Category Archives: nuclear

CPES 2017 Legislative Preview: Nuclear Power, the Utility of the Future, and the Affordability of Electricity

January 18, 2017 Legislative Preview: Nuclear Power, the Utility of the Future, and the Affordability of Electricity Are Considered Priorities This Session

On January 18, 2017,  the Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES), the Connecticut Bar Association’s (CBA) Energy, Public Utility and Communications Section, and the Renewable Energy and Efficiency Business Association (REEBA) hosted the annual Connecticut General Assembly legislative preview with leadership from the Energy and Technology Committee. House Chair Lonnie Reed, Senate Co-Chair Paul Formica, and Ranking Member Laura Hoydick participated on behalf of the committee, sharing insights on the upcoming legislative session and where they plan to focus their efforts this year. The legislators informed attendees that the committee will hold an informational session on January 24, 2017 to hear from key stakeholders on some of the pressing issues facing the state.

As for priorities, Senator Formica said that nuclear power and the viability of Millstone Nuclear Power Station will be a major area of focus this session. According to Formica, the 2,100 megawatt (MW) plant employs more than 1,000 employees and accounts for billions of dollars’ worth of economic benefits. Its carbon-free energy, he said, is an important part of the bridge to a renewable energy future. Addressing the changes affecting the traditional electric utility business model (dubbed “Utility 2.0”) and the affordability of electricity are also considered priorities this session. Representative Reed also spoke of plans to examine Connecticut’s energy “ecosystem” to determine where renewable resources and distributed forms of electricity can be better sited throughout the state.

Finally, the committee members all stressed the importance of working together and forming partnerships to advance the interests of Connecticut. They noted that solving the state’s budgetary issues and advancing a business-friendly atmosphere were important ways to grow jobs and attract investment in the state. According to the state’s Office of Fiscal Analysis, Connecticut faces an estimated $1.4 billion budget deficit for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

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CPES Policy Committee Update: August 9, 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 looking to issue new regulations on the Renewable Portfolio Standard
  • NY PSC approves new REC and ZEC requirements
  • Energy bill passes in MA seeking to diversify generation

 

Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority

RPS Docket Opened

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has opened a docket aimed at issuing new regulations regarding the Renewable Portfolio Standard (“RPS”) certification and compliance process. According to PURA’s recently opened docket notification, the new regulations “will (A) revise Conn. Agencies Regs. §16-245a-1 (annual RPS compliance by load serving entities); (B) revise Conn. Agencies Regs. §16-245a-2 (application for qualification Class I, II and III renewable energy facilities); and (C) develop rules and disclosure forms for voluntary green products.”  Any regulations promulgated by PURA must ultimately pass legislative review before being made final. The docket, Docket No. 16-08-23 – PURA Promulgation of Regulations Concerning RPS and Voluntary Green Products is available by clicking here.

 

Regional & Industry Developments

New York Approves 50% Renewable by 2030

On August 1, 2016, the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) issued an order approving the state’s Clean Energy Standard, requiring electricity providers in New York to obtain a targeted number of renewable energy credits (RECs) from renewable energy sources and zero-emissions credits (ZECs) from nuclear energy sources each year. In the order, the PSC adopted the 2015 State Energy Plan goal that 50% of New York’s electricity is to be generated by renewable sources by 2030.

For more information, see the PSC’s final order here.

 

Legislative Affairs

MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATION:

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

On July 31, 2016, the following bill passed both chambers that may be of interest to you:

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

 

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/

CPES Policy Committee Update: June 21, 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 New England Prepares for Summer
  • FERC’s Clark comments on hybrid markets
  • Comments on the 2016 Comprehensive Energy Strategy

 

Connecticut Policy/Regulatory Update: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

Scoping comments for the 2016 Comprehensive Energy Strategy were due to be filed with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection on June 14, 2016. The comments filed by various stakeholders are now available for review at the following link.

 

Regional and Industry Developments

Beating the Heat: How ISO New England Prepares for Summer Peak Demand

As the region enters the summer season, ISO New England prepares for conditions unique to the hot, humid summer months. Peak demand brought on by warmer weather and an increased reliance on energy-intensive technologies, such as air conditioning, can create complex challenges for the grid operator. According to the ISO’s summer outlook, New England is expected to have adequate electricity supplies to meet consumer demand this summer under normal weather and power system conditions. However, work on Spectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) natural gas pipeline expansion project may limit delivery of natural gas to some power plants in the region.

To maintain a reliable supply of electricity to New England’s residents and businesses, the ISO’s System Operations team must rely on carefully planned procedures to increase power generation and curb consumption during periods when demand for electricity threatens to exceed available capacity and reserves. High consumer demand or unplanned resource outages—when a transmission line or generator suddenly goes offline—are typically the reasons for these procedures to be enacted.

For more information on how ISO New England prepares for summer peak demand, see the ISO Newswire.

 

FERC’s Clark sees ‘really unsustainable future’ in hybrid markets

BISMARCK, N.D. — Disputes playing out in deregulated states like Illinois and Ohio over proposed subsidies for aging power plants highlight a key challenge facing the electricity industry at a critical juncture in its evolution, said Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Tony Clark.  “This issue is one that is going to be a huge issue between FERC and the states in those regions of the country that not only have real-time markets, but that have also chosen to restructure their electricity industry,” said Clark, whose term ends at the end of the month.  The former North Dakota utility regulator was back in his home state this week for the Mid-America Regulatory Conference, an association of regulatory commissioners and staff from 14 central states. He was the featured speaker at yesterday morning’s wrap-up session.  Clark said the tension between states and FERC doesn’t affect most central states, where vertically integrated utilities have retail electric rates set by state commissions. But the issue looms large in restructured states where FERC-regulated wholesale markets are relied upon to signal when to invest in or close old power plants or build new ones.

