As previously reported, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”) will hold a Commissioner-led technical conference on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. A full day is planned to discuss the impacts of recent cold weather events on the Regional Transmission Organizations/Independent System Operators (“RTOs/ISOs”) and actions taken to respond. After opening remarks, there will be a presentation from the Commission’s Office of Enforcement. The first panel will take up the remainder of the morning and will include informative presentations by RTOs/ISOs representatives:
- Brad Bouillon, California Independent System Operator
- Peter Brandien, ISO-New England
- Richard Doying, Midcontinent Independent System Operator
- Wes Yeomans, New York Independent System Operator
- Michael Kormos, PJM Interconnection
- Bruce Rew, Southwest Power Pool
These industry leaders will address several concerns including: (1) the steps it took to prepare for the cold weather events; (2) the operational conditions leading into the day-ahead; and (3) the operator actions taken to address events prior to day-ahead, day-ahead, and in real-time.
In the afternoon, a broad spectrum of stakeholders will discuss:
- Experiences during the cold weather events: Describe experience and observations during the cold weather events, the information that was available to assist in preparation, and the actions taken in real-time to respond.
- Lessons learned: Explain the most important lesson(s) learned, particularly as relevant to regional electric market prices and performance, adequacy of infrastructure, fuel procurement and fuel diversity.
- Policy implications: Share observations about changes that could be made to improve the performance of Commission-regulated markets during future extreme weather events.
In addition to the above, Commissioner Philip Moeller would like the following question answered. Details regarding his expectations can be found here.
For each power plant that ran this winter and that is expected to retire due to EPA regulations, what resources will replace it?
Following the conference, the Commission will take written public comments until May 15, 2014. The Supplemental Notice provides more details. The conference will run from 9:00 am – 5:15 pm and will be held at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426. Attendance is free open to the public. If attending, registration is requested.