Regulation & Policy: Page 4


  • The facade of a building with large windows and a sign that says "Federal Energy Regulatory Commission."
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    Permission granted by Esme Howland
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    2024 Elections

    How will the presidential and Senate election outcomes affect FERC and its policies?

    The FERC chairman plays a key role in setting the agency’s agenda, but even if Donald Trump wins, the commission could have a Democratic majority for at least 18 months.

    By Oct. 29, 2024
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    The image by Acroterion is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    5 governors call for PJM capacity market rule changes to reduce ‘unnecessary’ consumer costs

    LS Power has identified 4.4 GW in potential capacity and storage projects in PJM totaling $8 billion but said unstable market rules hinder investment decisions. 

    By Oct. 28, 2024
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    Trendline

    Sustainability

    Companies are pursuing increasingly ambitous sustainability goals around clean energy, but integrating rising amounts of renewables, minimizing environmental impacts, and achieving carbon reduction targets can be challenging.

    By Utility Dive staff
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    The image by Chesapeake Bay Program is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    Deep Dive

    APS, Duke, other utilities pursue new climate resilience strategies as some await upcoming tools

    APS and Duke, along with Central Hudson Gas & Electric, PacifiCorp and Puget Sound Energy, see different paths to reach resilience planning’s potential while awaiting EPRI metrics to address uncertainties.

    By Oct. 28, 2024
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    imaginima via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Where the wires meet the road: Fixing missed opportunities for long-distance transmission

    We need to find ways to better integrate the planning of transmission and the siting of transmission from the get-go so that we don’t end up in situations where ideal pathways for transmission are missed.

    By Adam Kurland • Oct. 28, 2024
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    Bill Oxford via Getty Images
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    Sponsored by Sense

    Grid edge intelligence: Another critical tool for wildfire mitigation

    Grid edge intelligence offers a critical toolset for managing risks steming from increasingly dry conditions coupled with aging grid infrastructure.

    Oct. 28, 2024
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    NRC removes ‘quantitative health objectives’ from proposed advanced reactor licensing rules

    The change will “create a more flexible regulatory framework where applicants could show they meet the intent of complete evaluation of plant safety without having to use a specific set of tools,” an industry analyst said.

    By Brian Martucci • Oct. 25, 2024
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    NYC comptroller proposes stopping pensions’ private market investments in fossil fuels

    The funds would be the first U.S. public pension plans to have exclusions on investing in fossil fuel infrastructure like pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals.

    By Lamar Johnson • Oct. 24, 2024
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    vm via Getty Images
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    AEP Ohio reaches agreement with stakeholders on data center interconnection rules

    The rate proposal comes as half of surveyed utilities are facing data center service requests for more than 1,000 MW each, according to an EPRI report.

    By Oct. 24, 2024
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    davelogan via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Utilities’ hidden clean energy tax is at the heart of our energy challenges

    Ending utility self-funding is central to FERC’s efforts to change utilities’ incentives and push them to tackle more ambitious high-voltage projects.

    By Ari Peskoe • Oct. 24, 2024
  • Two cooling towers at Constellation Energy's 2,300-MW Limerick nuclear power plant in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.
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    aimintang via Getty Images
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    Power plant owners back PJM capacity auction delay but warn of waning investor confidence

    FirstEnergy told FERC it may be time to adopt policies that drive responsibility for developing dispatchable resources back to the states.

    By Oct. 23, 2024
  • Partial silhouette of a fireman, with a Colorado wildfire burning behind him.
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    Marc Piscotty/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Nearly 100 utilities’ credit ratings downgraded since 2020 as wildfire risks grow

    Rising insurance and mitigation costs threaten utilities' financial stability, but there may be hope on the horizon, according to a report from Charles River Associates.

    By Emma Penrod • Oct. 23, 2024
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    Opinion

    Accelerating utility rate case filings with generative AI

    By leveraging generative AI, utilities can draw on a wealth of information to construct more robust and evidence-backed rate proposals.

    By Huzaifah Basrai • Oct. 22, 2024
  • Three Mile Island nuclear power plant
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    eff Fusco / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    With Palisades and Three Mile Island units set to restart, could more retired reactors follow?

