By Rich Heidorn Jr.

Is PJM in danger of eating itself to death?

That existential question was raised at Wednesday’s Market Implementation Committee meeting by Customized Energy Solutions’ Bill Schofield who has been voicing concerns for months about the growing stakeholder workload.

Schofield, who represents the PJM Public Power Coalition, used an analogy from his horse-riding wife to make his point. Given unlimited access to food, he said, “Many ponies will basically eat themselves to death.”

Noting that PJM stakeholders are adding new problem statements and work groups faster than they are completing them, he observed: “We seem to be a bunch of ponies here.”

Schofield’s concern was borne out by MIC chair Adrien Ford, who said PJM was having trouble providing enough facilitators to run meetings on the problem statements.  Ford said no facilitators would be available to take on a new problem statement before late summer.

The discussion came as the MIC discussed where to slot its latest problem statement — a review of the FTR forfeiture rule for increment and decrement transactions — in its new work plan. The plan lists 14 issues under study.

Jeffrey Mayes, general counsel of Monitoring Analytics, said the FTR issue, which was assigned to the MIC May 30, shouldn’t be taken up until at least October. Mayes said the committee should focus first on a problem statement sponsored by the monitor to consider ending compensation “adders” for frequently mitigated generating units (FMU). (See “PJM Reconsiders Adders on Cost-Capped Generators.”)

David Pratzon, who represents generators, disagreed, saying the stakeholder consensus was that FMUs are a “small-dollar issue.”

“FTRs affect a whole lot more people in the market,” he said.

Ford sided with Pratzon and said the FTR forfeiture issue will be scheduled before the FMU inquiry.