Dive Brief:
- New York regulators and power providers want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to rethink its approval of a plan by the New York Independent System Operator (ISO) to make changes in the state's wholesale electricity market.
- The ISO wants a new capacity zone including New York City and the lower Hudson Valley with an eye toward promoting investments in new power plants.
- The state Public Service Commission, New York Power Authority and utilities say not so fast. They argue major upgrades in bulk power transmission proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo can deliver low-cost power from upstate New York to serve load downstate and prevent the need for new power plants.
Dive Insight:
The intrastate spat shines a light on the tension that exists between state officials and the operators of regional power markets over whose responsibility it is to plan for needed electricity resources as demand grows and/or shifts in a state.