December 23, 2013
Investor Evaluating "Strategic Alternatives" for Multiple Start-up Retail Suppliers
The original sole member of three start-up retail energy suppliers is currently evaluating "strategic alternatives" for the suppliers.
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December 20, 2013
Texas Commissioner Concerned Proposed Change to POLR Rule Does Not Sufficiently Protect Market
Texas Public Utility Commissioner Kenneth Anderson yesterday expressed concern that a draft proposal for adoption that would allow a retail electric provider to assign its responsibility to serve as a Large Service Provider (LSP, aka non-volunteer POLR) to an affiliate does not sufficiently protect…
December 20, 2013
Michigan Gov. Cites "Challenges" to Generation Investment from Retail Choice (Arizona, Now Michigan Choice Efforts Toppled by Texas Resource Adequacy Narrative)
In outlining several long-term energy goals for the state, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder expressed concern with retail choice, noting the "challenges" presented to investment decisions from a lack of stability.
December 20, 2013
Details Emerge on Glacial Energy Acquisition
Details concerning the acquisition of various Glacial Energy retail suppliers by a company backed by private equity have emerged in a FERC application for approval of the transaction.
December 19, 2013
Noble Americas Retail Provider Warns Capacity Market in Texas Will Lead to Customer Dissatisfaction with REPs, Competition
"The inability to manage the cost associated with a capacity obligation combined with the lack of demonstrative goods realized by customers in regions with such obligations should lead the Commission away from any type of capacity construct," Noble Americas Energy Solutions LLC said in comments to…
December 19, 2013
R. Scott Gahn Named to Board of Retail Supplier
Just Energy Group Inc. announced the appointment of R. Scott Gahn to the Board of Directors of the company.
December 18, 2013
Parent of Texas Retail Electric Provider to Sell its Texas Gas-Fired Generation
Centrica plc announced that its North American subsidiary, Direct Energy, has agreed to sell its Texas gas-fired power stations to Blackstone for $685 million in cash.
December 17, 2013
H-E-B, Shell Oppose Texas Capacity Market
A persuasive case for the adoption of an ERCOT forward capacity mechanism has not yet been made, H-E-B cautioned Texas policymakers, warning against, "changing the current market structure in ways that could have significant and likely irreversible, long-term consequences."
December 17, 2013
NRG Statement: Capacity Supplier Performance Is "Excused" due to "Gas Unavailability" (Gas Unavailability Major Cause of Most Recent Texas Blackout)
One of the refrains we keep hearing in Texas from capacity market acolytes is that Texas doesn't need to worry about the non-performance issues which have plagued the Northeast capacity markets -- in which capacity is procured but does not produce energy when needed -- because everyone agrees and…
December 17, 2013
NRG to Receive Subsidized, State-Arranged Contract to Repower New York Capacity
Even as NRG Energy leads Texas down a path to a capacity market, it is about to enjoy the fruits of a state-arranged, ratepayer-backed "subsidized" contract to repower one of its New York power plants (aside: New York has a capacity market and according to capacity market supporters, should have no…
December 17, 2013
Latest Six-Year Fixed Product from FirstEnergy Solutions Reinforces How Capacity Market Skews Playing Field in Retail Market
As the latest round of comments concerning capacity markets roll into the Public Utility Commission of Texas, it's serendipitous that FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) announced on the same day the expansion of its ultra-long-term fixed priced offer to the PECO service area, because it's an example of the…
December 16, 2013
ITC Ends Pursuit of Entergy Texas Transmission Assets
Entergy Corporation and ITC Holdings Corp. announced Friday that the companies have mutually agreed to end their pursuit of a spin off and merger of Entergy's transmission business with ITC.
