Category Archives: PURA

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 

 

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

CPES Policy Committee Update: May 1, 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’s State of the Markets Report 2017
  • ISO New England Winter Recap
  • Setting Regional Solar and Wind Power Records in New England
  • FERC Issues Letter Accepting the Results of the 12th Forward Capacity Auction
  • Docket No. 18-04-25: PURA Investigation Regarding Issues Related to Uncollectible Accounts and Docket No. 10-06-18RE02: Application of Spark Energy, L.P. for an Electric Supplier License – Investigation Into Marketing 

REGIONAL AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

FERC’S STATE OF THE MARKETS REPORT 2017
FERC’s Office of Enforcement’s Division of Energy Market Oversight published their annual assessment of natural gas, electric, and other energy markets developments during the past year.  The Commission’s accompanying presentation is always available on their website.

ISO NEW ENGLAND WINTER RECAP
ISO New England published a recap of the 2017/2018 winter conditions, describing the effect of the historic cold snap in the final week of December and first week of January. For more on how these cold weather conditions impacted grid operations, see ISO-NE’s analysis.

SETTING REGIONAL SOLAR AND WIND POWER RECORDS IN NEW ENGLAND
Over 130,000 solar power installations now span the six New England states, totaling about 2,400 MW (nameplate)—over 5,800 MW are expected by 2027. Almost all this solar power is connected to local distribution utilities or “behind the meter” (BTM) directly at retail customer sites. On April 9, a cool, cloudless day across New England, BTM solar power set a new regional record. Wind, energy-efficiency measures and storage are also contributing to the changing grid, reducing  the region’s emissions. Learn more at ISO-New England’s website.

FERC ISSUES LETTER ACCEPTING THE RESULTS OF THE 12TH FORWARD CAPACITY AUCTION
FERC issued a letter order accepting ISO New England’s filing of the results of the twelfth Forward Capacity Auction, held on February 5-6, 2018 for the June 1, 2021 through May 31, 2022 Capacity Commitment Period. The document has been posted to the ISO’s website. 

CONNECTICUT

RECENT PURA DOCKETS
On April 26, 2018, PURA established Docket No. 18-04-25:  PURA Investigation Regarding Issues Related to Uncollectible Accounts 

On April 25, 2018, PURA established Docket No. 10-06-18RE02:  Application of Spark Energy, L.P. for an Electric Supplier License – Investigation Into Marketing 

CONNECTICUT LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2018 Regular Session of the Connecticut General Assembly convened on February 7, 2018 and will adjourn on May 9, 2018.  General information about the Energy and Technology Committee is available at: https://www.cga.ct.gov/et

 

 

 

 

March 14, 2018 Dinner meeting with Jack Betkoski, III and Tracy Babbidge

WRAP UP: CPES Dinner Meeting

Speakers:  PURA Vice-Chairman and President of NARUC, Jack Betkoski, III; Tracy Babbidge, Bureau Chief of DEEP’s Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy

Moderated by: Kate Boucher, Associate at Locke Lord LLP, Member of CPES’ New Energy Professionals Group

On Wednesday, March 14th, CPES hosted Jack Betkoski III, PURA Vice-Chairman and President of NARUC and Tracy Babbidge, Bureau Chief of DEEP’s Bureau of Energy and Technology Policy for a dinner discussion on what’s happening and in the pipeline for 2018 at DEEP and PURA. 

DEEP Bureau Chief Babbidge started the discussion with an overview of DEEP’s 2018 Comprehensive Energy Strategy released in February and its eight main themes.  She noted the challenge in writing the CES to balance the document’s strategic and comprehensive goals while writing for an audience ranging from experts to lay readers.

PURA Vice-Chairman Betkoski followed, speaking on PURA’s focus areas for the year, such as a grid modernization, the ramifications of federal tax reform for the state’s utilities, and best practices for electrical suppliers. He also discussed the new statewide water plan, submitted February 1st to the legislature for review, which outlines water policy in Connecticut for the next 50 years and his work with NARUC nationally on the water-energy nexus. 

The speakers fielded questions from moderator Kate Boucher and attendees on a range of topics, from the role of climate policy in future editions of the CES, the state’s electric-vehicle deployment strategy, and position on fuel cells, to siting of renewable energy projects and water plan implementation. Throughout the night, both speakers emphasized the collaborative relationship between DEEP and PURA and the positive synergies that have come out of the 2011 consolidation of the state’s energy policy, environmental, and public-utility functions into one agency. 

When asked to identify the state’s biggest challenges in 2018, Bureau Chief Babbage noted the complexities of progressing on DEEP’s priorities in the uncertainty that comes with an election cycle.  Vice-Chairman Betkoski identified the state’s ongoing budget problems and personnel turnover as overarching challenges for PURA.

RTO Insider’s Article “Conn. Officials Talk State Policy, Wider Trends”

To read the newly released 2018 CES, click here.