There is an ongoing debate in states including Illinois and Ohio over keeping certain unprofitable coal and nuclear plants running to preserve jobs and taxes and other policy reasons.  Clark said those out-of-market solutions pose a problem: specifically that those states have previously chosen to let the market dictate investment decisions.  “If you have lots and lots of out-of-market constructs that basically negate the price formation that’s happening in the market, you end up with a really, really unsustainable future,” he said.  http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060038896

 

CPES Policy Committee Update: March 29, 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:

  • DEEP posts its presentation from the March 24 bidders’ conference on RFP for small renewables, demand response, and energy storage
  • E&T Committee holds informational forum on the adequacy of energy supplies including nuclear power in the state
  • ISO-NE submits report to FERC on price formation in the region’s wholesale electricity markets

 

Connecticut Policy/Regulatory Update: Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s (DEEP) Bureau of Energy Technology Policy has posted its presentation from the March 24, 2016 Bidders’ Conference. During the Bidders’ Conference, DEEP clarified issues regarding requirements for energy storage, eligibility and land use requirements, and the evaluation process. The presentation is available here.

 

Connecticut Legislative Update: Energy & Technology Committee

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

On Thursday, March 24, 2016, the Energy & Technology Committee held an informational forum on the adequacy of energy supplies including nuclear power in the state.  The forum included presentations from:

  1. Former U.S. Senator Evan Bayh – Co-Chair, Nuclear Matters
  2. Katie Scharf Dykes – Deputy Commissioner for Energy, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
  3. Daniel G. Stoddard – Senior Vice President, Nuclear Operations, Dominion; Daniel A. Weekley – Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Dominion
  4. James Daly – Vice President, Energy Supply, Eversource Energy
  5. Alan Trotta – Director, Wholesale Power Contracts, Avangrid
  6. Arthur H. House – Chairman, Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
  7. Elin S. Katz – Consumer Counsel, Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel

In the appendix below, please see a list of bills that may be of interest to our members.

 

Regional and Industry Developments

ISO New England Submits Report to FERC on Price Formation

Earlier this month, ISO New England filed its responses to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) questions on price formation in the region’s wholesale electricity markets. The ISO report includes detailed answers to the complex issues raised by FERC and highlights the significant strides made regionally to achieve pricing that accurately and transparently signals the costs of operating New England’s power system. Public comments on the report will be accepted through April 6, 2016.

For more information, see the following ISO Newswire article: ISO-NE report on market price formation highlights complexity of issue, regional improvements.

 

Appendix

On March 22, 2016, the following bills were reported out of the Energy & Technology Committee:

  • S.B. No. 334 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY . ‘AN ACT CONCERNING MINOR REVISIONS TO THE ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY RELATED STATUTES’, to (1) allow an electric distribution company to recover costs associated with the shared clean energy facilities pilot program, (2) make changes regarding contracting in connection with the purchasing pool for electricity, (3) make changes to the requirements for energy performance standards and life-cycle cost analyses, (4) remove the federal weatherization program from the purview of the Department of Social Services, and (5) make other conforming and technical changes. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.
  • S.B. No. 345 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY . ‘AN ACT REQUIRING A STUDY OF THE DIVERSITY OF ENERGY SOURCES IN THE STATE’, to require the chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to conduct a study pertaining to energy sources. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.
  • S.B. No. 366 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY . ‘AN ACT CONCERNING ADMINISTRATION OF THE CONNECTICUT GREEN BANK, THE PRIORITY OF THE BENEFIT ASSESSMENTS LIEN UNDER THE GREEN BANK’S COMMERCIAL SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROGRAM AND THE GREEN BANK’S SOLAR HOME RENEWABLE ENERGY CREDIT PROGRAM’, to (1) remove the Connecticut Green Bank from Connecticut Innovations, Incorporated, (2) give the Connecticut Green Bank additional powers, (3) make changes regarding the priority of the benefit assessments lien under the Connecticut Green Bank’s commercial sustainable energy program, (4) make changes to the solar home renewable energy credit program, and (5) make other technical and conforming changes. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.
  • S.B. No. 394 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY . ‘AN ACT CONCERNING VIRTUAL NET METERING AND CERTAIN ZERO OR LOW EMISSION GENERATION PROJECTS’, to make changes to the state’s virtual net metering program concerning certain zero or low emission generation projects. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.
  • H.B. No. 5496 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY . ‘AN ACT CONCERNING BIOMASS FACILITIES’, to allow an administrator of certain biomass facilities to request a modification to the electricity purchase agreement to allow utilization of additional sustainable biomass fuel. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.
  • H.B. No. 5504 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY . ‘AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE AND PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS FOR PROJECTS CONSIDERED AND APPROVED BY THE SITING COUNCIL’, to require a public information session if a certified facility has not commenced construction three years from the date of the issuance of the certificate and to require reissuance of the notice of application if a certified facility has not completed construction three years from the date of the issuance of the certificate. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.
  • H.B. No. 5509 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.  ‘AN ACT CONCERNING STAFFING LEVELS FOR ELECTRIC SERVICE LINEWORKERS’, to establish minimum staffing levels of electric service lineworkers for electric distribution companies. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.
  • H.B. No. 5510 (RAISED) ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY . ‘AN ACT CONCERNING ELECTRIC, ZERO EMISSION AND FUEL CELL ELECTRIC VEHICLES’, to prepare electric distribution companies, municipalities, public and private merchants and electrical contractors for the presence and operation of electric, zero-emission and fuel cell vehicles in the state, to make changes regarding parking of hydrogen fuel vehicles under grade level and to make changes regarding labeling of vehicles that carry pressurized gas as fuel. REF. ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY.