Capacity auction reforms, a new asset condition reviewer role, parallel transmission planning efforts, new reserve products, Pay-for-Performance changes and interconnection modifications are likely to be on the docket for ISO-NE in 2026.

In New England, rules governing how new resources connect to the regional grid limit full use of the system’s potential. Precious “surplus” capacity can and should be leveraged to interconnect new, low-cost clean energy technologies to deliver more reliable, affordable power, says Alex Lawton.

A California Senate committee has advanced a bill aimed at increasing accountability and transparency of the state Public Utilities Commission.

The Markets and Reliability Committee endorsed PJM's recommended installed reserve margin and forecast pool requirement values for the 2026/27 Base Residual Auction.

The PJM Planning Committee endorsed by acclamation revisions to Manual 14H to conform with changes to the RTO’s surplus interconnection service process FERC approved in February.

FERC approved a one-time measure by PJM to add up to 50 new projects to a cluster of projects to be studied beginning in April.

PJM heads into 2025 with several proposals before FERC seeking to rework its capacity market and generator interconnection queue, while stakeholders work on an expedited Quadrennial Review of the market and changes to resource accreditation.

Stakeholders are split on whether FERC should adopt additional changes to its generator interconnection rules, or focus on implementing Order 2023 while letting specific regions go further on their own, according to comments filed after a September technical conference.