FERC Backs CAISO Storage Filing, But Rejects GHG Analysis for LNG Projects

CA Current

• The Buzz November 20, 2020
  State utility regulators aim to move on demand side resources to avoid outages when it is roasting hot next summer. They plan to take the unusual step of expediting changes to California Public Utilities Commission resource adequacy, demand response and other load reduction programs. Over at the nation’s capital, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission holds […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• CPUC Will Scour for Demand Side Resources November 19, 2020
  In order to avoid a replay of rolling blackouts next summer, the California Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously to expedite rules to get more resources connected to the grid, avoiding the typical, years-long process. The new rulemaking considers temporary changes to resource adequacy, demand response, load shifting and other like programs and rules.  The commission […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Chatterjee Stands by Carbon Pricing Support, FERC Launches Transmission Rating Fix November 19, 2020
  The first meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission since the presidential election, and the first since President Trump removed Neil Chatterjee as chair, began unusually late. Chatterjee began by saying he presumably was demoted earlier this month because of his support for opening the door to state carbon pricing. But “It was the right thing […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• CAISO Rules Evolve to Accommodate Solar Plus Storage November 19, 2020
  To accommodate the growth in battery projects paired with solar plants, the California grid operator’s board Nov. 18 further loosened constraints and will allow project operators to send more or less power into the market than initially bid. Allowing deviations from original bids aims to use more renewable power produced by combined solar-battery generators, reducing […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• News Roundup: PG&E Sued for Geyserville Fire November 19, 2020
  Sonoma County, along with several cities, sued Pacific Gas & Electric for starting the October 2019 Kincaid Fire that burned nearly 78,000 acres and destroyed 384 buildings over 13 days. The joint lawsuit, filed in the Sonoma County Superior Court Nov. 17, alleges the utility was negligent and is responsible for the resulting four injures […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Senate Advances FERC Nominees November 18, 2020
  The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted Nov. 18 to advance two nominees to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to the full Senate, one Democrat and one Republican. Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AL) said a top priority of hers was to send the nominees to the Senate Floor to allow a vote next […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Klamath Dams Closer to Demolition November 18, 2020
  Four years after a historic agreement was reached to remove dams on the Klamath River to revive the once surging salmon runs, a new revision was announced Nov. 17. It is expected to satisfy a controversial condition added by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last July. “According to many FERC nerds, this is going to […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Air Regulators Fight Diesel Generators but Energy Commission Barely Budges November 18, 2020
  The need for reliable power clashed with the need for breathable air for nearly five hours at the California Energy Commission on Monday. Companies with data centers again pushed to be allowed to install hundreds of megawatts of new backup generation that runs on diesel fuel. The possibility of this much additional pollution in California […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Shorts November 17, 2020
  East Bay Community Energy pulled from its Nov. 18 board agenda the issue of a whether to use the nuclear power from Diablo Canyon. “The item was pulled due to lack of interest among the largest Brilliant 100 customer base and it won’t be reconsidered in 2020,” Melissa Brandt, EBCE spokesperson, said. Local power activists have objected […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy
• Grid Operator’s Budget Inches Downward November 16, 2020
  The California Independent System Operator’s draft 2021 budget—ranging from salary and contractor costs to market income—is its lowest since 2006, April Gordon, CAISO financial planning director, said during a Nov. 16 presentation. The grid operator’s spending plan for next year is a proposed $181.6 million, 3% below this year’s $187 million revenue requirement. The budget […]
  Elizabeth Mc Carthy