By Rich Heidorn Jr.

SPP’s Market Monitoring Unit asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week to reject a proposal that would bar the RTO from canceling commitments of gas-fired generators if they are not needed.

SPP’s proposal would result in “an inefficient transfer of gas market risks to SPP’s load,” wrote Catherine Tyler Mooney, the MMU’s manager of market analytics (ER15-1293).  “… This commitment may impose uneconomic production on the market, impacting market prices, uplift, congestion, transmission congestion rights payments or market-to-market settlements.”

At issue is SPP’s March 16 proposal to codify its historical practice of not de-committing generators committed out of its multi-day reliability assessment during emergency operations. The Tariff change would bar SPP from decommitting such units unless they presented a reliability risk.

SPP proposed the change after some gas-fired generators in PJM complained that they suffered “stranded gas” losses in 2014 when they bought fuel at high prices in response to transmission operators’ directions that were not needed by the market later. (See PJM Backs Duke’s $9.8M ‘Stranded Gas’ Claim.)

SPP said it filed the Tariff revisions in response to “stakeholders’ request for clarity on whether and how resources may be committed” under its multi-day reliability assessment if SPP has implemented conservative operations under its emergency operating plan. The proposal was approved by the RTO’s Members Committee and Board of Directors in January.

The MMU said the proposed change was problematic for several reasons. “First, it may be difficult for SPP to verify the legitimacy of unused fuel cost claims. Second, generator operators are in the best position to effectively minimize fuel costs.”

The MMU said that SPP should have the ability to reevaluate its need for generation during emergencies — if, for example, weather forecasts change.

“Avoidable adverse consequences should not be imposed on the market to lessen the predetermined cost exposure of individual generators,” the MMU said. “It is not a cost-minimizing market outcome. If SPP staff, its members and the commission believe that an uplift payment for unused fuel is necessary to preserve system reliability during emergencies, SPP should pursue that particular issue.”