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Energy experts have called for bold reforms—from transmission planning to permitting streamlining and faster interconnection approvals—to prevent further volatility and ensure PJM Interconnection meets its reliability mandate without disproportionately burdening […]
The post PJM Market Challenges Demand Bold Reforms, Experts Warn appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Parts of Texas have suffered localized, distribution-level power outages as an Arctic outbreak sent temperatures plummeting across the state, but its heavily scrutinized grid is largely prepared to weather the storm, state entities said.
Frigid temperatures stemming from a large dome of Arctic high pressure are sending temperatures into the single digits and below zero throughout the Great Plains, with some short-lived cold temperature anomalies “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” But anxiety about the storm’s effect on the power grid has ramped up, given the historic, deadly power crisis that overwhelmed Texas and the south-central U.S. during Winter Storm Uri a year ago. Winter Storm Uri’s unprecedented reach prompted an average 34,000 MW of unplanned generation losses across the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid for more than two consecutive days, from Feb. 15, 2021, to Feb. 17, 2021. The generation losses were equivalent to nearly half of ERCOT’s all-time winter peak electric load of 69,871 MW.…
The post FERC Finalizes PURPA Rule Reforms appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finalized a long-awaited rule revising regulations that govern qualifying small power producers and cogenerators under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA). While FERC said the rule was necessary to respond to significant market changes, the action drew mixed reactions from industry.
FERC’s final rule issued on July 17 is the first major change to regulations it issued in 1980 under the pivotal law, which most experts agree has spurred the growth of smaller generators and played a major role in reshaping power sector business models.
While Congress enacted PURPA to reduce U.S. dependence on oil and natural gas, and encourage the development of alternative generation, including cogeneration and small-scale renewable generation, FERC has long-discussed updating its regulations under PURPA because it says the energy industry has since undergone many significant changes.
“It’s been my view from the start that FERC should modernize our regulations in ways that not only meet our statutory obligations, but also protect consumers and preserve competition,” said FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee.…