Forced consolidation of RTOs would set transmission owners free to go after profits.
Bruce W. Radford is Editor-in-Chief of Public Utilities Fortnightly.
On July 12, the day after the feds dropped the bomb and told transmission grid operators to consolidate their activities, Mirant spokesman Lee "Buddy" Eller sent me a short six-page company study that spelled out the best explanation I've ever seen of power price differentials across the Northeast US.
With fully readable charts and maps showing congestion and pricing zones in the New York and PJM grid regions - plus data for New England, as well - Mirant's white paper fixes a precise dollar value ($440 million) on the various mismatched seams and bottlenecks connecting the three markets. (I don't believe you can find the study on the Mirant Web site, but call me and I'll send you a copy by email, if I can get Mirant's permission first.)