CRIS Revisions Advance
The NYISO Business Issues Committee on Wednesday approved proposed tariff revisions to rules for capacity resource interconnection service (CRIS) expiration and transferring.
The revisions are intended to facilitate increased capacity deliverability headroom while lowering the cost of new entry in the capacity market.
The ISO is looking to complete relevant software upgrades by the fourth quarter. The changes would go into effect immediately after FERC approval. (See NYISO Finalizes CRIS Tariff Revisions.)
Although the proposal passed with 90.36% support, there were multiple abstentions. The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), which called for a roll call vote, was the only stakeholder against it.
David Clarke, director of wholesale market policy at LIPA, said the utility “recognizes the value of many of the CRIS transfer and expiration proposals” but has concerns regarding the “three-year CRIS expiration rule as applied to external unforced capacity deliverability rights.”
“Recent experience has shown that the process to procure external capacity does not align well with the New York capacity market and creates significant challenges to acquire available resources from external control areas with three-year forward commitments for participation in the short-term NYISO capacity market,” Clarke said.
The proposal “places external controllable lines at a competitive disadvantage with internal resource supplies” and “does not address important issues with respect to maintaining CRIS for inter-ISO capacity sales,” he said.
The revisions go before the Management Committee on Jan. 25, and the ISO anticipates obtaining Board of Directors approval and filing with FERC before the end of the first quarter.
Winter Storm Price Impacts
Rana Mukerji, NYISO senior vice president of market structure, presented the committee with the ISO’s monthly market performance report for December, highlighting how the winter storm significantly impacted energy prices across New York. (See FERC, NERC Set Probe on Xmas Storm Blackouts.)
The storm drove up natural gas prices, causing the locational-based marginal pricing to reach an average of $110.17/MWh, more than double the $52.47/MWh seen in November 2022 and nearly 130% higher than the $47.99/MWh from December 2021.
When asked about how the storm can be viewed historically, Mukerji said it was “certainly exceptional” and that the closet comparison is the 2013/14 polar vortex.
Bouchez Named Consumer Liaison
NYISO announced that Nicole Bouchez, principal economist of market design, would be taking over the duties of consumer impact and interest liaison, replacing Tariq Niazi, who retired at the end of last year.
Bouchez has been with NYISO since 2003 and principal economist since 2011. She was also co-chair of the Integrating Public Policy Task Force, a joint group with the New York Department of Public Service that solicited stakeholder proposals on carbon pricing, in 2017-2018.
Bouchez said consumer interest is an exciting area and enables her to continue being involved in market design discussions.