Waiting for the Next Polar Vortex
How recent events could prove a harbinger of winters to come.
The winter of 2013-14 offered up a perfect storm of natural gas price spikes and threats to electric reliability. Expect more of the same.
FERC
The Powhatan Matter
Market manipulation versus the right to make a profit.
Harvard professor Bill Hogan claims FERC is wrong to find market manipulation where traders simply make profits on market defects known to all.
Negawhat?
EPSA v. FERC: How the court went wrong on demand response.
The court’s ruling in EPSA v. FERC assigns a retail/wholesale dichotomy to demand response, but is that distinction even meaningful?
FERC Approves Projects to Increase Natural Gas Supply to New York City by Next Heating Season
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-05-13 13:23The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved Williams Partners and its wholly-owned subsidiary Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company’s (Transco) application to construct and operate two related projects designed to increase natural gas delivery capacity to Brooklyn and Queens in time for next winter's heating season. Transco will begin construction in June and plans to bring the projects into service in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Exelon to Acquire Pepco Holdings
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-05-06 12:25Exelon and Pepco Holdings signed a definitive agreement to combine the two companies in an all-cash transaction. The agreement, which has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards of directors, brings together Exelon’s three electric and gas utilities – BGE, ComEd and PECO – and Pepco Holdings’ electric and gas utilities – Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco – to create the leading Mid-Atlantic electric and gas utility.
Digest (May 2014)
GE Energy Consulting and the New York Power Authority agree to a license arrangement allowing NYPA to use GE’s MAPS software to perform high-fidelity nodal analysis; NRG acquires Roof Diagnostics Solar, a residential solar company; GE unveils 2.75-120 wind turbine; AEP awards Babcock & Wilcox a contract to provide steam generator services.
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.
NV Energy Files for Approval to Participate in the California ISO Energy Imbalance Market
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-04-22 11:42NV Energy filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) seeking approval to participate in the California Independent System Operator Corporation's (ISO) energy imbalance market (EIM). Meanwhile, the California grid operator separately is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve the implementation agreement with NV Energy.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Approves Acquisition of UNS Energy by Fortis
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-04-08 16:37The 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.