Plan for Needed Grid Upgrades Heads to PJM Board
PJM and stakeholders conducted a final review of necessary grid reliability projects Tuesday before the proposal goes to the PJM Board of Managers next week for approval.
The proposal (PDF), discussed at the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee meeting, consists of a set of projects designed to expand the regional transmission system to meet the needs of electricity demand growth and generator retirements in the PJM footprint.
PJM is preparing for significant impacts to the grid from additional demand that includes up to 7,500 MW of new data centers to be sited in Virginia and Maryland. This is combined with widespread effects from the deactivation of more than 11,000 MW of generation across the PJM footprint.
Can PJM’s Power Capacity Market Overhaul Drive A Revenue Rebound?
PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization (RTO) that manages the largest wholesale power market in the U.S., is pushing for an overhaul of its multi-billion-dollar annual capacity auction. Two draft proposals are currently under review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It is PJM’s hope that, if approved, the proposed changes will help lift revenues from record lows and shore up the capacity market, as accelerating retirements of gas- and coal-fired power plants threaten to undermine the RTO’s grid reliability by the end of the decade. In this Energy Market Insight, we explore some of the bullish factors behind PJM’s capacity market reforms, which could drive a rebound in payouts for merchant generators.
General Session Reflects on Maintaining Reliability in the Energy Transition
PJM and stakeholders discussed approaches to reliability challenges posed by the evolving grid during the PJM General Session Dec. 4.
To set the stage, PJM President and CEO Manu Asthana noted the critical importance of maintaining reliable electricity service in the face of decarbonization policy objectives, while also keeping power affordable.
Finishing Generator Interconnection Reform
Regulatory barriers to power plant development create mounting cost and grid reliability concerns. They are also the prime determinants of energy emissions. In November, the CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation bluntly stated that the United States has not proven its ability to develop infrastructure to support a reliable energy transition. Industry surveys cite regulatory approvals for permitting and grid interconnection as the largest barriers to power plant development today. Congress passed incremental permitting reform in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) did so for interconnection in issuing Order 2023 this summer. However, in both cases, the heavy lifting remains undone.
WIRES Announces 2024 Officers and Board of Directors
Jodi Moskowitz, Deputy General Counsel & RTO Strategy Officer at PSEG,
Named WIRES President
‘The Energy Master Plan is clearly out of date’
Blumenthal, DeGesero debate new plan — and transparency of costs associated with it
Barb Blumenthal, research director at the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, didn’t try to skirt the issue of the Energy Master Plan during the recent webinar: “The Energy Transition: An ROI-NJ discussion on flexible energy systems powering the future.”
“The Energy Master Plan is clearly out of date, because the transition is happening much more quickly on many different fronts than was anticipated,” Blumental told the audience.
She also said that was OK — and expected.
BPU president: NJ commitment to offshore wind remains strong
Christine Guhl-Sadovy says end of Ørsted's project does not mean end of offshore wind in NJ
Christine Guhl-Sadovy, the new president of the BPU, spoke with NJ Spotlight News on Tuesday about the outlook for offshore wind development in the Garden State.
It’s been more than a month since Ørsted’s cancellation of its Ocean Wind I project, an announcement that rocked Gov. Phil Murphy’s plans for transitioning the state to clean energy. But the demise of Ocean Wind I does not mean the end of New Jersey’s offshore wind future, industry experts have said.
Finally, 11 counts against ex-PUCO chief Sam Randazzo but why still none against then-FirstEnergy officials whose fingerprints are all over the case? Editorial
By Editorial Board, cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer
Monday’s unsealing of an 11-count federal conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud and embezzlement indictment against former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chief Samuel Randazzo was a welcome sign of prosecutorial progress in the FirstEnergy/House Bill 6 corruption case -- but it’s like the first footfall in a long-delayed reckoning with some of the key officials at the heart of the asserted conspiracy.
Democratic lawmakers call for urgent action on climate finance and fossil fuel phase-out
The letter, signed by 34 Democrats, said the U.S. has failed to adhere to its climate action commitments and must halt all public financing of international fossil fuel projects.
Congressional Democrats called on President Joe Biden to strengthen the nation’s position in the “international fight against the climate crisis” and take initiatives that ensure the country remains on target for a “livable future” in a letter released Nov. 30, the first day of the COP28 climate summit.
The letter — spearheaded by Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and signed by 32 other lawmakers — urges Biden to support stronger national climate commitments aligned with the Paris Agreement, negotiate a full phase-out of fossil fuels and establish stronger standards to prevent financing for international fossil fuel projects.
The lawmakers also said the U.S. should pursue stronger financing efforts to help developing nations improve climate resilience and clean energy transition plans, as well as aid them in adopting environmental justice principles.
For more see: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/democratic-lawmakers-call-for-urgent-action-climate-finance-fossil-fuels-COP28/701581/
