PJM will present the Members Committee on Thursday with a first read of manual changes developed from the Stakeholder Process Super Forum in an effort to streamline how the RTO prioritizes issues. The D.C. Office of the People’s Counsel will also present a friendly amendment that creates an alternative pathway for contentious issues that must be handled quickly. (See Poll: PJM Stakeholder Process Imperfect, Necessary.)

Markets and Reliability Committee

Below is a summary of the issues scheduled to be brought to a vote at the PJM Markets and Reliability Committee on Thursday. Each item is listed by agenda number, description and projected time of discussion, followed by a summary of the issue and links to prior coverage in RTO Insider.

RTO Insider will be in Valley Forge, Pa., covering the discussions and votes. See next Tuesday’s newsletter for a full report.

Consent Agenda (9:10-9:15)

The MRC will be asked to endorse proposed revisions to:

B. PJM Manual 10: Pre-Scheduling Operations, regarding generator outage reporting. The changes include clarifications for outage ticket end dates for deactivations and outage ticket requirements for black start service.

C. Manual 11: Energy & Ancillary Services Market Operations and Manual 18: PJM Capacity Market, to bring the RTO into compliance with FERC Order 841. The revisions will clarify that storage resources can participate in the RTO’s markets and can dispatch and set price as seller and buyer. They also note that stored megawatt-hours are billed at LMPs as wholesale transactions. The committee also will consider changes to Manual 15: Cost Development Guidelines, detailing business rules for developing cost offers for hydroelectric resources, batteries and flywheels. Staff also added definitions for efficiency factor, fuel cost, variable operations and maintenance, and ancillary service costs. (See “Order 841 Manual Revisions Endorsed,” PJM MIC Briefs: July 10, 2019.)

D. Manual 13: Emergency Operations and Manual 14D: Generator Operational Requirements, as part of the clarifications to the non-retail behind-the-meter generation business rules. The changes will clarify the reporting, netting and operational requirements of NRBTMG and PJM’s responsibilities, processes and procedures. (See “BTM Generation Clarifications,” PJM OC Briefs: Aug. 6, 2019.)

E. Manual 18B: Energy Efficiency Measurement & Verification, resulting from a periodic review.

1. PJM Manual 14B Amendments (9:15-10:15)

After eight months of discussion, PJM will present “compromise” revisions to Manual 14B that expand upon how the RTO prioritizes projects in the Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. The RTO said that it “commits to implement” the manual changes if they are approved by the MRC.

In its presentation, PJM said the language doesn’t address all of the concerns raised by LS Power and other stakeholders at the special Planning Committee meetings held since January about how and when supplemental projects move in and out of the RTEP.

The revisions are intended “to ensure that the manual faithfully documents its existing planning processes, integrates new processes or procedures consistent with recent regulatory orders/compliance directives, and provides a platform for the future that incorporates stakeholder desires, duties and future direction,” according to PJM’s presentation, posted online last week.

LS Power will also review its original main motion that’s been the center of PC discussions. The company intends to accept language presented at the special Planning Committee session Wednesday as a friendly amendment.

American Municipal Power will also propose friendly amendments to the Wednesday proposal.

2. RTEP Operating Agreement Revisions (10:15-10:30)

Greg Poulos, executive director of the Consumer Advocates of PJM States (CAPS), will review OA revisions proposed by the D.C. OPC concerning updates to the RTEP.

The language would prevent PJM from unilaterally shelving endorsed rule changes without any recourse for disgruntled members, as it did in January with stakeholder-endorsed transparency language that PJM found inconsistent with FERC rulings. (See Tensions Boil over on PJM’s Supplemental Projects.)

The committee may be asked to endorse the proposed changes.

– Christen Smith