December 13, 2013
Noting "Major" Software Projects to Start in 2014, ERCOT Reports Full Co-optimization Would Take Over Three Years to Implement
ERCOT and the Independent Market Monitor have filed a report with the Public Utility Commission of Texas concerning Real-Time Co-optimization of Energy and Ancillary Services in the ERCOT Markets
December 13, 2013
Texas Staff File Proposal for Adoption to Allow Affiliate to Assume REP's Non-Volunteer POLR Obligation
Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas have filed a draft order to adopt revised Provider of Last Resort rules (Subst. R. 25.43) to allow a retail electric provider to assign its responsibility to serve as a Large Service Provider (LSP, aka non-volunteer POLR) to an affiliate.
December 13, 2013
Texas Staff Propose Questions Regarding REP Sharing of Customer Information
Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas has proposed a series of questions for stakeholder comment in a project (42030) evaluating the sharing of customer information with third parties for customer approved services, "to gather information to assist staff in evaluating the Commission's…
December 13, 2013
Texas Staff File Proposed Revisions Related to Utility/Affiliate Code of Conduct, Marketing Rules
Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas have filed a draft proposal for publication containing proposed revisions to Subst. R. 25.272, relating to Code of Conduct for electric utilities and their affiliates.
December 13, 2013
Texas Staff Make Recommendation on Review of Retail Provider Certification, POLR Rules in Light of Higher Offer Caps
Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas have filed a recommendation regarding a review of whether changes to the retail electric provider certification rules, and/or Provider of Last Resort rules, require changes in light of the higher system-wide offer caps in place in the ERCOT market.
December 12, 2013
Guess Who Supports Opt-Out Municipal Aggregation
"My gosh, what a great way to start getting a market opened up," Pat Wood, former Chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, said of opt-out municipal aggregation during a Public Utilities Commission of Ohio hearing on PUCO's retail electric market investigation.
December 11, 2013
State Denies Acquisition of Entergy Transmission by ITC Subsidiary (Another Opportunity for Texas to Go Back to Drawing Board on Future of Entergy Texas)
The Mississippi PSC has denied the application of ITC Holdings, through a subsidiary, to acquire the transmission assets of Entergy Mississippi.
December 11, 2013
Groups Ask Texas Commission to Require Re-certification of Retail Electric Providers Every Two Years
The Public Utility Commission of Texas should require retail electric providers to be re-certified by the Commission every two years, Texas Legal Services Center and Texas Ratepayers' Organization to Save Energy proposed in a rulemaking concerning REP certification rules (Subst. R. 25.107).
December 10, 2013
Broker Names Former TXU Director As New Business Development Manager
Usource has named Maureen Callahan as business development manager.
December 10, 2013
ERCOT Proposes Changes to POLR Notification, Mailer Process
ERCOT has proposed replacing, for certain customers, the current mailer required to be sent by ERCOT to customers transitioned to POLR with email and phone notifications.
December 10, 2013
Anderson Staff Analysis: CRA/NRG Study on Capacity Market "Savings" Filled with Errors, Omissions and Incorrect Assumptions
An analysis prepared for Texas Public Utility Commissioner Kenneth Anderson concludes that a study by Charles Rivers Associates commissioned by NRG Energy, which purports to show savings to gross state product from adopting a capacity market, contains numerous "errors in assumptions and calculations…
December 10, 2013
Texas ROSE Report: "Prepaid Service is High Risk with Little Protection for Consumers"
"We have found no evidence to suggest that prepaid electricity is in the best interests of residential consumers, especially low-income consumers," Texas Ratepayers’ Organization to Save Energy (ROSE) said in a new report concerning prepaid service offered by retail electric providers.
December 6, 2013
Presumptive Nominee for Texas Gov. Says PUCT Should Wait for Legislative Input, Cost/Benefit Analysis On Capacity Market Change
State Senator Wendy Davis, the presumptive Democratic nominee in the 2014 Texas gubernatorial election, said in a letter to Public Utility Commission of Texas Chair Donna Nelson that, "the PUC must not make any changes to the electricity market that would burden hardworking Texas families and the…