Category Archives: DEEP

CPES Policy Committee Update: October 24

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 New England Delays Release of Study on Regional Fuel Security
  • PURA Established a Docket on PURA’s Annual Review of the Purchased Gas Adjustment Clause Charges or Credits Filed by Connecticut Local Distribution Companies 
  • PURA Established a Docket for PURA’s Review of the LDCs’ Gas Supply Portfolio, Asset Strategies and Practices 
  • PURA Established a Docket for Review of LREC/ZREC Projects 
  • Potential Sweep of RGGI Funds
  • First Round Comments on DEEP’s Draft 2017 CES Available

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

ISO NEW ENGLAND DELAYS RELEASE OF STUDY ON REGIONAL FUEL SECURITY
ISO New England will delay the release of its Operational Fuel-Security Analysis pending resolution of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) issued to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on September 28, 2017. ISO New England intends to release the results of the analysis once the DOE NOPR is sufficiently resolved. For more information, see the ISO’s official statement.

CONNECTICUT

PUBLIC UTILITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITY NEW DOCKETS
On October 19, 2017, PURA established the following docket:
Docket No. 18-10-01:  PURA Annual Review of the Purchased Gas Adjustment Clause Charges or Credits Filed by Connecticut Local Distribution Companies 

On October 16, 2017, PURA established the following docket:
Docket No. 17-10-31:  PURA Review of the LDCs’ Gas Supply Portfolio, Asset Strategies and Practices 

On October 10, 2017, PURA established the following docket:
Docket No. 17-10-19:  Review of LREC/ZREC Projects 

POTENTIAL SWEEP OF RGGI FUNDS
The tentative budget agreement, which is still being negotiated, may include sweeps of the Energy Efficiency Fund, the Connecticut Green Bank, and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.  More information is available here.

CES FIRST ROUND COMMMENTS AVAILABLE
The first round of comments on the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) draft 2017 Comprehensive Energy Strategy were due September 25, 2017. The comments are available on the DEEP webpage at the following link: http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/DEEPEnergy.nsf/$EnergyView?OpenForm&Start=1&Count=30&Expand=6.2&Seq=2

CPES Policy Committee Update: October 3, 2017

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:

  • U.S. Department of Energy Proposes Grid Resiliency Rule for FERC Action
  • First Round Comments on DEEP’s draft 2017 Comprehensive Energy Strategy Available

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

U.S. Department of Energy Proposes Grid Resiliency Rule for FERC Action

On September 29, 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) filed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) directing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) to issue a final rule to “ensure that the reliability and resiliency attributes of generation with on-site fuel supplies are fully valued.” The NOPR pointed to the significant number of retirements of fuel-secure generation and stated that the rule must provide for “recovery of costs of fuel-secure generation units frequently relied upon to make our grid reliable and resilient.”

DOE is requiring the Commission to consider and take final action on the proposed rule within 60 days from the date of publication of the NOPR in the Federal Register. In the alternative, DOE urges the Commission to issue the rule as an interim final rule, effective immediately, with provision for later modifications after consideration of public comments.  

First Round Comments Available

The first round of comments on the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) draft 2017 Comprehensive Energy Strategy were due September 25, 2017. The comments are available on the DEEP webpage at the following link: http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/DEEPEnergy.nsf/$EnergyView?OpenForm&Start=1&Count=30&Expand=6.2&Seq=2

CPES Policy Committee Update: September 26, 2017

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:

  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Activity: U.S. Senate Energy Committee Sends FERC Nominees to Full Senate
  • Update on Millstone Power Station
  • CT Budget: Energy Industry Impact

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION ACTICITY: U.S. SENATE ENERGY COMMITTEE SEND FERC NOMINEES TO FULL SENATE
On September 19, 2017, the U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee approved two nominees to serve as commissioners on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)—Kevin McIntyre and Richard Glick. McIntyre, a republican who will be designated as chairman, has been nominated to two terms ending in 2023. The Committee held a nomination hearing for McIntyre and Glick on September 7. The nominations now head to the Senate floor.

If confirmed, McIntyre and Glick will join Commissioners Cheryl LaFleur and Robert Powelson, and Acting Chairman Neil Chatterjee, returning a full complement of five commissioners to FERC.

CONNECTICUT

MILLSTONE POWER STATION UPDATE
The fireworks continue in the joint DEEP-PURA proceeding to study the economic viability of Millstone Station. Last week, in a response to a series of data requests from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), Dominion declined to answer a majority of inquiries about its revenue, expenses, cash flow and earnings. “Dominion Energy will not provide competitively sensitive or proprietary information related to this request … at this time,” the company wrote. DEEP and PURA staff will likely be forced to move forward using estimates based on public information. See articles from Hartford Business Journal and the Courant.

