The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on staff proposals regarding modernizing the natural gas system planning process and moratorium management. The first proposal would require the state’s 11 local distribution companies to file integrated resource plans on a three-year cycle to supplement annual winter readiness reviews. The second one would require utilities to try to offset gas demand through energy efficiency and demand response. In light of moratoria invoked by utilities claiming supply constraints, the commission opened the gas planning docket in March 2020, noting that conventional gas planning and operational practices have not kept pace with recent developments and demands on energy systems. 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

The North Carolina Utilities Commission will consider electric utilities’ 2020 integrated resource plan reports and plans to comply with the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, as part of its annual investigation into resource plans. The commission is required to maintain an up-to-date analysis of the long-range electricity requirements in the state. The analysis must include an estimate of the future growth of electricity use, required generating reserves, generation mix, and location of power plants, among others. The planning process, intended to identify resource options that can be obtained at least cost to ratepayers, considers conservation, efficiency and load management, as well as supply-side alternatives. The commission rescheduled the public witness hearing for several dates from the previous March 16 date because of the need for multiple sessions to consider the more than 200 requests to testify. Additional hearings will be held on May 12, 17, and 26. E-100 Sub 165

The Maryland Public Service Commission will consider utilities’ semi-annual reports for EmPOWER Maryland, the state’s energy efficiency program, for the period from July 1 through Dec. 31, 2020. The year 2020 represents a slight decline in terms of reported megawatt-hours of savings compared to 2018, and the lowest demand savings in the 2018-2020 cycle, according to the commission staff’s report. The commission established a goal in 2015, directing utilities to achieve annual incremental savings of 2 percent of retail sales per year. Statewide, more than 2 percent of sales have been saved in 2020, relative to 2016. The hearing will also examine the Department of Housing and Community Development’s report with respect to its limited income programs, and other working group reports. 9494

The New York Public Service Commission will discuss market development mechanisms for distributed solar generation projects beyond the 6 gigawatt-by-2025 target established under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and reflected in the current funding of NY-Sun incentives. The conference will give stakeholders the opportunity to respond to the information presented at a technical conference held on April 21 to examine commercial, industrial, and non-residential projects with a focus on community solar development, following the expenditure of the existing market transition credits, as well as the community credit and community adder allocations. The 2019 law requires the state to source 70 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2030. 15-E-0751, 15-02703

The Kansas Corporation Commission will discuss Evergy Inc.’s updated presentation of its Sustainability Transformation Plan after incorporating feedback and results from earlier workshops and intervenor comments. Previous workshops focused on grid modernization investments, operational efficiencies, and enhanced customer experience. The commission launched a review of the company’s five-year strategic plan in August 2020, in order to evaluate its impacts on electric ratepayers. The plan, which is designed to drive increased value and benefits the company’s stakeholders, includes a focus on grid modernization, renewable energy investment, and cost management. The measure is expected to bring a rate base growth of 5 to 6 percent from 2019 to 2024 without requiring new equity. Under the plan, the company seeks to invest about $4.8 billion over the next five years to upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure and customer service platforms. 21-EKME-088-GIE

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission is due to receive comments on Puget Sound Energy’s final integrated resource plan for electricity and natural gas service. The plan is designed to meet the 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act, which requires the state’s electricity supply to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and carbon-free by 2045, and directs electric utilities to phase out coal from their generation portfolio by 2025. The electric resource plan would reduce carbon from the company’s electric supply by over 70 percent in direct emissions by 2029 and achieve the carbon-neutrality goal by 2030 through energy transformation projects. The natural gas plan focuses on aggressive acquisition of conservation to meet future customer needs. Under the plan, cost-effective conservation levels almost double compared to recent energy efficiency savings and current targets. UE-200304, UG-200305

The Michigan Public Service Commission is due to receive comments regarding the dual participation of energy storage in retail and wholesale electricity markets. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order No. 841, aimed to remove barriers to storage participation in the wholesale markets, did not include an opt-out provision that would have allowed states to prohibit the participation of these resources located behind the meter or on the local distribution system. A July 2020 court ruling, which upheld the order, also concluded that states retain their authority to prohibit local storage resources from taking part in interstate and intrastate markets simultaneously. In light of the court ruling, Michigan regulators are gathering information to explore dual participation. U-21032