Category Archives: Energy

CPES Policy Committee Update April 24, 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 Issues Final Rules to Improve Regional Market Transparency, Interconnections
  • Connecticut Water Confirms Receipt of Unsolicited Acquisition Proposal from Eversource Energy
  • Upcoming Training and Webinars from ISO-NE
  • FERC Initiates Notice of Inquiry Into Pipeline Certificate
  • Millstone “At Risk” Determination
  • PURA Docket No. 13-08-14RE04 established on April 18, 2018:  PURA Development of the Administrative Processes and Program Specifications for Virtual Net Metering – Application Amendment 

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

FERC INITIATES NOTICE OF INQUIRY INTO PIPELINE CERTIFICATE 
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) launched an inquiry seeking information and stakeholder perspectives on whether and how to revise existing policies regarding the Commission’s review and authorization of interstate natural gas transportation facilities. For more information, see FERC’s website and the Notice of Inquiry.

FERC ISSUES FINAL RULE TO IMPROVE REGIONAL MARKET TRANSPARENCY, INTERCONNECTIONS
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued two final rules to improve transparency in organized electric power markets and make electricity interconnections more effective and efficient.

  • Transparency Final Rule: Addresses transparency regarding uplift payments, operator-initiated commitments and transmission constraint penalty factors in organized electric power markets.  The rule requires regional market operators to report, on a monthly basis: total uplift payments for each transmission zone, broken out by day and uplift category; total uplift payments to each resource; and the commitment size, transmission zone, commitment reason, and commitment start time of each operator-initiated commitment. The rule also requires regional market operators to include in their tariffs the transmission constraint penalty factors used in their market software, the circumstances under which those factors can set locational marginal prices, and any processes by which they can be changed.
  • Generator Interconnection Procedures and Agreements Final Rule: Addresses reform of generator interconnection procedures and agreements for generators of more than 20 megawatts, and adopts reforms designed to improve certainty for interconnection customers, promote informed interconnection decisions and enhance the interconnection process.

CONNECTICUT WATER CONFIRMS RECEIPT OF UNSOLICITED ACQUISITION PROPOSAL FROM EVERSOURCE ENERGY
Connecticut Service, Inc. plans to continue with its merger with San Jose Water Group, despite a proposal from Eversource Energy earlier this month. Eversource announced Thursday that it sent a proposal to Connecticut Water to acquire its outstanding shares for $63.50 per share in cash. Shareholders would also have the option to receive the equivalent shares in Eversource in lieu of a monetary payment. Connecticut Water, headquartered in Clinton, said it received Eversource’s “non-binding, unsolicited” proposal and the company’s board of directors unanimously decided to decline it.

UPCOMING TRAINING FROM ISO-NE
Intermediate Wholesale Electricity Markets (WEM 201)  May 15- 27, 2018.  This three-day course provides an intermediate-level treatment of energy market concepts, including unit commitment, locational marginal pricing (LMP), reserve co-optimization, market interactions, settlement mechanics, and Financial Transmission Rights (FTRs).  
PRD–Real-Time Operational Expectations, May 22, 2018 10:00 am. – 12:00 p.m. This webinar will focus on real-time operational expectations for demand response resources (DRRs) and demand designated entity (DDE) staff under price-responsive demand (PRD) effective on June 1, 2018.  Topics include expectations for (1) response to normal and emergency dispatch instructions, (2) DRR real-time re-submittals, and (3) communications with ISO New England system operators.  

ISO IS HOSTING TWO WEBINARS ON ITS FORWARD CAPACITY MARKETS
FCM New Capacity Qualification for Demand Resources, May 1, 2018, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This webinar will review the requirements associated with the submittal of the new capacity qualification package for demand resource projects requesting participation in the Forward Capacity Auction for the 2022-2023 Capacity Commitment Period (FCA #13).
FCM New Capacity Qualification for Generation and Imports, May 1, 2018, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. This webinar will review the requirements associated with the submittal of the new capacity qualification package for generating and import capacity resource projects requesting participation in the Forward Capacity Auction for the 2022-2023 Capacity Commitment Period (FCA #13). It will also include a segment on import capacity resources with Elective Transmission Upgrades (ETU).

