Category Archives: 2018

CPES Policy Committee Update: June 12, 2018

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by the CPES New Energy Professionals Team. If you are interested in learning more about the New Energy Professionals, the Policy Committee, or if you have ideas for future policy updates, we would welcome your input and feedback. Please send comments to Kathryn Dube, CPES Executive Director, via email: kdube@ctpower.org.

In this Update:

  • FERC and NRC Joint Meeting
  • 2018 Integrated Resources Plan
  • Special Report of Acts Affecting Energy and Utilities
  • CT PURA, DEEP and OCC protest Constellation Mystic Cost-of-Service filing at FERC
  • Docket No. 18-05-16: Application of Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation to Increase Its Rates and Charge

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

FERC AND NRC JOINT MEETING
On Thursday, June 7, the Federal Energy Regulatory commission (FERC) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held a joint meeting covering: the state of reliability; grid reliability, nuclear power plants, and other topics; and cyber security activities.  The final agenda and presentations are available on FERC’s website.

CONNECTICUT

2018 INTEGRATED RESOURCES PLAN
On May 29, 2018, DEEP issued a Notice of Proceeding, Scoping Meeting, and Opportunity for Public Comment.  The scoping meeting is scheduled for June 12, 2018 at 9:00 AM EPT.  DEEP’s notice, which includes additional scheduled IRP tasks, is available here.

ACTS AFFECTING ENERGY AND UTILITIES
The Office of Legislative Research issued a Special Report of Acts Affecting Energy and Utilities, dated June 5, 2018.

CT PURA, DEEP and OCC PROTEST CONSTELLATION MYSTIC COST-OF-SERVICE FILING AT FERC
On June 6, 2018, the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel filed a Protest at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Docket No. ER18-1639-000.  The parties protest Constellation Mystic Power’s Cost of Service (COS) Agreement and ask that FERC find the proposed COS Agreement is not just or reasonable, suspend the COS Agreement, and set the matter for an evidentiary hearing and settlement talks.  As described in the protest, Mystic’s request for approval of the COS Agreement “is premised on its claim that absent full cost of service funding…Mystic 8 & 9 will be retired and the related Everett Marine/Distrigas liquefied natural gas (LNG) Terminal will be closed, leaving New England facing unacceptable ‘fuel security’ risks.”  The parties to the protest ask FERC “to resist Mystic’s effort to hold a sword over New England’s head now that ISO-NE has found that its resources are needed for fuel security.”

RECENT PURA DOCKETS
On May 30, 2018, PURA established Docket No. 18-05-16:  Application of Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation to Increase Its Rates and Charges 

 

THREE NEW CPES BOARD MEMBERS ANNOUNCED

 

Contact:                                                                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jennifer MacNeil, CPES Publicity
e: jennifermacneil99@gmail.com  |  m: 774-258-0280

PDF Version of this Release

THREE NEW CPES BOARD MEMBERS ANNOUNCED
Connecticut Power and Energy Society Strengthens Its Board in Anticipation of
Continued Growth to the Organization

Hartford, CT (June 5, 2018) Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES) welcomes new Board Members Kate Boucher (Locke Lord LLP), Graham Coates (Holland & Knight LLP), and Alex Judd (Day Pitney LLP) to join the rapidly growing organization.  This announcement comes during the joint CPES / NECA 25th Annual New England Energy Conference and Exposition (#NEECE18) being held June 4-5th at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in North Falmouth, Massachusetts.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kate, Graham, and Alex to the CPES Board of Directors,” said CPES President Eric Johnson of ISO New England.  “These three individuals have already distinguished themselves by their engagement and leadership on the CPES Policy Committee and among the Society’s growing ranks of New Energy Professionals. We look forward to their insights and continued involvement in helping to further the Society’s mission of generating information, sharing ideas and educating Connecticut on energy issues.”

Kate Boucher is an associate in the Hartford office of Locke Lord LLP where she concentrates her practice on energy and telecommunications law. Previously with Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, she brings a solid energy and environmental policy background to her practice. Kate counsels clients on policy, regulatory, legislative, compliance, siting, environmental and transactional issues and appears before various state commissions on energy and communications matters. She helps clients minimize risk while addressing their regulatory, compliance, enforcement and transactional needs. MORE

Graham Coates is an energy, public utility and environmental attorney at Holland & Knight LLP. He advises clients on wholesale and retail energy market issues, energy transactional matters, renewable and fossil-fired power development and utility rate matters. Graham routinely represents merchant generators, renewable energy developers, investment banks, private equity funds, quasi-public agencies, retail electric suppliers, public utilities and municipalities. As part of his practice, Graham advises clients in the financing, purchase and sale of energy assets. He also counsels on siting, permitting and regulatory approvals for traditional fossil-fired generation facilities, combined heat and power facilities, microgrids and various forms of renewable generation technologies. MORE

Alex Judd counsels energy clients on regulatory, compliance and transactional matters at Day Pitney LLP. That counsel includes assisting energy clients with the development and financing of renewable power and fossil fuel facilities. He works with competitive electricity suppliers, utilities, energy project developers and investors. He appears frequently before the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). He also monitors regulatory developments in the energy and utilities field throughout New England. MORE

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The Connecticut Power & Energy Society (CPES) is Connecticut’s leading association of energy professionals; dedicated to generating information, sharing ideas, and educating Connecticut about energy. www.ctpower.org

 

CPES Policy Committee Update: May 29, 2018

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by the CPES New Energy Professionals Team. If you are interested in learning more about the New Energy Professionals, the Policy Committee, or if you have ideas for future policy updates, we would welcome your input and feedback. Please send comments to Kathryn Dube, CPES Executive Director, via email: kdube@ctpower.org.

In this Update:

  • Executive Order Regarding Efficient Federal Operations
  • The Day: “New London, state leaders push offshore wind development as Mass., R.I. projects move forward”

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

EXECUTIVE ORDER REGARDING EFFICIENT FEDERAL OPERATIONS                     
Read more here.

THE DAY: “NEW LONDON, STATE LEADERS PUSH OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT AS MASS., R.I. PROJECTS MOVE FORWARD”
Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Wednesday tapped two offshore wind developers who also remain in the hunt to provide offshore wind power to Connecticut, where local officials and energy companies are pushing for a new hub of manufacturing in a growing industry. Read more here.

CPES Policy Committee Update: May 22, 2018

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by the CPES New Energy Professionals Team. If you are interested in learning more about the New Energy Professionals, the Policy Committee, or if you have ideas for future policy updates, we would welcome your input and feedback. Please send comments to Kathryn Dube, CPES Executive Director, via email: kdube@ctpower.org.

In this Update:

  • Coalition Sues State Over Sweep of Energy Efficiency Funds
  • ISO New England’s Summer Outlook Now Available
  • ISO’s Price-Responsive Demand Structure Effective June 1, 2018
  • ISO’s Annual Markets Report Now Available
  • Recent PURA Docket on Electric Distribution Company System Reliability

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

COALITION SUES STATE OVER SWEEP OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUNDS
A group of energy efficiency contractors and both consumer and environmental advocates sued the state of Connecticut on Tuesday, claiming that the legislature illegally swept ratepayer funds to close last year’s budget deficit. As part of the bipartisan budget agreement, $155 million was diverted from Conservation & Load Management, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority funds to help fill a large budget gap. The group was vocal last year about the sweep and warned the General Assembly that they would litigate. However, the General Assembly took no action before they adjourned on May 9.

ISO NEW ENGLAND’S SUMMER OUTLOOK NOW AVAILABLE
ISO-NE’s Outlook for Summer 2018 finds that electricity supplies should be sufficient to meet New England consumer demand, but tight system conditions could develop if forecasted extreme peak conditions occur.  Read the factsheet here and learn more at ISO’s Seasonal System Outlook webpage.

