People
People for January 2004.
Positions filled at Southern Co., Southwest Power Pool, Avista Corp., and others.
MISO
New England Reaches for the RTO Ring
ISO New England dares to dream, again.
ISO New England wants to become a regional transmission organization. But just the idea — prior to any official filing at FERC — has come under attack. ISO-NE is going to find rough waters ahead, despite a three-year effort aimed at a smooth transition to becoming an RTO. And now with the Oct. 31 filing of the 2,000-plus-page RTO proposal at FERC, the stage is set for these battles to be fought, again.
Prevention Prescriptions
Reliability demands will drive automation investments.
In the days and weeks following Aug. 14, 2003, politicians scrambled to assess blame for the blackouts that plagued the United States and Canada. Even today, as the blame game proceeds, the precise cause of the grid’s collapse remains uncertain. But Republicans, Democrats, and the utility industry alike seem to agree on one thing: the U.S. power grid needs major investment.
The Near-Term Fix
How to mitigate transmission risk before the next big blackout.
New legislation and bigger power lines won’t solve the immediate problem for the grid: the threat of failure. Energy providers must begin thinking of reliability in terms of days rather than years, and they must roll out programs and enhance technology now to protect assets, as well as customers.
MISO-PJM Super Region: FERC Makes Companies Pay for RTO Choices
Irregular seams affect ratemaking policies.
In a case that marks the first time FERC eliminated inter-RTO rate pancaking, the commission in late July issued an order terminating regional through-and-out rates (RTORs) charged by two regional transmission owners. The decision removes an estimated $250 million in yearly fees collected by those two entities. But the lost revenue has parties to the proceeding squabbling over many aspects of the case.
AEP's Gutsy Gambit
It would join an RTO but dictate the terms — a dangerous game that has the industry talking.
When I talked a few months ago with AEP President and CEO Linn Draper Jr., he discussed how his company would have joined the PJM RTO in March were it not for the backlash he was getting from certain state regulators.
People
New Positions:
New Positions:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission established the position of deputy executive director for Homeland Protection and Preparedness, naming William F. Kane to fill the role. Kane previously oversaw the offices of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Enforcement, Investigations, and the Regions.
Letters to the Editor / Corrections, Clarifications
Corrections, Clarifications
To the Editor:
I read your May 15, 2003, "Frontlines" column ("Grid Glut?") and have to respectfully take issue with a couple of your thoughts.
Letters to the Editor / Corrections, Clarifications
Corrections, Clarifications
To the Editor:
I read your May 15, 2003, "Frontlines" column ("Grid Glut?") and have to respectfully take issue with a couple of your thoughts.
Commission Watch
The commission tacks a new name onto a familiar concept.
The commission tacks a new name onto a familiar concept.
By now it is old news that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on April 28 back-pedaled on standard market design (SMD), even renaming it the "wholesale power market platform." But SMD is far from dead, as some had wished. Instead, it is merely toned down, bowing to political furor and regional differences.