PJM may seek to lower the price cap on emergency demand response as a result of their review of the July 14-19 heat wave.

Members will consider rules allowing batteries, flywheels and other advanced energy storage technologies to participate in the PJM capacity market.

Constraints that can be quickly and cheaply resolved would be included in the Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP) under a proposal the MRC endorsed Thursday after a lengthy discussion. The proposal was approved over the objections of five members, who said it could result in wasteful spending.

Panda Power Funds, a Texas-based private equity fund, last week announced two big investments in PJM, proposing a plant in MD and purchasing rights to a planned generator in PA.

The PJM Market Monitor's mid-year report detailed rebounding energy prices and coal generation in the first half of 2013 as natural gas costs increased from record lows.

Two bipartisan bills signed by President Obama this month may open PJM to new generation from hydropower - a source many thought was fully exploited.

The latest news on some of the companies doing business in PJM: Duke Energy, NRG, Covanta Energy.

News briefs from around the states within the PJM footprint. States covered this week include Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

FirstEnergy began sending layoff notices to workers at two PA coal-fired plants even as PJM notified the company it won’t complete upgrades in time for the planned shutdowns.

FirstEnergy Corp. reached a settlement in a controversial bid to shift a coal-fired generator from its unregulated subsidiary to regulated utility Monongahela Power, but a consumer group says the reduced price is still a bad deal for ratepayers.