Category Archives: Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES)

CPES Policy Committee Update: September 27, 2016

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by a team recently formed with support from CPES, known as the New Energy Professionals. 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 Paul Brady, CPES Executive Director, via email: pbrady@ctpower.org.

This week’s features:

  • New England Wholesale Electric Prices and Demand – August 2016
  • Looking Ahead to the Next Legislative Session – Schedules and Key Links

 

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

A Look at Wholesale Electricity Prices and Demand in New England: August 2016

August’s average monthly power price of $40.19 per megawatt-hour (MWh) was up 13.7% from the August 2015 average price of $35.35/MWh and 37% higher than the July 2016 average price of $29.33/MWh. The month included some very hot and humid weather that drove up air conditioning use, which drove up demand for power by 3% over the month as a whole. The highest level for demand so far this year occurred on August 12, during a heat wave, when demand peaked at 25,521 MW. The day before, on August 11, shortage conditions developed – meaning the region was short of the required level of reserves – on the regional power system when several generators tripped offline, causing real-time prices to spike and requiring implementation of special operating procedures, including dispatch of demand-response resources in all of New England except Maine. The ISO New England control room maintained reliable power system operations throughout the day.

For more information, visit the ISO Newswire.

 

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATION:

The 2016 Connecticut regular session ended on May 4, 2016.  The 2017 Connecticut regular session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Energy and Technology Committee, including committee meetings and public hearings, is available at: https://www.cga.ct.gov/et/.

 

MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATION:

The 2015-2016 Massachusetts formal session ended on July 31, 2016.  The 2017-2018 Massachusetts session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, including hearings and bills in committee, is available at: https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J37.

 

CPES & NEWIEE: Emerging Issues in Risk Management for Energy Infrastructure Projects: 9.14.16

CPES and NEWIEE

 

 

cpes_septnewsletterbanner2smOn September 14, 2016, the CPES and New England Women in Energy and the Environment (NEWIEE) hosted a joint panel discussion on Emerging Issues in Risk Management for Energy Infrastructure Projects. The event marked the second program collaboration between CPES and NEWIEE, following last year’s discussion on competitive electric transmission development in New England.

panelseptember_croppedElizabeth Barton, President of NEWIEE and Partner at Day Pitney, moderated a panel of accomplished women in the field, including:

 

  • Denise M. Cosentino, Director, Enterprise Risk Management, Eversource Energy
  • Donna Allard-Flett, Senior Vice President, Construction Services, Aon Risk Solutions
  • Cristin K. Bullen, Senior Vice President, Northeast Environmental Leader, Marsh
  • Noreen E. Kuziak, Director, Underwriting, Engineered Lines, Custom Account Division, The Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Companyseptember-panel-during

The four panelists offered their unique perspectives on how to manage the risks associated with energy infrastructure projects through insurance-related tools and other strategies.

Denise Cosentino set the stage for the discussion, reflecting on the dramatic changes taking place in the energy industry over the years.  She noted that the public perception of energy infrastructure projects has changed considerably, leading to increased involvement by the general public in the development of energy infrastructure projects.  She explained that many of the challenges leveled against energy infrastructure projects include environmental and cultural resources challenges, as well as ‘Not in My Backyard’ (NIMBY) objections to the development of energy infrastructure.  Many of these risks, she explained, can be met with extensive community outreach and engagement.

Donna Allard-Flett discussed the management of risk during the construction phase of energy infrastructure projects, particularly her experience with construction insurance and builder’s risk insurance.  Donna also explained her experience with ‘wrap-up’ insurance, an insurance policy which protects all contractors and subcontractors working on a large project.  A question that arises for many infrastructure projects, she explained, is who is best suited to hold the insurance policy – the general contractor or the owner of the project.

Cristin Bullen focused her remarks on environmental insurance of which there are two types: contractors pollution liability insurance and site pollution liability insurance.  Contractors pollution liability insurance is designed to address environmental liabilities associated with the job-site operations of contractors; whereas, site pollution liability insurance is designed to address the unknown pre-existing pollution conditions of a job site.  Cristin has worked in this specialized field for 17 years and explained that, these days, almost every commercial and industrial project requires environmental insurance to manage these environmental risks.

Finally, Noreen Kuziak offered concluding remarks, touching on the harshness of New England’s weather conditions and how they can impact energy infrastructure projects.  Noreen explained that, from the insurance company perspective, she is primarily focused on developing loss control and maintenance programs for energy infrastructure projects, making sure every risk is identified and managed.

september-audience

CPES Policy Committee Update: September 19, 2016

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by a team recently formed with support from CPES, known as the New Energy Professionals. 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 Paul Brady, CPES Executive Director, via email: pbrady@ctpower.org.

This week’s features:

  • PURA re-opens the Residential Billing Docket and Eversource seeks to reopen docket on interconnection guidelines.
  • ISO-NE Completes Study on Wind Resources
  • Looking Ahead to the Next Legislative Session – Schedules and Key Links

 

CONNECTICUT REGULATORY

PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY NEW DOCKETS:

On September 14, 2016, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority initiated the following proceeding, which may be of interest to you:

  • Docket No. 14-07-19RE02:  PURA Investigation into Redesign of the Residential Electric Billing Format – Incidental Residential Accounts and Summary Information

Also, on September 8, 2016, Eversource filed a motion to reopen Docket No. 03-01-15 DPUC Investigation into the Need For Interconnection Standards for Distributed Generation, seeking  PURA approval of new interconnection guidelines for small (sub 20kW) generation systems. Eversource’s motion and the proposed interconnection standards are available here.

