Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

In the Crosshairs

Protecting substations and transformers after the PG&E Metcalf attack.

The latest fallout from the April 2013 Metcalf incident: the unprecedented assault with high-powered rifles on PG&E’s Metcalf substation, in Silicon Valley, which disabled 17 of 20 large transformers.

Unwinding the Death Spiral

Rooftop solar, net metering, and the perils of utilityspeak.

The Sierra Club accuses utilities of trying to snuff out rooftop solar. Attorney Donald Sipe recommends RTO/ISO markets for natural gas.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Approves Acquisition of UNS Energy by Fortis

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the acquisition of UNS Energy by Fortis, finding the transaction is consistent with the public interest. The ruling is the next step toward finalizing the transaction. UNS Energy shareholders approved the acquisition on March 26, 2014.

Scare Tactics

New England’s proposed capacity market reform would force generators to ‘Be There or Else.’

Facing worries about resource adequacy, ISO New England proposes changes that would penalize generators that fail to perform when needed -- for any reason. Market players say it can only work if the system operator allows for reasonable exceptions.

Invoice Enclosed

Having lost Entergy to MISO, the Southwest Power Pool seeks its pound of flesh.

Welcome to the age of RTO competition: region vs. region, grid vs. grid. It could well outdo the choice wars between retail energy suppliers that we thought were in our future.

Entergy, ITC Discontinue Pursuit of Transmission Spin/Merger

Entergy and ITC Holdings mutually agreed to end their pursuit of a spin/merger of Entergy's transmission business with ITC. The companies formally terminated the merger agreement and filed pleadings to withdraw the remaining transaction approval applications with Entergy's retail regulators, as well as the Missouri Public Service Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The companies originally announced the deal on Dec.

Digest

Danish utility orders 582 MW of Siemens offshore wind turbines; Maui Electric contracts Greenlots and ABB for electric vehicle fast-charging system; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracts Eaton for alternative energy and conservation projects at army facilities; Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy acquire SunEdison project in California; FERC approves Columbia Gas and Williams Partners pipeline expansion projects; plus contracts and announcements from Entergy, ITC Holdings, California ISO, PG&E, MidAmerican Transmission, Citizens Energy, CPS Energy, and others.

Power Breakfast

Fortnightly’s Executive Roundtable considers industry options and risks.

Fortnightly recently convened a group of senior operations executives from a variety of companies to discuss current trends in the U.S. power industry. Their comments reflect a mixed outlook on the industry’s transitionary changes.

Bundled against Change

Mississippi draws a line in the sand.

"We view the [Entergy-ITC] transaction [as] an attempt to extract excess value."-Mississippi PSC

Williams Partners Receives FERC Approval for Transco Pipeline Expansion

Williams Partners received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval to expand Transco, the nation’s largest natural gas pipeline system, to provide service to a new, gas-fired, power-generation plant in Virginia. The approximately $300 million Transco Virginia Southside Expansion is designed to provide 270,000 dekatherms per day (dth/d) of incremental transportation capacity in Virginia and North Carolina by September 2015.