(July 2011) Williams Partners L.P. expands Transco transmission lines; Google to provide fiber optic Internet service for Kansas City, Mo.; Constellation Energy picks Lynxspring Inc.; plus contracts and developments involving Servidyne, EnerNOC, Siemens Energy and others.

(June 2011) Duke and ATC team up to build transmission lines; AEP installs bioreactor to control selenium emissions; NextEra buys 100 MW of wind from Google; Ocean Power Technologies awards contracts for wave power array; Kansas City picks Elster; BC Hydro picks Itron; plus contracts and developments involving Tres Amigas, Ioxus, Opower and others.

Generators and demand-response providers are reaping rewards in forward capacity auctions, causing suppliers to go shopping for the most lucrative markets. Now the Midwest ISO is trying to catch up, by proposing its own auction for years-ahead resource bids. But does RTO shopping serve the interests of customers, who are legally entitled to rates that are just and reasonable? Why are some state policy makers advocating a return to old-school RFPs for long-term contracts?

A look at the issues that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must address concerning allocation of costs for certain high-voltage transmission lines 500kV or greater, planned for the PJM region, in the “paper hearing” on remand from the 7th Circuit federal court decision that rejected a socialized, region-wide sharing of costs among all utilities and customers across the RTO footprint.

(April 2009) DPL Inc. promoted Daniel McCabe to chief administrative officer and senior v.p., from senior v.p. Ameren Corp. announced that Thomas R. Voss will succeed Gary L. Rainwater as president and CEO effective May 1, with Rainwater remaining in the role of executive chairman. Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI) announced that Joseph M. Rigby is president and CEO. And others...

Beginning around June 2005, prices in the PJM day-ahead locational market pricing energy markets and real-time pricing markets rose precipitously. Based on publicly available information, our study concludes that these price increases are not fully explained by higher loads and higher commodity fuel prices. Could higher energy prices be the result of the inappropriate exercise of market power rather than the appropriate result of market dynamics operating in the presence of scarcity?

Forget the mega merger as a means to acquire new power plants. FERC’s new rules may offer a better path.

Is the "pathway concept" the answer to Virginia's qualms?

PJM, at its annual meeting, announced a plan to integrate ComEd into PJM by Oct. 1, pursuant to FERC's April 1 order, despite Virginia's saying no to membership by American Electric Power (AEP) or any other jurisdictional utility, according to PJM spokesman Ray Dotter. PJM introduced the "pathway concept" as a way to work around that state while the jurisdictional issues are being fought at FERC. (May 16 was the deadline for filings at FERC on whether the integration can proceed.)

Is the "pathway concept" the answer to Virginia's qualms?

PJM, at its annual meeting, announced a plan to integrate ComEd into PJM by Oct. 1, pursuant to FERC's April 1 order, despite Virginia's saying no to membership by American Electric Power (AEP) or any other jurisdictional utility, according to PJM spokesman Ray Dotter. PJM introduced the "pathway concept" as a way to work around that state while the jurisdictional issues are being fought at FERC. (May 16 was the deadline for filings at FERC on whether the integration can proceed.)

 

News Analysis

 

IPPs and other stakeholders long have called for standards, but this time, the FERC just might oblige.

 

"Certain transmission owners ... have impeded the interconnection process and, thereby, new generation construction."

"Many transmission providers also refuse to offer network transmission service to merchant generators ... ."