On August 28, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) denied petitions for review of FERC’s certification of East Tennessee Natural Gas, LLC’s (East Tennessee) System Alignment Program (Project). The D.C. Circuit
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FERC Approves Dual Transmission Rate Incentives for Empire District’s $800 Million SPP Transmission Portfolio
On August 31, 2026, FERC granted The Empire District Electric Company (Empire District) two transmission rate incentives for its portfolio of electric transmission projects in the Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) region (SPP Project Portfolio): (1) Abandoned Plant Incentive; and
FERC Requires MBR Applicant to Adopt Affiliate’s Mitigation Measures
On August 28, 2026, FERC granted Hillsboro Solar, LLC’s (Hillsboro) authorization to make wholesale sales of electric energy, capacity, and ancillary services at market-based rates (MBR) on the condition that Hillsboro adopt the same market power mitigation as Hillsboro’s affiliate,
Pass the Salt: A Sodium-Iron Battery Breakthrough
Host Bill Derasmo is joined by founder and CEO Antonio Baclig of Inlyte Energy. Baclig was recently featured in a Wall Street Journal article highlighting Inlyte’s sodium-iron battery technology, and announced the company’s first battery pack delivery to an energy
FERC Modifies Bear Swamp Hydropower License Condition Governing Whitewater Releases to Address Grid Reliability Concerns
On May 13, 2026, FERC granted rehearing, in part, of its November 26, 2025 order issuing a new license to Bear Swamp Power Company, LLC (Bear Swamp) for its 676 megawatt (MW) Bear Swamp Hydroelectric Project (Project) on the Deerfield
FERC Streamlines Reviews to Expedite Actions at Hydropower Projects
On July 16, 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) unanimously approved measures in two orders streamlining its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review procedures for certain hydropower-related actions with minimal environmental impacts. In the first order,
FERC Directs Joint CAISO-SPP Report on Coordination of Operations at Seams
On July 16, 2026, FERC issued an order directing California Independent System Operator Corporation (CAISO) and Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) to submit a joint report by September 30, 2026, on their efforts to coordinate operations along Western market seams.
FERC Directs NERC to Submit Rules Addressing Risks Associated with Integration of Computational Loads into Bulk Power System
On July 16, 2026, FERC directed the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to file new or modified Reliability Standards to address reliability risks to the Bulk Power System associated with the integration of computational loads, revise its Rules of
FERC Approves NYISO Capacity Market Revisions to Address Seasonal Reliability Risks
On June 26, 2026, FERC accepted New York Independent System Operator, Inc.’s (NYISO) proposal to modify its Installed Capacity market rules to address seasonal reliability risks and to account for seasonal availability of capacity supply. In doing so, FERC found
Supreme Court Ends For-Cause Removal Protections for Members of Independent Federal Agencies and Commissions Such as FERC
On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court of the United States (Supreme Court or Court) issued two companion decisions eliminating for-cause removal protections for commissioners of federal independent agencies—such as FERC—but creating a carveout for members of the Federal Reserve