CONNECTICUT

MILLSTONE “AT RISK” DETERMINATION
Following the February decision under Executive Order 59 and June Special Session Public Act 17-3 by state regulators to allow nuclear plants to compete in an auction with new and existing solar, wind and hydropower energy producers for fixed-price contracts with state-regulated utilities. On April 4th DEEP and PURA issued a notice of request for written comments on their proposed procedure and criteria for determining if a power generating facility is at “at risk.”  Comments were due April 11 and a half dozen were filed.  An article from New London Day summarized the comments, including those from Dominion, Eversource, and NRG Energy.  According to DEEP and PURA’s notice, PURA proposed to initiate the “at risk” proceeding this April, with DEEP initiating an RFP proceeding before May 1.

PURA DOCKET ESTABLISHED ON APRIL 18, 2018

  • Docket No. 13-08-14RE04:  PURA Development of the Administrative Processes and Program Specifications for Virtual Net Metering – Application Amendment 

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly convened on February 7, 2018.  General information about the Energy and Technology Committee is available at: https://www.cga.ct.gov/et

 

 

 

 

CPES Policy Committee Update: April 10, 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:

  • ISO New England’s Draft Load Forecast Indicates Energy Usage and Peak Demand Will Decline Slightly Over the Next 10 Years
  • Wind, Fuel Cell Developers Pitch Over Two Dozen Projects
  • Regional Transmission Investment: Spring 2018 Update
  • Doosan GridTech Wins Deal for Energy Storage System
  • Connecticut Kicks off Grid Modernization Effort
  • PURA dockets established on March 28, 2018
  • March 29, 2018 Energy & Technology Committee Meeting Minutes

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

ISO NEW ENGLAND’S DRAFT LOAD FORECAST INDICATES ENERGY USAGE AND PEAK DEMAND WILL DECLINE SLIGHTLY OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS
The primary factors are continuing installation of energy-efficiency measures and behind-the-meter photovoltaic (BTM PV) arrays throughout the region. ISO NE’s long-term forecast for electricity use is developed each year using state and regional economic forecasts, 40 years of weather history in New England, federal appliance efficiency standards, the results of both the ISO’s energy-efficiency (EE) forecast and solar photovoltaic (PV) forecast, and other factors. Learn more at ISO’s website.

WIND, FUEL CELL DEVELOPERS PITCH OVER TWO DOZEN PROJECTS
DEEP received 27 bids this week in response to a competitive RFP that seeks to select potentially hundreds of thousands of megawatt hours of clean and renewable energy. Hartford Business Journal Article

REGIONAL TRANSMISSION INVESTMENT: SPRING 2018 UPDATE
ISO New England recently published the March 2018 update to the Regional System Plan (RSP) Project List, which details Pool Transmission Facility (PTF) projects needed to ensure reliability in New England. Since the October 2017 update, 22 upgrades were placed in service and no new projects were added. Since 2002, a cumulative total of 768 project components representing an investment of $10.4 billion have been placed into service to help ensure that New England’s transmission system continues to reliably and efficiently move wholesale electricity across the region. See the RSP update presentation at ISO’s website.

DOOSAN GRIDTECH WINS DEAL FOR ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM
Doosan GridTech Inc., a major provider of utility-integrated energy storage solutions, has won a deal to install an energy storage system for American energy provider Consumers Energy. Read the article

CONNECTICUT

CONNECTICUT KICKS OFF GRID MODERNIZATION EFFORT
Utility representatives and other stakeholders shared their views on evolving cost drivers, changing customer demand and new technologies at the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s first-ever technical conference on grid modernization.