ISO’S PRICE-RESPONSIVE DEMAND STRUCTURE EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2018
On June 1, 2018, new price-responsive demand (PRD) structure will go into effect in ISO New England’s marketplace. Information on the types of demand response and participation requirements are available under the FCM Participation Guide on the Price-Responsive Demand webpage.  Related training are available on the Training Materials webpage.

ISO’S ANNUAL MARKETS REPORT NOW AVAILABLE
According to the 2017 Annual Markets Report issued by the Internal Market Monitor at ISO-NE, the region’s wholesale power markets were competitive in 2017.   The report addresses the development, operation, and performance of the wholesale electricity markets administered by the ISO and presents an assessment of each market based on market data and performance criteria. Read the full report here.

CONNECTICUT

On May 17, 2018, PURA established the following docket: Docket No. 18-05-13:  PURA 2018 Annual Report to the General Assembly on Electric Distribution Company System Reliability

CPES Policy Committee Update: May 15, 2018

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by the CPES New Energy Professionals Team. If you are interested in learning more about the New Energy Professionals, the Policy Committee, or if you have ideas for future policy updates, we would welcome your input and feedback. Please send comments to Kathryn Dube, CPES Executive Director, via email: kdube@ctpower.org.

In this Update:

  • ISO-NE publishes 2018 forecast of capacity, energy, loads, and transmission
  • NYISO, PJM, and ISO New England interregional committee releases 2017 Northeast Coordinated System Plan
  • PURA Dockets Recently Established
  • Energy & Technology Committee bills that passed both chambers during the Regular Session

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

ISO-NE PUBLISHES 2018 FORECAST OF CAPACITY, ENERGY, LOADS AND TRANSMISSION
ISO New England’s recently published  2018-2027 Forecast Report of Capacity, Energy, Loads, and Transmission (CELT) provides a snapshot of the New England power system and is a primary source for assumptions used in ISO system planning and reliability studies. The long-term forecast for electricity use is developed each year using state and regional economic forecasts, 40 years of weather history in New England, results of both the ISO’s energy-efficiency (EE) forecast and solar photovoltaic (PV) forecast, and other factors. The 2018 CELT projects that both energy usage and peak demand will decline slightly in New England over the 10-year period. The primary factors are continuing robust installation of energy-efficiency measures and behind-the-meter solar arrays throughout the region. For more information on the CELT projections for 2018 to 2027, see ISO’s Newswire article.  Detailed forecasts and models are available on ISO’s Load Forecast webpage.

NYISO, PJM, AND ISO NEW ENGLAND INTERREGIONAL COMMITTEE RELEASES 2017 NORTHEAST COORDINATED SYSTEM PLAN
The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), ISO New England (ISO-NE), and PJM (i.e., the Regional Transmission Organization [RTO] for all or parts of 13 eastern and Midwestern states and the District of Columbia) work collaboratively to coordinate the planning of their interconnected systems. The 2017 Northeast Coordinated System Plan (NCSP17) summarizes the ISO/RTOs 2016 and 2017 interregional planning efforts.  The report covers compliance with FERC Order No. 1000, interregional planning activities and protocol, each region’s planning processes, and other interregional activities.  No new needs for interregional transmission projects were identified in the analysis. For more information on the report and its findings, see ISO-NE’s summary.

CONNECTICUT

On May 11, 2018, PURA established the following: Docket No. 18-05-10:  Application of Yankee Gas Services Company d/b/a Eversource Energy to Amend its Rate Schedules 

On May 8, 2018, PURA established the following: Docket No. 18-05-04:  PURA Implementation of June Special Session Public Act 17-3 

The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly adjourned May 9, 2018.  The following Energy & Technology Committee bills passed both chambers during the Regular Session:

  • SB 333:  AAC MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC UTILITIES AND RATE DESIGN STUDIES
  • HB 5348:  AA MAKING USEFUL THERMAL ENERGY GENERATED FROM BIODIESEL A CLASS I RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE AND CREATING A HOMEOWNER-GENERATED USEFUL THERMAL ENERGY PROGRAM
  • SB 9:  AAC CONNECTICUT’S ENERGY FUTURE