October 18, 2024
RTO Insider
5th ‘Alert’ Touts Markets+ Support for Clean Resources, GHG Policy
Snohomish County PUD in Washington is one of the joint authors of the "issue alerts" supporting SPP's Markets+.
Camano Island Chamber of Commerce

Markets+ proponents argue that the SPP framework allows more flexibility for integrating greenhouse gas emission reduction programs across various states than CAISO’s EDAM.

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FERC Gets Mixed Advice on How Quickly to Move on DLR Requirements

The commission received dozens of comments on its advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that would require broad use of dynamic line ratings across the U.S. transmission grid.

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NYSERDA President Doreen Harris, center, wields a utility-scale pair of scissors at a ribbon-cutting for a milestone distributed solar project in New York on Oct. 17.
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NY Surpasses 6 GW of Distributed Solar Capacity
Small-scale solar arrays in New York have surpassed 6 GW of capacity, meeting a milestone 2025 goal more than a year early.
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Monthly load-weighted average energy prices in the CAISO balancing area for Q1 2024
CAISO
CAISO Q1 Prices Down Sharply Despite NW Cold Snap, DMM Reports
First-quarter electricity prices in CAISO markets were down sharply from the same period in 2023, despite sharp spikes during the January cold snap in the Pacific Northwest, the ISO’s Department of Market Monitoring said.
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Judy Chang, FERC
FERC
FERC Approves NERC, RE Budgets for 2025
NERC’s 2025 budget is set to rise 8.2% over the previous year to $123 million.
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A DOE map from this spring showing potential National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors where FERC's backstop siting authority could be applied.
DOE Grid Deployment Office
FERC Finalizes Order 1977 on Backstop Transmission Siting
FERC acted on rehearing requests for Order 1977, finalizing the rules it will follow under limited backstop siting authority for transmission lines.
FERC Sets MISO TOs’ ROE at 9.98%, Again Eliminates Risk Premium Model
FERC continues to fiddle with the return on equity MISO transmission owners can earn, this time setting the base amount at 9.98% while once again eradicating the risk premium model from the calculation.
ISO-NE Refines Scope, Schedule for Capacity Auction Reforms
ISO-NE is not planning to pursue the development of simultaneously clearing seasonal capacity auctions as part of its capacity auction reform project.
ERO Insider
Todd Bennett, AEC
NERC
NERC Standards Committee Briefs: Oct. 16, 2024
NERC's Standards Committee approved several standards actions at its monthly conference call.
FERC Grills Grid Stakeholders on Reliability
Grid stakeholders joined commissioners in Washington, D.C., for FERC's annual Reliability Technical Conference.
NERC Files Latest ROP Changes with FERC
NERC is seeking FERC approval for another round of updates to its Rules of Procedure.
NetZero Insider
Abraham Silverman, Johns Hopkins University
Grid Upgrades Challenging but Needed, OSW Supporters Say
States can reap long-term savings by upgrading their onshore grids and coordinating transmission development to serve multiple offshore wind projects, but they’ll also face higher upfront costs, supply chain challenges and ratepayer concerns, speakers at a New Jersey conference said.
CEC Unlocks Nearly $43M in Funds for OSW Infrastructure Projects

The California Energy Commission is offering $43 million in grants to fund waterfront facility improvements to support the development and operation of floating offshore wind energy off the state’s coast.

US Utility-scale Solar Buildout Set Record in 2023
A total of 18.5 GWAC of large-scale solar was brought online last year, bringing total installed capacity to 80.2 GWAC in 47 states.
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Hill Valley substation, completed as part of the  Cardinal-Hickory Creek line in Wisconsin
ITC and ATC
MISO to Request Year Deferral on FERC Order 1920
Although it’s largely compliant with the directives of FERC’s Order 1920 on regional transmission planning, MISO intends to seek a yearlong extension of the June 2025 compliance deadline.
California Hits Milestones for Batteries, DR Grid Support

As the growth in battery capacity is accelerating, the new milestone is one-quarter of the way to the state’s projected need of 52 GW of battery storage capacity by 2045.

