Senators from New York are angry over Cheryl LaFleur’s support for the NYISO’s creation of a capacity zone in the Lower Hudson Valley that has led to increases in prices.

ComEd is teaming with an engineering company to boost the reliability of Chicago’s electrical grid and protect it against terrorism by installing three miles of superconductor cable beneath the city’s Loop district.

FERC tentatively approved a rule to protect the grid against sabotage threats after ordering changes to allow the commission to overrule transmission operators’ definition of “critical” facilities.

A round-up of news from the PJM Operating Committee.

PJM members approved yet another initiative to address reliability concerns over gas-fired generators, agreeing to consider changes to the way such units submit energy and capacity market offers.

PJM capacity prices would increase sharply but reliability would not be threatened if a recent federal court ruling eliminated demand response from wholesale markets, the Market Monitor said.

PJM officials said they have acquired sufficient new black start capacity to replace coal-fired units that will retire over the next year due to environmental rules.

PJM officials are considering boosting the RTO’s installed reserve margin (IRM) for winter as a result of its experience in January, when it narrowly avoided shedding load amid frigid temperatures and high outage rates.

Uncertainty over the grid’s vulnerability to sabotage could lead to wasteful and excessive spending, a new congressional report warns.

Planners seeking to protect the grid against physical threats should consider transmission alternatives as well as security measures, PJM's Mike Kormos told a conference of state regulators.