Charles River Associates’ Post

Expectations are running high as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's proposed transmission planning and cost allocation rule nears the finish line. "'So, No. 1: FERC has got to tackle the competitive transmission issues they’ve teed up and re-examine rights of first refusal,' WIRES Group Executive Director Larry Gasteiger said in an interview. 'I think if that’s not in there, it would kind of be a major disappointment.' FERC has acknowledged that Order 1000 is not working correctly and the policies around ROFRs need to be reformed, he added. ...Cost containment came up in many of the comments, but Gasteiger said it was not really addressed in the proposed rule. 'We’re hoping that they don’t try to add it in now, given that they haven’t really provided notice on it,' Gasteiger said.'” Story: James Downing for RTO Insider LLC https://lnkd.in/ejUbXng3 #transmission #gridofthefuture #gridmodernization #gridreliability #grid #cleangrid

Important comments from Larry Gasteiger on FERC's upcoming planning rule highlighting the importance of addressing a key barrier to regional transmission development - Order 1000 solicitations. Effective regional planning requires open collaboration between RTOs, transmission owners, and regional stakeholders. The Order 1000 solicitation process inhibits collaboration, delays needed projects, and ultimately deprives customers of crucial transmission benefits. A balanced FERC rule needs to address this hurdle to drive the open and collaborative long-term regional transmission planning we need.

Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued two orders that are perhaps the most significant development in federal transmission policy since Order No. 888. To learn more, click the link below for an article that summarizes these orders and discusses remaining transmission policy issues that my colleagues at Vinson & Elkins and I wrote!

📢 Big News from FERC. On May 13, 2024, the FERC laid "a new foundation" for the future of electric transmission facilities. They introduced final rules on: ⚡Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation (Order No. 1920) ⚡Backstop Authority for Siting Projects in National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) (Order No. 1977) These Final Rules mark the most significant shift in federal transmission policy since FERC Order No. 888. This is a step forward for our energy infrastructure, ensuring a more efficient, reliable, and forward-thinking approach to planning, funding, and constructing transmission projects. ⚡🚀 #EnergyPolicy #FERC https://lnkd.in/gqtV2FXJ

The rule — proposed in April 2022 — requires transmission providers to consider forward-looking factors when developing their plans, such as utility resource plans, state energy goals, corporate energy procurement commitments and interconnection queues. The transmission plans must look ahead at least 20 years. #transmission #ISO #RTO #FERC #DLR #gets #gridplanning

PUCT duration reliability standard update is HUGE for Texans - "A potential grid outage resulting from inadequate power supply to meet demand must be expected to last less than 12 hours". https://lnkd.in/ggEwMNZP #texasenergy #electricity #getelectricity #texaspower #solar #ercot #puct #electricitysavings

Updated as of 8/30/2024. Big news for anyone who's ever gone more than 12 hours without electricity. #texasenergy #electricity #getelectricity #texaspower #solar #ercot #puct #electricitysavings

#ICYMI: On May 13, 2024, FERC approved a groundbreaking final rule—Order No. 1920. This rule requires public utilities to undertake new long-term regional transmission planning over a 20-year horizon and allocate the cost of selected transmission projects in a manner that corresponds to the benefits they provide. Our Linda Walsh, Sylvia Bartell, Mike Blackwell, and Corban Coffman present an overview of the rule and next steps in the FERC proceeding. #EnergyRegulation #Utilities

WIRES Statement on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Regional Transmission and Cost Allocation Rule Larry Gasteiger, WIRES Executive Director: “WIRES shares FERC’s objective of ensuring that rules are in place to facilitate investment in transmission infrastructure required to meet the nation’s well-documented needs. Building the grid of the future must be a bipartisan effort driving towards a common goal – a safe, reliable, and affordable grid. While WIRES is still reviewing and evaluating the details of Order 1920, we are pleased that FERC has declined to adopt the NOPR proposal to limit the availability of the CWIP Incentive. We agree with FERC that action on incentives should be done in a holistic manner; otherwise, we risk sending the wrong signals to the investment community at precisely the wrong time. WIRES commends FERC’s decision to take a first step to expand federal ROFR rights to include right-sized replacement transmission facilities selected to meet Long-Term Transmission Needs and urges the Commission to continue to consider other potential federal ROFR issues that could facilitate collaboration and more efficient and cost-effective transmission for the benefit of consumers. WIRES looks forward to continuing to work with the Commission to advance constructive policies that ensure adequate investment in transmission infrastructure so that the grid continues to serve customers safely, reliably, and affordably.” #gridofthefuture #grid #gridreliability #gridexpansion #gridmodernization #transmission #FERC

🚨 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗣𝗣 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 🚨 Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has requested a waiver from FERC to extend the 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗦-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟬𝟬𝟭 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 deadline to March 1, 2025. SPP is seeking a response from FERC by October 31, 2024. However, it’s uncertain when FERC will provide a decision. If no response is received before this date, the DISIS-2024-001 cluster window will close as originally scheduled. To ensure you don’t miss out, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. 🔗 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: 𝙝𝙩𝙩𝙥𝙨://𝙬𝙬𝙬.𝙨𝙥𝙥.𝙤𝙧𝙜/𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝?𝙦=𝙚𝙧24-2860 Stay tuned for more updates! 🌟 #SPP #FERC #Interconnection #EnergyIndustry #RenewableEnergy #GridPlanning #RMSEnergy