PJM last week announced a two-step process for defining new initiatives and tools prioritizing its growing stakeholder workload.
The Market Implementation Committee will be the first to implement the new procedure, which will separate the voting on problem statements (defining the problem, situation or opportunity to address) from voting on issue charges (defining which body will study the issue, their goals and deadlines).
MIC Chairwoman Adrien Foley said it will result in a “crisper” process than the current practice, in which the two votes are combined, generally a month after the issue is presented on first reading. The new process will allow a vote on the problem statement on first read; those that are approved will have a vote on the issue charge a month later.
If stakeholders assign the issue to a new task force or work group, it will also require a charter to set the objectives and milestones for the group.
The process will be rolled out to other committees after testing in the MIC.
Work Plan
Foley also presented the MIC with its first “Work Plan,” listing the status and projected schedule of 21 current issues being pursued by MIC and nine subcommittees, task forces and work groups. The work plan, which includes a meeting schedule, is intended as a way to set priorities and budget stakeholders’ time.
The first issue considered under the plan was a problem statement by Market Monitor Joseph Bowring that was approved by MIC in April. It called for investigating whether traders could be manipulating PJM’s interface pricing points by breaking schedules into multiple “back-to-back” transactions. (See “MIC to Probe ‘Sham Scheduling’.”)
After receiving comments from stakeholders and Bowring, Foley said the issue would be started “as soon as practical.”
Voting App, Self-Serve Registration
MIC also heard about enhancements that will allow members to cast votes with their smartphones, a capability that was offered to tablet users in February. The changes are expected to be complete this summer.
PJM also is developing a self-service web application that will allow members to update the names of their voting representatives on committee rosters without filing forms with the RTO. The improvements also will allow the use of the committee voting application in additional committee meetings (e.g., Operating Committee, Market Implementation Committee). PJM plans to solicit member feedback on the changes this summer.
