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.