By Robert Mullin CAISO’s Board of Governors on Tuesday appointed five members to serve on the newly established governing body of the western Energy Imbalance Market. Candidates were selected after being vetted by a nominating committee representing five industry sectors, including EIM entities, ISO participating transmission owners, power suppliers and...

By Robert Mullin CAISO last week stepped up efforts to convert skeptics of a Western RTO, convening a forum in Denver to discuss a proposed set of governing principles and dispel concerns that California interests would dominate a West-wide entity. “What we’re doing actually matters, and it has enormous upsides,”...

By Robert Mullin Pacific Gas and Electric said Tuesday it will shut down California’s last nuclear power plant in 2025 under an agreement reached with a coalition of environmental, labor and anti-nuclear groups. The utility said it will develop a portfolio of renewable resources, energy efficiency and energy storage to...

By Robert Mullin Concerned that large numbers of gas-fired generators will retire early because of competition from lower-cost renewables, CAISO last week proposed a study to identify the most vulnerable units in its balancing area. The initiative to gauge the risk of “economically driven” retirements is a result of California’s...

By Robert Mullin CAISO transmission planning staff last week proposed studies on the implications of gas shortages on grid reliability. The planners outlined the studies in a June 13 stakeholder call, saying they will consider the risks to Northern California as well as the more vulnerable southern part of the...

FERC last week granted PacifiCorp’s request to suspend the relicensing proceeding for the 169-MW Klamath Hydroelectric Project in order to give the utility more time to transfer the facility to new owners ahead of the removal of four dams (Project No. 2082-027). The fate of the project — which straddles...

By Robert Mullin Wholesale power costs in CAISO fell sharply last year as lower natural gas prices, increased solar generation and reduced loads more than offset the impact of a steep decline in hydroelectric output, according to a report from the ISO’s Department of Market Monitoring. Solar output last year...

By Robert Mullin FERC last week revoked authorization for Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiaries to sell wholesale power at market-based rates in four neighboring balancing authority areas in the West. The commission ruled that Berkshire failed to prove that its affiliates — which include PacifiCorp, NV Energy and 19 other generating...

By Robert Mullin CAISO is nearing completion of a proposal describing how the ISO would allocate the costs of building and operating transmission assets in an expanded balancing authority that could encompass areas of the West outside California. The ISO considers development of a new transmission access charge (TAC) plan...

By Robert Mullin FERC on Wednesday approved CAISO’s plan to temporarily alter its market rules and operations in response to natural gas pipeline restrictions stemming from the closure of the Aliso Canyon storage facility (ER16-1649). The grid operator last month sought expedited approval for the Tariff changes, designed to ensure...