CONNECTICUT BUDGET: IMPACT ON THE ENERGY INDUSTRY
The Republican budget, that passed in dramatic fashion, includes a provision to remove PURA from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which has existed as a single agency since 2011. As passed, the bill also eliminates statutory authorization of the Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy. The Republican budget: (1) Reduces rates and decreases costs for Connecticut’s ratepayers, (2) ensures the reliability and safety of our state’s energy supply, (3) increases the use of clean energy and technologies that support clean energy, and (4) develops the state’s energy-related economy. The head of such authority shall be the chairperson elected in accordance with section 16-2 of the state statutes. Despite passing both the House and the Senate, Governor Malloy has threatened to veto the budget. See article from WNPR

CPES Policy Committee Update: September 18, 2017

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:

  • New Clustering Methodology Proposed for ISO New England’s Interconnection Procedures
  • 2017 Draft Comprehensive Energy Strategy Comments due by September 25

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

NEW CLUSTERING METHODOLOGY PROPOSED FOR ISO NEW ENGLAND’S INTERCONNECTION PROCEDURES
Earlier this month, ISO New England, jointly with the New England Power Pool Participants Committee and the Participating Transmission Owners Administrative Committee, filed proposed tariff changes to incorporate a new clustering methodology in the ISO’s interconnection procedures. When specific conditions are present in the ISO’s interconnection queue, the proposed methodology would allow two or more interconnection requests to be analyzed in the same System Impact Study and for developers to share costs for certain interconnection-related transmission upgrades. Typically, each individual interconnection request involves complex and often lengthy engineering studies to identify the necessary system upgrades to accommodate the proposed resource. Therefore, at times, individual interconnection projects are not able or willing to make the necessary system upgrade investments.

The filing parties propose to first implement the clustering methodology to help move forward the backlog of interconnection requests experienced in Northern and Western Maine, where more than 5,800 megawatts of proposed new resources, mostly wind, are seeking to interconnect to the regional grid. For more information, visit the ISO Newswire.

2017 DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY STRATEGY COMMENTS DUE 9/25

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) released a draft of the 2017 Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES) on June 26th. Comments are due by September 25th. Visit the DEEP website for more information.

CPES Policy Committee Update: August 28, 2017

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:

  • RGGI States Announced Proposed Program Changes Beginning in 2021
  • United State Department of Energy Releases Report on Electric Grid Reliability and Resilience
  • 2017 CES Technical Meeting: September 13

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

RGGI STATES ANNOUNCE PROPOSED PROGRAM CHANGES BEGINNING IN 2021
On August 23, 2017, the nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) announced proposed changes to the program beginning in 2021. The proposed changes, stemming from a 2016 Program Review, include a regional cap of 75,147,784 tons of CO2 in 2021, which will decline by 2.275 million tons of CO2 per year through 2030, resulting in a 30% reduction in the regional cap from 2020 to 2030. Additional adjustments have been proposed to account for the full bank of excess allowances at the end of 2020, as well as other proposed modifications.

The RGGI states will seek stakeholder comment on the draft program elements in a public meeting scheduled for September 25. Materials, including a stakeholder meeting notice and a supplementary table of year-by-year regional numbers, are posted to the RGGI, Inc. website.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RELEASES REPORT ON ELECTRIC GRID RELIABILITY AND RESILIENCE
On August 23, 2017, the US Department of Energy (DOE) released a report focused on a variety of challenges impacting the reliability and resilience of the electric grid. The report was initiated by the Secretary of Energy in April, with a focus on the effects of various economic and political factors on electric grid operations, including baseload generation powered by nuclear and coal.

The report highlights the significant impact of lower-cost natural gas on the retirement of generators that previously operated as baseload generation. The report also discusses the impacts of lower electricity demand (in part due to investments in energy efficiency), increased output from renewable resources, and various environmental regulations on nuclear and coal-fired power plants. DOE makes several recommendations for ways to improve reliability and resiliency, including for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to move forward with efforts to improve price formation in wholesale markets and potentially find ways to compensate assets providing important reliability characteristics.

The full report is available at: https://energy.gov/staff-report-secretary-electricity-markets-and-reliability

CONNECTICUT

DATES SET FOR THE DRAFT 2017 COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY STRATEGY TECHNICAL HEARINGS
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) released a draft of the 2017 Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES) on June 26th. They will hold a technical meeting on September 13, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. in Hearing Room 1, at DEEP’s New Britain Office, Ten Franklin Square, New Britain, Connecticut Directions to DEEP’s New Britain Office. The purpose of the technical meetings are to allow stakeholders an opportunity to present oral comments and to pose questions to DEEP staff and consultants involved in the preparation of the analytics and the findings in the draft Strategy. DEEP requests that you RSVP and send your questions to DEEP.EnergyBureau@ct.gov three business days prior to the scheduled date if you plan on attending and/or participating in any of the scheduled technical meetings. Visit the DEEP website for more information.