By Suzanne Herel PSEG Nuclear says some of the proposed transmission fixes for Artificial Island would pose risks to the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants, above. PJM planners won’t be ready after all to recommend a stability fix for New Jersey’s Artificial Island in time for the Board of...

By Rich Heidorn Jr. and Suzanne Herel (Click to zoom.) Some coal-fired power plants at risk of retirement under the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed carbon emission rule could survive thanks to unlikely saviors: energy efficiency and renewable energy. That is a surprising conclusion of a PJM economic and reliability analysis...

The Market Implementation Committee will review modeling practices that PJM said may be shortchanging loads with transmission agreements that pre-date the RTO’s capacity market. The MIC last week approved an issue charge proposed by Stu Bresler, vice president of market operations. Bresler said the issue arose last year after a...

(Click to zoom.) PJM generation owners conducted winter preparation tests of 156 infrequently used power plants between Dec. 5 and Jan. 2, cranking up 7,549 of a possible 9,349 MW for a success rate of 81%. Units failed to start due to problems with fuel-handling systems and emission systems, as...

(click to zoom.) PJM will seek stakeholders’ input on ways to encourage interconnection customers to file their requests earlier, officials told the Planning Committee last week. A more granular review of PJM’s interconnection queue over the past 14 years indicates that about 80% of requests are for new generation projects,...

By Suzanne Herel (Click to zoom) PJM and its Transmission Owners filed a 65-page response Dec. 23 to address what the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission deemed deficiencies in their plan to integrate multi-driver projects into the regional transmission expansion plan (RTEP) (ER14-2864, ER14-2867). PJM proposed the concept in response to...

(Click to zoom.) PJM wants a one-time waiver to avoid releasing 2,000 MW of capacity for the 2015/16 delivery year, when the RTO fears it may run short of resources due to retirements of coal-fired generation. PJM officials told the Markets and Reliability Committee Dec. 18 that they would seek...

PSEG Nuclear last week called on PJM’s Board of Managers to prevent planners from using what the company said is unproven technology in the stability fix for Artificial Island. The company, operators of the island’s Salem and Hope Creek nuclear plants, said a proposal by Dominion Resources could result in...

By Suzanne Herel PJM is seeking to reach a consensus with neighboring RTOs on a long-term increase in the $1,000 energy offer cap. PJM CEO Terry Boston said that he proposed a joint approach to ISO-NE and NYISO at an ISO/RTO Council Markets Committee meeting last week. Boston said he...

By Suzanne Herel (Click to zoom) PJM on Thursday announced a fallback plan to incorporate demand response into the capacity market in the event a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling limiting the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is allowed to stand. PJM General Counsel Vince Duane presented...