state subsidies distort…...
The volatile situation created by the COVID-19 spread has prompted state utility commissions to respond with new directives and guidance on a number of proceedings. Regulators have responded with various measures, including suspending service disconnections, transitioning to virtual meetings, and delaying rate cases.
The District of Columbia Public Service Commission approved a pilot program to procure renewable energy through a long-term power purchase contract to supply five percent of the district’s standard offer service, or SOS, procurement portfolio, according to an April 8 press release. The commission directed Potomac Electric Power Company, which administers the SOS program, to…
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. expects more than 82,400 megawatts of resource capacity to be available to meet the projected peak demand of 76,696 megawatts for the upcoming summer season from June through September, according to a March 5 announcement. The preliminary summer assessment anticipates record electric use this summer, with grid operations…
The Southwest Power Pool Inc., the grid operator for 14 states in the central U.S., filed a tariff with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to implement its Western Energy Imbalance Service Market in 2021, according to a Feb. 21 news release. The market is designed to balance generation and load regionally and in real time.…
The ISO New England Inc.’s annual forward capacity auction closed at a clearing price of $2.00 per kilowatt-month, the lowest in the auction’s history, according to a Feb. 5 news release. The closing price was about 47 percent lower than the last year’s auction, which valued capacity at $3.80 per kilowatt-month. The primary auction received…
The Maryland Public Service Commission requested rehearing of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order issued last December to revamp PJM Interconnection LLC’s capacity market rules, according to a Jan. 21 news release. The ruling would expand the minimum offer price rule, or MOPR, to new or existing resources entitled to state subsidies, with certain exemptions.…
State measures are transforming the way utilities procure energy in light of continued growth in intermittent large-scale energy, customer-sited generation, and clean energy commitments. Competition among U.S. states eager to take the lead in the nation’s nascent offshore wind sector is bringing the industry to new highs. Battery storage is poised for strong growth with the…...
Southwest Power Pool Inc., the grid operator for 14 states in the central U.S., launched a new roadmap process to improve the way in which the grid operator and its stakeholders collaborate on proposed changes to its day-ahead and real-time electric markets, according to a Dec. 11 news release. The process adds more transparency, giving…
The Southwest Power Pool Inc., the grid operator for 14 states in the central U.S., launched its western reliability coordination service for almost a dozen western entities, according to a Dec. 3 news release. The launch makes SPP the first regional transmission organization to provide the service in both the Eastern and Western Interconnections. The…