By William Opalka The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday accepted the results of ISO-NE’s ninth Forward Capacity Auction in February, turning aside the protest of a utility workers union (ER15-1137). The Utility Workers Union of America Local 464 had challenged the results, charging that the Brayton Point Power Station...

By Chris O’Malley and Rich Heidorn Jr. MILWAUKEE — MISO Independent Market Monitor David Patton on Wednesday called for tighter rules on wayward generators, more precise real-time pricing and a fix for Financial Transmission Rights funding shortfalls. He also engaged in a spirited debate with board members over his longstanding...

By Rich Heidorn Jr. MILWAUKEE — Dynegy CEO Robert Flexon last week defended his company’s bidding strategy in MISO’s April capacity auction and said the controversy over the results signals the need for a regulatory change in Illinois. Flexon © RTO Insider On May 28, Public Citizen Inc. and the...

MISO no longer faces a capacity shortfall next year, the RTO announced in releasing the results of its newest survey with the Organization of MISO States. MISO said its newest results show a minimum 1.7-GW surplus for 2016 as a result of reduced load forecasts and an increase in resources...

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission required several significant changes in PJM’s Capacity Performance proposal. PJM must make the changes in a compliance filing due in 30 days. Below is a summary of the changes required, followed by the relevant paragraph numbers from the order. Review of Sell Offers: The commission...

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave PJM virtually all it asked for in approving its Capacity Performance proposal. But Chairman Norman Bay's dissent may provide ammunition for a potential challenge in federal court. (Source: FERC) Bay predicted the proposal would not accomplish its stated goals, calling it “two carrots and...

PJM’s Capacity Performance plan approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission borrows elements from ISO-NE’s Pay-for-Performance program. Below is a summary of some key differences between the two plans followed by the relevant paragraph numbers from the order. ISO-NE’s ninth Forward Capacity Auction in February saw prices increase by about...

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — A months-long debate over whether to create “historic” capacity rights for some load-serving entities took a twist last week when PJM staff returned with a different proposal angled to achieve the same result. “This has very little similarity, if any, to the previous approach,” PJM’s Jeff...

By Rich Heidorn Jr. and Suzanne Herel The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday approved PJM's dramatic restructuring of its capacity market, saying the changes were justified by “the combination of deteriorating resource performance and the ongoing change in the resource mix in the PJM region.” The proposal, a response...

By William Opalka Increased use of renewable energy will depress energy prices, increase capacity prices and lead to early retirement of some baseload plants, according to a discussion paper by ISO-NE. Conceptual illustration of potential transmission for 12,000 MW wind scenario. (Click to zoom) The RTO said renewables’ low operating...