PURA DOCKETS ESTABLISHED ON MARCH 28, 2018

  • Docket No. 14-07-19RE05:  PURA Investigation Into Redesign of the Residential Electric Billing Format – Review of Summary Information, Implementation and Display 
  • Docket No. 14-07-19RE04:  PURA Investigation into Redesign of the Residential Electric Billing Format – Next Rate Information 
  • Docket No. 06-12-07RE08:  Application of Liberty Power Holdings, LLC for an Electric Supplier License – Remand – Reopening

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly convened on February 7, 2018.  General information about the Energy and Technology Committee is available at: https://www.cga.ct.gov/et/

  • The Energy and Technology Committee held a committee meeting on March 29, 2018.  The meeting minutes are available here.  
 

 

 

 

CPES Policy Committee Update: February 6, 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:

  • New RFP for Clean Energy
  • DEEP/PURA Determination on Millstone Study
  • NH Rejects Northern Pass Transmission, Throwing Project into Doubt
  • ISO Releases Web-Based Training Module on Energy Markets
  • CT Legislative Session will convene on February 7th
  • Energy and Technology Informational Meeting on February 8th and 13th at 1pm

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

NEW RFP FOR CLEAN ENERGY
On January 31, 2018 DEEP issued a final RFP for certain Class I resources: offshore wind, fuel cells, fuels cells paired with combined heat and power, and anaerobic digestion facilities. Energy storage may be co-located with projects. Proposals are due by April 1, 2018. DEEP anticipates selection of bidders in June 2018 and submittal of contracts to PURA for approval in the fall of 2018.

DEEP/PURA DETERMINATION ON MILLSTONE STUDY
A final determination was released on February 1, 2018 and concludes that under certain assumptions, the Millstone Generating Facility could face retirement, however, such risk cannot be determined without additional audited financial data. The final determination recommends moving forward with a multi-tiered procurement that offers favored pricing to Dominion if Dominion is able to submit financial data verifying Millstone’s retirement risk. Without a verified retirement showing, Dominion’s bid would be evaluated against the forecasted price of power. The conclusions reached in the final determination will now be considered by the Legislature in the upcoming Session.

NEW HAMPSHIRE REJECTS NORTHERN PASS TRANSMISSION, THROWING PROJECT INTO DOUBT
The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) yesterday unanimously rejected the Northern Pass transmission project, throwing the project’s future into doubt.The New Hampshire SEC’s decision to reject Northern Pass came as a surprise yesterday, only a week after Massachusetts gave the project a green light and a major role in its energy plans. The project has sparked backlash from residents in New Hampshire, and a lawyer for the siting board reportedly said that Eversource had failed to prove the transmission would not “unduly interfere with the orderly development of the region.” It is not clear yet what the decision will mean for the project. Even if Northern Pass appeals and ultimately wins, the process could set the project behind schedule. An expedited schedule is one reason Massachusetts selected the line — its schedule was two years shorter than other proposals. A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Attorney General said yesterday the decision “raises serious questions about this timetable.” That announcement follows Healey’s calls for an investigation into the process used to select Northern Pass.

ISO RELEASES WEB-BASED TRAINING MODULE ON ENERGY MARKETS
The ISO released a new training module: New England’s Energy Markets that provides a brief overview of the region’s wholesale electricity markets, explaining how and why they were formed and the role of each market in the broader wholesale marketplace. The training focuses on the ISO’s day-ahead and real-time energy markets, the financial settlement of the markets, and how they are monitored.  

The module is the fourth in a series of core modules. Click here to access this training in ISO-TEN, the ISO’s Training and Events Network. The three previous modules are available in the links below:

  1. Overview of the Bulk Power System and ISO New England
  2. Introduction to ISO New England System Operations
  3. Introduction to ISO New England System Planning

ADDITIONAL INDUSTRY NEWS:

Maine’s governor puts the kibosh on new wind power in the state

Will the country’s first mandatory residential demand charge slow the Massachusetts solar boom?

2018 CONNECTICUT LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly convenes on February 7, 2018.  Information about the Energy and Technology Committee is available here.

ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY INFORMATIONAL MEETING 
On February 8th and 13th at 1:00pm the Energy and Technology Committee will hold a Stakeholders Status Report on Energy in Connecticut. Where are we? Where are we going?  (LOB Room 2D)

CPES Policy Committee Update: January 30, 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:

  • Massachusetts Selects Northern Pass in Response to Clean Energy RFP
  • CT Legislative Session will convene on Wednesday, February 7th

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

MASSACHUSETTS SELECTS NORTHERN PASS IN RESPONSE TO CLEAN  ENERGY RFP
Massachusetts has given preliminary approval to Eversource’s Northern Pass proposal to deliver hydropower to the state from Quebec. The bid was submitted in response to the Section 83D Clean Energy request for proposals. Eversource plans to build a 192-mile transmission line from hydroelectric plants in Canada that will carry power through New Hampshire.  Read the press release from Mass. Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Below are related articles:

Northern Pass wins entire Massachusetts clean energy bid process

Northern Pass prevails in Mass. Clean Energy RFP, handing victory to Eversource and Hydro-Quebec

$1 billion CMP proposal fails to win Bay State energy competition

Emera’s $2B Atlantic Link loses bid for Massachusetts clean energy deal

Hydro-Québec wins major Massachusetts energy contract

CONNECTICUT
2018 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly convenes on February 7, 2018.  Information about the Energy and Technology Committee is available here.

CPES Policy Committee Update: January 23, 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:

  • Operational Fuel-Security Analysis Released
  • U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Allco v. Klee
  • Update on the Economic Stability of Millstone
  • CT Legislative Session will convene on Wednesday, February 7th
  • PURA Dockets released in January

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

OPERATIONAL FUEL-SECURITY ANALYSIS RELEASED
On January 17th, ISO New England released its Operational Fuel-Security Analysis, a study assessing whether possible future resource combinations have enough fuel to ensure bulk power system reliability throughout an entire winter. The results indicate that maintaining reliability is likely to become more challenging, especially if current power system trends continue. Read the press release, and find more information on the ISO New England website.

ALLCO V.KLEE
The U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in Allco v. Klee. In June 2017, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s dismissal. It concluded that Connecticut’s renewable energy procurement program was not preempted by the Federal Power Act and the state’s rule that the state’s RPS program did not violate the dormant Commerce Clause. The opinion is particularly significant because it is the first federal court decision to discuss the scope of the Supreme Court’s 2016 Hughes decision. The Second Circuit’s interpretation of Hughes will inform district courts that are weighing motions to dismiss claims about zero emission credits (ZECs) for nuclear plants. Click here to view the procedural overview courtesy of the State Power Project.  

CONNECTICUT

UPDATE ON THE ECONOMIC STABILITY OF MILLSTONE
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) have released a revised draft report in Docket No. 17-07-32: DEEP and PURA Joint Proceeding to Implement the Governor’s Executive Order Number 59. The joint proceeding is tasked with reviewing the economic stability of the Millstone nuclear generating station in Waterford, Connecticut.  The most recent draft report reverses previous conclusions reached by PURA/DEEP regarding Millstone’s retirement risk and supports implementing a multi-tiered solicitation to procure energy from nuclear power facilities such as Millstone. DEEP/PURA have requested comments on the revised draft report which are due this Thursday, January 25, 2018. The notice and draft report are available here: http://www.dpuc.state.ct.us/dockcurr.nsf/All/E08A9CCEF25C28FB8525821D0055E28F?OpenDocument

2018 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly convenes on February 7, 2018.  Information about the Energy and Technology Committee is available here.

RECENTLY RELEASED PURA DOCKETS
On January 16, 2018, PURA established the following docket: Docket No. 18-01-31:  2017 Report to the Legislature – Electric Supplier Report 

On January 11, 2018, PURA established the following dockets:
Docket No. 18-01-29:  Annual Report to the Legislature – The State of Electric Competition 
Docket No. 18-01-28:  2018 Report to the General Assembly Regarding the Connecticut Electric Efficiency Partners Program 

On January 3, 2018, PURA established the following docket: Docket No. 18-01-15:  PURA Review of Rate Adjustments Related to the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act