SCOTUS Upholds EPA Rule on Power Plant Emissions ― for Now
The Supreme Court turned down industry and state efforts to slap a stay on the EPA's new rules aimed at cutting carbon emissions at U.S. power plants burning fossil fuels.
New England Generators Protest ISO-NE Financial Assurance Changes
A recently filed proposal by ISO-NE to increase the collateral requirements for generators with capacity supply obligations has received strong pushback from the New England Power Generators Association.
The Brattle Group report lays out seven options for PJM states that want to pursue near-term transmission projects.
The Brattle Group
Report Explores State Options for Short-term Transmission Planning
FERC Order 1920 eventually may provide a structure for long-term, interregional transmission planning, but its anticipated yearslong implementation could mean states will have to lead in planning nearer-term transmission needs, according to a report from the American Council on Renewable Energy and The Brattle Group.
Dominion Energy headquarters in Richmond, Va.
Dominion Energy
Dominion Releases ‘All of the Above’ Integrated Resource Plan for 2024
Dominion Energy’s 2024 Integrated Resource Plan calls for major expansions of offshore wind, solar power and natural gas to meet surging demand in its territory. 
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Comments Open on NERC TADS Data Request
NERC is seeking comments on a proposal to expand the categories of data collected in the Transmission Availability Data System.
SERC Speaker Warns of Challenges in Cloud Transition
A speaker at SERC Reliability's Fall Reliability and Security Seminar discussed some of the emerging challenges with the transition to cloud computing.
NERC Examining Lessons from IBR Standard Development
NERC's Board of Trustees voted to accept five new standards aimed at satisfying FERC's directive on inverter-based resources.
IBR Ride-through Standard Passes Industry Ballot
NERC's Board of Trustees is set to vote on a tranche of five proposed standards covering inverter-based resources, after PRC-029-1 passed its industry ballot last week.
Co-location of data centers with zero-emissions energy resources such as the Susquehanna nuclear power plant was discussed during a WECC webinar.
Talen Energy
Regulators Worry Data Centers Consume Too Much Clean Energy
Pairing power-hungry data centers with clean energy resources is sparking mixed feelings among regulators, who say the grid already is straining with increased electrification and connecting new energy sources.
Shutterstock
FERC Rejects Mabee’s 2021 Supply Chain Complaint
FERC said the activist's request for a grid-wide audit of Chinese-manufactured equipment is unnecessary in light of existing standards.
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 X-energy's Plant Support center, a training facility for operators of its Xe-100 small modular reactor, is shown in Maryland.
Amazon
Amazon Moves to Accelerate SMR Development
Amazon is stepping further into the nuclear energy market, reaching agreements with X-energy Reactor Co., Energy Northwest and Dominion Energy Virginia surrounding advanced reactor technology.
Conference Speakers: NJ’s OSW Rebound Taking Hold
New Jersey’s offshore wind sector looks to take a key role in the East Coast turbine industry despite the closure of the state’s two most advanced projects.
Google, Kairos Sign 500-MW Nuclear PPA
Kairos Power and Google have reached a first-of-its-kind power purchase agreement involving several units of the small modular reactor Kairos is developing. 
UCS Paper: Natural Gas Alternatives Won’t Address Climate Change
The Union of Concerned Scientists' paper argues the electric industry should focus on expanding renewable energy aided with storage rather than keeping natural gas plants running with hydrogen, biomethane or carbon capture and storage.
EMC Enineering Services
New England Clean Energy Developers Struggle with Order 2023 Uncertainty
The suspension of ISO-NE's Order 2023 implementation due to FERC's inaction has caused uncertainty and stress for some clean energy developers in New England.
Location of buildings identified as potentially covered by BEPS
Maryland Department of the Environment
Maryland Building Emission Rules Face Owner Opposition
Proposed regulations to create a benchmarking system and strict carbon emissions levels from buildings of more than 35,000 square feet in Maryland face tough criticism from real estate interests.