 

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

ISO New England Completes Studies on the Economic Impacts of Adding More Wind Resources to the Grid

ISO New England recently completed three studies requested by regional stakeholders in 2015. The studies focus on the economic impacts of adding more wind resources to the regional power system under a variety of hypothetical scenarios. The studies looked at:

  • The potential economic effects of developing offshore wind
  • Upgrading transmission at three interfaces in Maine to remove potential bottlenecks and enable the development of more onshore wind and imports from New Brunswick, Canada
  • Easing a transmission bottleneck farther north in the Keene Road area of Maine to enable increasing wind development in the local area

The final results of the studies are available on the ISO’s Planning Advisory Committee webpage.  For more information, visit the ISO Newswire.

 

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATION:

The 2016 Connecticut regular session ended on May 4, 2016.  The 2017 Connecticut regular session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Energy and Technology Committee, including committee meetings and public hearings, is available at: https://www.cga.ct.gov/et/.

 

MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATION:

The 2015-2016 Massachusetts formal session ended on July 31, 2016.  The 2017-2018 Massachusetts session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, including hearings and bills in committee, is available at: https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J37.

CPES Policy Committee Update: September 15, 2016

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by a team recently formed with support from CPES, known as the New Energy Professionals. 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 Paul Brady, CPES Executive Director, via email: pbrady@ctpower.org.

This week’s features:

  • ISO NE’s Hybrid Grid
  • National Grid’s smart grid pilot in MA
  • Looking Ahead to the Next Legislative Session – Schedules and Key Links

 

Regional and Industry Developments

ISO New England Publishes Summary of Its Efforts to Prepare for the ‘Hybrid Grid’

This week, ISO New England published Getting Ready for the Hybrid Grid, a two-page summary of the ISO’s efforts to facilitate New England’s transition to a smarter, greener grid. The handout describes how the ISO is breaking new ground in the areas of forecasting and dispatch of renewable resources and other new technologies; high-speed cloud computing for analyzing vast, complex data; and protecting against cyber threats.

For more information, visit the ISO Newswire.

 

VIDEO: National Grid seeks to extend smart grid pilot in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Electric Co. and National Grid, in an Aug. 30 filing submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, said that it is seeking to extend its Smart Energy Solutions Program until Dec. 31, 2018.

The company noted that it is currently conducting a two-year smart grid pilot under the Green Communities Act, Section 85 of Chapter 169 of the Acts of 2008, and the DPU’s August 2012 order, which approved the company’s pilot proposal, with certain modifications.

The pilot’s smart pricing, bill protection and demand response capabilities went into effect for participating customers on Jan. 1, 2015, the company said, noting that the pilot is scheduled to end on Dec. 31.

http://www.elp.com/articles/2016/09/national-grid-seeks-to-extend-smart-grid-pilot-in-massachusetts.html

 

Legislative Affairs

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATION:

The 2016 Connecticut regular session ended on May 4, 2016.  The 2017 Connecticut regular session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Energy and Technology Committee, including committee meetings and public hearings, is available at: https://www.cga.ct.gov/et/.

 

MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATION:

The 2015-2016 Massachusetts formal session ended on July 31, 2016.  The 2017-2018 Massachusetts session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, including hearings and bills in committee, is available at: https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J37

CPES Policy Committee Update: September 6, 2016

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by a team recently formed with support from CPES, known as the New Energy Professionals. 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 Paul Brady, CPES Executive Director, via email: pbrady@ctpower.org.

This week’s features:

  • New England Governors Discuss Energy Issues with Canadian Leaders at NEG-ECP Conference
  • Looking Ahead to the Next Legislative Session – Schedules and Key Links

 

Regional and Industry Developments

NEG-ECP CONFERENCE

On August 28-29, 2016, the six New England Governors joined with five Eastern Canadian Premiers for their 40th Annual NEG-ECP Conference. The Conference was hosted by Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts and a variety of regional issues were discussed, including trade, energy diversification, and combating the opioid crisis. Much of the Governors’ and Premiers’ focus was on energy as the Conference heard from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chair Norman Bay, a panel on “Emerging and Innovative Technologies,” and a second panel on “The Benefits and Importance of Diverse Energy Generation.”

For more information on the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Annual Conference, visit: http://www.coneg.org/negecp.

 

Legislative Affairs

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATION:

The 2016 Connecticut regular session ended on May 4, 2016.  The 2017 Connecticut regular session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Energy and Technology Committee, including committee meetings and public hearings, is available at: https://www.cga.ct.gov/et/.

 

MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATION:

The 2015-2016 Massachusetts formal session ended on July 31, 2016.  The 2017-2018 Massachusetts session begins January 4, 2017.

Information about the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, including hearings and bills in committee, is available at: https://malegislature.gov/Committees/Joint/J37.