    Much depends on the retired plants’ condition, decommissioning status and reactor technology, experts say.

    By Brian Martucci • Oct. 22, 2024
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    Alex Potemkin via Getty Images
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    PJM floats options for fast-track interconnection for shovel-ready projects

    The plan may face challenges at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and in courts for giving a preference to certain generating projects, some PJM stakeholders said.

    By Updated Oct. 21, 2024
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    CFTC issues final guidance for listing carbon credits on voluntary markets

    The final guidance includes standards to ensure carbon credits are not subject to manipulation and have their contract terms monitored.

    By Lamar Johnson • Oct. 21, 2024
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    zhongguo via Getty Images
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    ADVANCE Act keeping NRC ‘very busy,’ official says, highlighting 30+ implementation actions

    NRC staff shared timelines for steps the commission is taking under the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act and sought public comment on its work during a Wednesday meeting.

    By Brian Martucci • Oct. 18, 2024
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    DOE selects nearly $2B in projects for grid resilience funding

    The projects will boost transmission capacity by more than 7.5 GW, accelerate interconnection for clean energy and spark over $4.2 billion in public and private investment, according to DOE.

    By Oct. 18, 2024
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    FERC bars payments for ‘deadband’ reactive power, plus 4 other open meeting takeaways

    Renewable energy trade groups, Public Service Enterprise Group and other generators opposed the agency’s decision on reactive power.

    By Oct. 18, 2024
  • An aerial view of a power plant with steam rising from one of four smokestacks.
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    The image by RM VM is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Supreme Court rejects calls to put a hold on EPA power plant carbon rule

    Utilities asking the court to stay the rule included American Electric Power, Duke Energy, MidAmerican Energy, PacifiCorp and Southern Co.

    By Oct. 17, 2024
  • A transmission line tower and wind turbines in Illinois.
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    Allkindza via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Creating a clean and reliable grid for Illinois

    The recent price spike in PJM’s capacity market is drawing attention to the growing need for policy that moves Illinois towards an affordable clean energy future.

    By John Delurey • Oct. 17, 2024
  • Chunks of lithium resting on a table with its a tab containing its periodic table number leaning against it.
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    Just_Super via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Mining for talent: Education’s crucial role in America’s clean energy, mineral-driven future

    Amid a clean energy revolution and a precarious geopolitical landscape, effectively bridging the educational gap in mining and engineering is pivotal for securing America's technological and environmental future.

    By Misael Cabrera and Bill Zisch • Oct. 15, 2024
  • A wind farm on rolling hills in Pennsylvania, which is part of the PJM Interconnection.
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    drnadig via Getty Images
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    Possible PJM market changes could lower near-term capacity prices: Morgan Stanley

    A planned delay in the grid operator’s upcoming capacity auction could spark greater demand for behind-the-meter deals between data centers and nuclear power plants, Morgan Stanley analysts said.

    By Oct. 15, 2024
  • Machine for the production of hydrogen by electrolysis. Concept.
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    Scharfsinn86 via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Turning the US hydrogen field of dreams into reality

    Perhaps a line from the classic American film “Field of Dreams” best summarizes the approach to hydrogen production and infrastructure: “If you build it, they will come.”

    By Jeremy Harrell • Oct. 14, 2024
  • Rendering of the QTS data center in New Albany, Ohio
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    Courtesy of QTS Data Centers
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    AEP Ohio urges PUC to reject ‘Hail Mary’ data center tariff proposal from Amazon, others

    Google, Microsoft and Meta joined Constellation Energy and other organizations last week in proposing terms for connecting “electricity-intensive” customers to the grid.

    By Oct. 14, 2024
  • FirstEnergy's 1,100-MW coal-fired Fort Martin power plant in Maidsville, West Virginia, along the Monongahela River.
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    BackyardProduction via Getty Images
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    PJM plans to delay upcoming capacity auction by six months

    The delay will give the PJM Interconnection time to craft potential market reforms sought by state utility regulators and others, the grid operator said.

    By Oct. 11, 2024