Cross-Border Bargaining
Interregional grid planning under FERC Order 1000.
Territorial fights emerge in the interregional transmission plans proposed for compliance with FERC Order 1000.
FERC
Walking the Ports and Services Gauntlet
An approach to complying with NERC’s new cybersecurity standard, CIP-007 (R2).
NERC’s new standards require utilities to lock down network ports and services. Compliance calls for a systematic approach to cataloging and tracking.
Walking the Fuzzy Bright Line
The legality of state ROFR laws under FERC Order 1000.
States have passed laws to bypass FERC Order 1000 and its reforms favoring private grid developers. Could those laws themselves fall under attack?
Bargain or Bonanza
Is discounted cash flow (DCF) still a reliable tool for determining equity cost?
The time-honored discounted cash flow method for determining appropriate utility returns falls short when interest rates are low. Inadequate ROEs ultimately increase cost of capital and wipe away any temporary savings.
FERC vs. Idaho
PURPA and the future of avoided cost rates.
A tussle between Idaho and the feds exemplifies the flood of petitions that QFs have filed during the past several years, asking FERC to enforce or confirm their PURPA-guaranteed rights.
Improving Capacity Markets
FERC decision on PJM mitigation is a model for other ISOs and RTOs.
Capacity markets have been a significant source of controversy since the inception of competitive wholesale markets. While there are many regulatory questions to be answered in constructing capacity markets, the primary goal of such markets should be to attract capacity that is competitively priced.
Transmission Policy in Flux
More planning, fewer incentives, and a black swan on the horizon.
The transmission superhighway still needs major investments. Rate incentives were working -- until FERC started backing away from them. FERC should assert its authority more aggressively to promote the vision of a robust interstate grid.
Rethinking Capacity Markets
A pragmatic new approach to assuring reliability.
The latest dispute over PJM’s bidding rules has raised the level of uncertainty in organized electricity markets. Efforts at reform have created a market structure so jumbled that it can’t produce just and reasonable rates -- or assure adequate supply resources. It’s time for FERC to consider alternative approaches to market design.
Preventing Tomorrow's Blackouts
Why transmission planners and protection engineers need to work more closely together.
Recent outages show the importance of proper transmission system design. As the grid becomes more complex, reliability requires tighter coordination.
NERC on a Wire
The reliability organization struggles with reforms, as FERC hovers.
NERC’s reliability oversight is bogged down on two fronts—standard-setting and compliance oversight. Progress depends on improving unwieldy process.