March 6, 2014
ERCOT Anticipates Sufficient Generation for Summer
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas released its final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) for this spring and a preliminary outlook for the coming summer.
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Resource Adequacy
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February 28, 2014
ERCOT Reports Significant Improvement in Reserve Margins, In Latest CDR Report
ERCOT's new Capacity, Demand, and Reserves report shows significant improvement in the forecast reserve margin.
February 24, 2014
Texas Commissioner Marty Says Energy Market "Healthy", As Focus Shifts to Reliability Standard
"Our energy market seems to be healthy," Texas Public Utility Commissioner Brandy Marty said during Friday's open meeting, as the Commission agreed to focus on the appropriate reliability standard, rather than immediate changes to market design.
February 20, 2014
Fuzzy Math: Texas Capacity Market Supporters Know What Future Energy Market Prices Will Be to Make Claim on Cost of Capacity Market; Except They Don't Know What Future Energy Market Prices Will Be, Which is Why They Need a Capacity Market
There's a lot of absurdities when trying to wade through the inconsistent and illogical arguments in favor of a Texas centralized capacity market, but the latest line being pitched by capacity market supporters may be our favorite.
February 19, 2014
ERCOT New Capacity, Demand and Reserves Report, To Be Issued On Feb. 28, Will Include New Load Forecasting, Won't Include Wind, Planning Reserve Changes
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) announced that it will release its next 10-year outlook on Capacity, Demand and Reserves (CDR) on February 28.
February 17, 2014
Texas Generators' Narrative That State Faces Blackouts Being Used in Ad to Stop Choice in Michigan
Those doing the yeoman's work to expand electric choice in Michigan can thank Texas generators for making their life harder, by creating the narrative that Texas, and its current market, face blackouts.
February 17, 2014
DTE Exec: Deregulated Markets "In Trouble"; Slams Ability of Market to Cope With "Stresses"
Deregulated energy markets are "in trouble" and cannot provide for Michigan's energy future, DTE Energy CEO Gerry Anderson said during an earnings call on Friday.
February 12, 2014
Calif. Draft Would Allow Utilities to Procure Local Capacity, With Nonbypassable Recovery
A proposed decision from the California PUC would authorize two utilities to procure generation to meet local capacity requirements, with recovery authorized through the nonbypassable Cost Allocation Mechanism.
February 10, 2014
Brattle FERC Report: "Energy-Only Markets Can Attract The Optimal Level Of Generation Investments"
Simulations run by The Brattle Group and Astrape Consulting, "show that energy-only markets can attract the optimal level of generation investments from a societal-cost perspective," Brattle and Astrape said in a report to FERC.
February 6, 2014
California Opens Rulemaking to Examine Multi-Year Resource Adequacy Requirement for Retail Suppliers
The California PUC yesterday voted to open a new rulemaking on a multi-year resource adequacy requirement for load serving entities.
February 6, 2014
Anderson Suggests Texas Commission Study Reliability Standard Prior to Comparing Costs of Resource Adequacy Alternatives, Notes Energy-Only Market Expected to Remain Above Brattle's "Equilibrium" for Next Seven Years (20 Year Track Record of Adequate RA)
Given the recent results of the Brattle economically optimal reserve margin study, Texas Public Utility Commissioner Kenneth Anderson has recommended that the Commission study the appropriate reliability standard (1-in-10 year loss of load event or alternative) prior to instituting a comparison of…
February 5, 2014
FLASH: RTO's Capacity Market Auction Ends in Shortfall of Resources to Meet Demand, Despite Tripling of Cost
ISO New England's capacity auction to procure capacity to meet a mandated reserve margin resulted in a shortfall of resources for the 2017–2018 year, the ISO said.
February 3, 2014
Brattle: Current Texas Energy-Only Market Can Maintain Optimal Reserve Margin
"[T]he current energy-only market design will sustain a reserve margin of approximately 11.5%, which is 1.3 percentage points above the risk-neutral, economically optimum level of approximately 10.2%," The Brattle Group said in a report on the economically optimal reserve margin prepared for the…
January 27, 2014
JOKE: FERC Administratively Doubles ISO-NE Capacity Prices ($1.4 Billion Hit); Moeller Claims "Real" Reliability Benefits from Capacity Payments Even as 75% of Gas-Fired Generation Offline
FERC has administratively doubled capacity prices to be paid by retail suppliers, and their customers, in ISO New England, with Commissioner Philip Moeller brazenly trying to sell customers on the "reliability benefits" of the rate shock -- at a time when 75% of ISO-NE's gas-fired generation was…
January 24, 2014
SHOCK: 75% of New England Gas-Fired Generation Offline (Capacity Supply Obligation Meaningless); PSNH Able to Tout Diversity, "Value" of Utility-Owned Generation
According to ISO-New England, about 75 percent of the region's natural gas electrical generation capability was not running Thursday, presumably due to limited gas supply and/or high prices, Public Service Company of New Hampshire said in a news release yesterday.
January 23, 2014
Republican Candidate for Texas Lt. Gov Asks PUC to Reject Capacity Market
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor, has asked the Public Utility Commission of Texas to reject, "a traditional 'capacity market' system," for the following reasons:
January 23, 2014
Nelson Proposes "Apples to Apples" Comparison of Costs Under Resource Adequacy Policies, Suggests May Hearing
Public Utility Commission of Texas Chair Donna Nelson has proposed retaining Brattle to conduct an "apples to apples" comparison of costs for various resource adequacy policy options before the Commission.
January 23, 2014
Preliminary Revised ERCOT Load Forecast Shows Reserve Margin Above 16% Until 2019
ERCOT yesterday posted a preliminary load forecast using a preliminarily revised methodology, and if the new forecast peak loads are inputted into the May 2013 Capacity, Demand and Reserves report, ERCOT is forecast to have a reserve margin in excess of 16% until 2019.
January 21, 2014
Seven Years Later, Capacity Market Conceded by RTO To Be A "Failure"
"[R]eliability in New England is deteriorating as a result," of the "failure" of the current capacity market to reflect some of the most basic principles of a market -- higher-valued, higher quality goods should receive greater compensation than goods offering poor quality and poor service, ISO New…
January 21, 2014
What Billions in Capacity Payments Buy: Shoestring-Operated Generators Unable to Run Because No Staff is Present
In our related story today (click here) , Matters noted that unplanned outages in ISO New England have doubled since the introduction of a forward capacity market, and we reported some of the reasons given to the ISO for failure to perform.
January 21, 2014
SHOCK: Unplanned Generation Outages DOUBLE After Introduction of Capacity Market; 13% of Total Capacity Supply Obligation Offline During Heatwave
"The overall rate of unplanned outages across the entire New England generating fleet has more than doubled since 2007," ISO New England said in a filing at FERC.
January 14, 2014
Briefly
GDF SUEZ Energy Resources Enters Exclusive Partnership to Provide Customers with Market, Pricing Data
January 14, 2014
NRG's David Crane Envisions Energy Future of "Choice," "Self-Determination"; Yet Company Favors Top-Down Capacity Mandates from Gov't
Freedom of Choice. Self-Empowerment. Self-Determination.
January 13, 2014
Maine Defers Consideration of Long-Term Contract for New Gas-Fired Generation
The Maine PUC issued an order deferring consideration of a proposed long-term contract with the utilities for the construction of a new natural gas-fired electric generating facility.
January 10, 2014
Next Texas Resource Adequacy Open Meeting/Workshop Pushed to March
Texas Public Utility Commissioners yesterday indicated that the next resource adequacy open meeting/workshop, originally contemplated for late January and then February, will now likely be held in late March.