Stay ahead of the curve with the EnerKnol Week Ahead. Coming up, embattled EPA chief Scott Pruitt to get grilled on a plan for steep budget cuts at the agency, Montana reviews the $5.3-billion Avista-Hydro One merger, while PJM's closely watched capacity auction window closes, all brought to you by the EnerKnol Platform. Make us even better with your feedback at research@enerknol.com.
D.C. PSC
FERC
Iowa UB
IEA
Maryland PSC
Maine PUC
Montana PSC
New Jersey DPU
New Mexico PRC
New York PSC
New York ISO
PJM
U.S. Congress
Washington UTC
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations to discuss the agency’s fiscal year 2019 budget. The Trump administration requested $6.146 billion in funding, accounting for a 23-percent cut from the previous year.
The U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology will discuss innovative methods to address climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Chairman Lamar Smith, a Republican serving Texas, has been a proponent of harnessing advanced or emerging technologies, particularly fusion energy, to cut carbon emissions, instead of using federal mandates, such as the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will provide its summer outlook for the electricity and natural gas markets, and assess the reliability of the bulk power system based on projected energy supply and demand. The agency will take up reliability standards for assessing and mitigating risks to geomagnetic disturbances. Finally, FERC will consider rules for securing and sharing sensitive information on critical electric infrastructure.
The International Energy Agency will release its closely watched report on U.S. and foreign oil markets, looking at supply, demand, and prices.
The New York Independent System Operator Inc. will discuss its draft proposal to incorporate the cost of carbon emissions into the wholesale electricity markets. Under the plan, the New York Public Service Commission would set the price of carbon emissions, known as the social cost of carbon, with those costs reflected in suppliers’ energy offers.
The Maryland Public Service Commission will review an agreement calling for Potomac Electric Power Company to lower its electric distribution rates by $15 million to reflect the recently enacted federal tax cuts, allowing for a $10.09-refund per residential customer. The utility originally asked for a $41 million rate increase. Pepco is a subsidiary of Exelon Corp.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will discuss next year’s budget for the state’s Clean Energy Program.
The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment will review the 126-megawatt Cassadaga wind farm in Chautauqua County by EverPower Wind Holdings Inc., a unit of private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners Limited. The Board will consider challenges to the project’s environmental impacts following accusations that the company is withholding too much information on the project impacts. (14-F-0490)
PJM Interconnection LLC to hold its general session, covering the resilience of the electric grid and lessons learned from recent events. On the second day President and CEO Andy Ott will provide remarks on the state of PJM. Additional reports will be provided on PJM’s operations, markets and planning.
PJM Interconnection LLC will close its annual auction aimed at securing generating capacity for delivery for the 12-month period starting June 2021. The grid manager seeks to obtain commitments for about 152 gigawatts of supply, about 1 percent below the peak load of the previous auction.
The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia will hold a meeting over how costs should be assigned for electric distribution system upgrades required to accommodate community solar gardens. A second meeting will take up the process for the Potomac Electric Power Company to interconnect small generators to the grid. Pepco is a subsidiary of Exelon Corp. (FC1050)
The Montana Public Service Commission will review the proposed acquisition of Avista Corp. by Hydro One Limited, a Canadian transmission and distribution service provider, including the impacts the deal may have on Avista’s in-state power generators. Under the $5.3-billion, all-cash merger announced in July 2017, the combined companies will create one of North America’s largest regulated utilities with over $25 billion in total assets, serving more than two million retail and industrial customers in Ontario, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. (D2017.9.71)
The Maine Public Utilities Commission will continue its review of Avangrid Networks Inc.’s $1-billion New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line, a project designed to import up to 1,200-megawatts of supplies of Canadian hydropower into the Northeast. The project emerged as the sole winner of a long-term contract with Massachusetts to supply renewable electricity to meet the state’s energy goals after the rival Northern Pass power line failed to secure state construction permits. Avangrid is owned by Iberdrola SA. (2017-00232)
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will discuss the integrated resource plans of all utilities in the state as part of a broader review of the adequacy of the state’s electricity supply. The commission will also discuss rates and lengths of power contracts required of utilities under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. (U-161024)
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will review Southwestern Public Service Co.’s request to hike electric rates by 14.2 percent. SPS is a subsidiary of Xcel Energy Inc.
The Iowa Utility Board will review Interstate Power and Light Company’s request to hike Iowa customers’ natural gas rates by 8.4 percent, boosting the typical Iowa residential customer’s bill by $8 to about $60 per month. The company seeks to raise $19 million annually for gas line improvements. Interstate Power and Light Co. is a subsidiary of Alliant Energy. (RPU-2018-0002)
