Visual Primer: Fallout From Winter Storm Uri Elicits Regulatory Actions Across U.S. States

Visual Primer: Fallout From Winter Storm Uri Elicits Regulatory Actions Across U.S. States

coal, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Retail Power and Gas, Smart Grid, Solar, Wholesale Power, Wind

The fallout from severe arctic weather during February has prompted regulators from Texas to Montana to examine utility infrastructure, preparedness and response, and impacts to customers. Texas, which experienced the worst power outages resulting from Winter Storm Uri, has issued multiple orders and initiated investigations to address the impacts of the grid event. Following announcements of an inquiry into the grid event and the possibility of market violations, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is now set to examine the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on electric system reliability. Regulators across several U.S. states are investigating the after-effects of the storm to mitigate bill impacts to customers while exploring cost-recovery for utilities which faced extraordinary expenses as natural gas prices soared to unprecedented levels.

ERCOT Discloses Settlement Timeline, Invoice Payouts During Second Board Meeting After Winter Disaster

ERCOT Discloses Settlement Timeline, Invoice Payouts During Second Board Meeting After Winter Disaster

Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, PRODUCTS, Retail Power and Gas

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. on March 12 held an urgent Board of Directors meeting in which invoice payouts for market participants and settlements across Feb. 19 – March 8 were divulged. From Feb. 13 – 19, the state of Texas was plagued with near-unprecedented grid infrastructure failures due to extreme winter weather…....

RGGI Reduces Carbon Cap to Account for Banked Allowances

RGGI Reduces Carbon Cap to Account for Banked Allowances

Carbon Market, Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Pulse, PRODUCTS, REC Feed

The member states of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, on March 15 announced the third adjustment for banked allowances held by market participants for the five-year period from 2021-2025. The adjustment is a reduction in the number of carbon allowances that is being sold over the period. The amount of the reduction is…...

California Regulator Adopts Long-Term Resource Plan Seeking 12 Gigawatts of Renewables, Storage

California Commission Proposes Measures to Support Grid Reliability During Summer

Energy Efficiency, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, PRODUCTS, Retail Power and Gas

The California Public Utilities Commission on March 5 released a proposal detailing utility programs to manage energy supply during peak hours so as to ensure reliability in the event of extreme heat in the summers of 2021 and 2022. The proposal is the latest in a series of actions under a proceeding that was opened…...

Massachusetts Regulator Approves Long-Term Contracts for 800-Megawatts of Offshore Wind Power

U.S. Interior Completes Environmental Review of Vineyard Wind’s 800-Megawatt Offshore Project

Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Wind

The U.S. Interior Department on March 8 announced the completion of its environmental analysis of Vineyard Wind LLC’s proposed 800-megawatt wind project offshore Massachusetts. Conclusion of the final review marks a key milestone for the project, which is expected to be the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. In January, U.S. President Joe Biden signed…...

EnerKnol Research AE Policy Primer Electric Vehicles 2021 03 09 Blog preview

Policy Primer: Transportation Electrification

Climate Change and Emissions, Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Natural Gas, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Smart Grid

Transportation electrification is gaining momentum across the U.S. as states and utilities continue to implement measures to boost electric vehicle (EV) adoption and expand charging infrastructure. Recent actions range from California’s vehicle-grid integration strategy to Pennsylvania’s rulemaking proposal for a light-duty EV requirement, and a utility-coalition plan for a seamless charging network.

Virginia Regulator Approves $650 Million Grid Transformation Plan for Dominion Energy

FERC Announces Technical Conference to Discuss Impacts of Climate Change on Electric Reliability

Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Wholesale Power

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on March 5 announced that it will hold a technical conference in June to discuss the threat posed by climate change and extreme weather events on electric system reliability. The agency announced a proceeding to examine the issue following prolonged power outages across Texas and the south-central U.S. during the…...

RGGI Generates Nearly $180 Million in First Carbon Auction After Virginia’s Entry

RGGI Generates Nearly $180 Million in First Carbon Auction After Virginia’s Entry

Carbon Market, Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Pulse, PRODUCTS, REC Feed

The 51st quarterly carbon auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, the nation’s first market-based program to cut power sector emissions, sold all of the nearly 23.5 million permits offered for sale at a price of $7.60 per allowance, according to the auction results released on March 5. This is the first auction…...

Missouri Regulator Launches Probe into Winter Storm Event

Missouri Regulator Launches Probe into Winter Storm Event

EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Natural Gas, PRODUCTS, Retail Power and Gas

The Missouri Public Service Commission on Feb. 25 opened an investigation into the state’s electric and natural gas utilities’ preparedness and response to the mid-February winter storm that resulted in rolling blackouts and natural gas price spikes. The commission’s Regulatory Analysis and Customer Experience Departments, in collaboration with agencies within its Industry Analysis and Financial…...

Visual Primer: Texas Power Outages Draw Scrutiny into Grid Operator’s Market Design and Reliability

Visual Primer: Texas Power Outages Draw Scrutiny into Grid Operator’s Market Design and Reliability

coal, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Retail Power and Gas, Solar, Wholesale Markets, Wholesale Power, Wind

The widespread power outages across Texas during the extreme winter weather conditions brought about by a polar vortex in mid-February has raised questions about the reliability of the power grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. (ERCOT). The grid operator, which manages about 90 percent of the state’s electric load, reported that 48.6 percent of generation was forced out at the highest point due to the winter storm.