News Digest

Fortnightly Magazine - April 15 2001
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News Digest


 

Power Markets

Summer Incentives for California. Citing high prices and power shortages—which will likely grow much worse this summer—the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) imposed several new rules for the calendar year to reward electric customers for cutting usage and selling the power at wholesale, and then asked for comment on another half-dozen measures for 2001 aimed mainly at coaxing more efficiency out of the transmission grid.

But at the same time the commission warned that its actions would not solve the crises facing California and the West, and would not prevent electricity blackouts this summer. U.S. Dept. of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham echoed that sentiment the very next day when he testified on Capitol Hill that blackouts are "inevitable" this summer in California, and might run anywhere from 20 to 200 hours.

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