Smart by Default
Time-varying rates from the get-go – not just by opt-in.
Default enrollment for time-varying rates, with an opt-out, will reduce peak demand and far more than a default flat rate with a TVR opt-in.
Maryland
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.
Community Renaissance
When one age ends, another begins.
Community microgrids raise questions about the role of the utility franchise, versus the free market.
FERC to Issue Environmental Assessment for Dominion Cove Point LNG Project on May 15
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-03-18 12:58Dominion received word from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that the agency will issue its environmental assessment for the Dominion Cove Point LNG liquefaction and export project on May 15. The proposed export facility will be within the 131-acre footprint of the LNG import facility. No new pipelines, storage tanks or piers are needed at the facility. The company needs about 50 permits and approvals before construction can begin.
Putting a Price on Carbon
How EPA can establish a U.S. GHG Program for the Electricity Sector.
With the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards expected in June 2014, many states are considering their own approaches to provide flexibility in meeting compliance requirements. Experience in North America to date provides policy guidance.
Modernizing with Trackers
Time-tested cost recovery mechanisms provide stable funding for infrastructure replacement.
Automatic tracker surcharges provide timely cost recovery for multi-year utility system improvement programs.
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.
Columbia Gas Transmission Receives FERC Approval for Line MB Extension
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2013-12-03 12:45Federal regulators approved construction of Columbia Gas Transmission’s (Columbia) line MB extension natural gas system modernization project in Baltimore County and Harford County, Maryland. The certificate of public convenience and necessity, issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, instructs Columbia to move forward with the 21.3-mile pipeline and begin construction in 2014.
Partnership, Not Preemption
How state-sponsored planning can fit with FERC’s capacity markets.
FERC-approved capacity markets and state-sponsored resource planning serve different needs. The one shouldn’t pre-empt the other.
Tranche Warfare
The experts do battle over capacity market design.
A FERC conference this fall aired new major policy options for capacity markets. Amid the battle, ISOs are making tactical adjustments.