Stakeholders agreed Thursday to consider lowering credit requirements for Qualifying Transmission Upgrades (QTUs).

The Markets and Reliability Committee gave near unanimous approval to a problem statement and issue charge proposed by Janine Durand, attorney for developer H-P Energy Resources LLC.

Durand said current rules require credit postings that can be multiples of the construction cost of QTUs, small transmission projects that can be offered into the capacity market to relieve transmission constraints in Locational Deliverability Areas (LDAs).

A $7 million reconductoring, for example, would require posting of about $32.5 million, she said. She said the majority of QTUs “move ahead quickly” and are relatively low risk compared with generation projects that offer into capacity auctions.

The issue will be considered by the Market Implementation Committee.