New York PSC Bars Utility Ownership of Distributed Energy Resources

By William Opalka and Rich Heidorn Jr.

New York’s overhaul of the electric industry, which seeks increased reliance on distributed energy resources, will largely bar utility ownership of those assets.

The state Public Service Commission on Thursday took another step in its Reforming the Energy Vision process with a 133-page order establishing a “policy framework” for the development of markets for distributed energy resources (14-M-0101).

The framework envisions utilities serving a central role in the transition as distributed system platform (DSP) providers, responsible for integrated system planning and grid and market operations.

In most cases, however, utilities will be barred from owning distributed energy resources (DER): demand response, distributed generation, distributed storage and end-use energy efficiency.

The planning function will be reflected in the utilities’ distributed system implementation plan (DSIP), a multi-year forecast proposing capital and operating expenditures to serve the DSP functions and provide third parties the system information they need to plan for market participation. The first plans will be due Dec. 15 from Central Hudson Gas & Electric, Consolidated Edison of New York, Orange & Rockland Utilities, Rochester Gas & Electric, New York State Electric and Gas and Niagara Mohawk Power. (See related story, Timeline for New York’s ‘Reforming the Energy Vision’.)

Grid Integration

From their place between NYISO wholesale markets and market participants and end-users, the utilities will integrate distributed resources by balancing supply and demand-side resources through real-time load and network monitoring, enhanced fault detection, automated feeder and line switching, and automated voltage and reactive power control.

“It is anticipated that over time, DSPs will increasingly rely on [distributed resources] to maintain reliable system operations during both ‘blue sky’ days and significant system events,” the order said.

Markets

The plan envisions procurement evolving from a near-term approach based on requests for proposals and load-modifying tariffs to “a more sophisticated auction approach.”

Although there will be room for geographically unique products, there will be a standard market platform for the entire state to ensure efficiency for providers and multi-site customers. “This requirement extends beyond the ‘common look and feel’ of customer orientation, into the technical protocols and market rules to which aggregators and service providers must conform,” the PSC said.

NYISO could accept demand reduction bids directly from DER providers, dispatching demand-side reductions in competition with supply-side resources, or accept bids from a utility acting as an “aggregator of aggregators.” Alternatively, utilities could use contracted DER to modify its load shape when it bids into the wholesale market to serve its load.

“Demand is becoming an integral resource in the operation of the grid and we have to change regulation to do that,” PSC Chair Audrey Zibelman said at the commission meeting.

Utility Ownership

To address market power concerns, the commission said that utility ownership of distributed resources “will be the exception rather than the rule.”

“Because of their incumbent advantages, even the potential for utility ownership risks discouraging potential investment from competitive providers,” the order said. “Markets will thrive best where there is both the perception and the reality of a level playing field, and that is best accomplished by restricting the ability of utilities to participate.”

The commission said utility ownership would be permitted under three exceptions:

Energy storage integrated into distribution systems. “Storage technologies integrated into grid architecture can be used for reliability and to enable the optimal deployment of other distributed resources, and we agree with staff that this application of storage technology should be permitted without the need for a market power analysis. REV will support a greater understanding of how storage strategically used on the grid can support greater penetration of intermittent renewable resources without compromise to system reliability. It will be advantageous for utilities to gain this experience and, as part of their DSIP plans and rate plans, utilities should develop information on optimal locations and levels of storage either on the system or behind the customer’s meter.”
Projects enabling low- or moderate-income residential customers to benefit from DER where markets are not likely to satisfy the need. “This potential is particularly acute in the case of rental customers that cannot control improvements to premises.”
Demonstration projects. “We recognize that demonstration partnerships with utilities and third parties can accelerate market understanding and the development of sustainable business models. In limited circumstances, utility investment and ownership of assets to support such demonstrations is warranted.”

“In the limited situation that utilities will be allowed to own DER as a regulated asset, they will be restricted to recovery of their actual costs,” the commission said.

Consumer Protections, Energy Efficiency

To increase penetration of energy efficiency, utilities will also be required to expand their programs — currently based on direct rebates and subsidies — to include third-party companies. “The state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals demand that we achieve significantly more efficiency than is practical to achieve through current ratepayer-funded direct subsidy programs,” the commission said.

The commission said it will protect consumers by requiring certification of any DER provider that requests consumer data, or that furnishes services via DSP or other utility functions. “Warranty and disclosure requirements will also be considered,” the commission said.

The steps are consistent with the draft State Energy Plan, which calls for the use of markets and reformed regulatory techniques to improve system efficiency and customer empowerment and reduce carbon emissions, the PSC said.

“By requiring utilities to modernize their business models and meet evolving customer demands, New York is committed to forging a new path to develop a dynamic, customer-oriented power grid able to drive clean energy markets to scale,” Richard Kauffman, chairman of energy and finance for New York, said in a statement.

Two Tracks

The proceeding was separated into two tracks, with Track One focused on developing distributed resource markets, and Track Two on reforming utility ratemaking.

The PSC’s staff says that utility financial incentives should be structured “to reward utilities for the efficient development of DER on their systems in a manner that either makes them indifferent to ownership, or favors ownership by third parties.” Staff will provide a straw ratemaking proposal by June 1.

In related orders Thursday the PSC also:

Approved the first community choice aggregation pilot program in New York. It will allow Westchester County municipalities to issue solicitations for natural gas or electricity supplies for local residents and small businesses (14-M-0564).
Stayed its December decision that restricted how customers with multiple locations could participate in net metering programs and postponed its rule requiring utilities to file new tariffs to resolve concerns about how such customers are compensated. The ruling, which gives renewable energy developers and utilities more time to transition away from existing net metering rules, means solar projects already under way will be eligible to receive net metering credits (14-E-0151, 14-E-0422).

March 3, 2015June 15, 2023

Year 1 Judged a Success for MISO South; Gains Limited by SPP Dispute

By Rich Heidorn Jr.

NEW ORLEANS — MISO officials last week called Year One of MISO South a success but acknowledged room for improvement in crisis communications and unfulfilled potential because of the ongoing dispute with SPP.

MISO said ratepayers of Entergy and other utilities that joined MISO in December 2013 received $730 million to $954 million in net benefits in 2014, including at least $160 million from more efficient generator commitment and dispatch and at least $570 million from deferred generation investments made possible by the increased footprint diversity.

MISO had estimated the benefits for the Entergy companies alone at $524 million.

The expansion boosted MISO’s high-voltage transmission to almost 66,000 miles from 50,000 and its generation capacity to 177 GW from 133 GW.

Wayne Schug, vice president of strategy and business development, explained how MISO calculated its “value proposition” in a presentation to members last week.

The RTO said the entire footprint saw net benefits of $2.2 billion to $3.1 billion. Schug said the range reflects different assumptions that went into the calculations.

Load Shed, Tornado Highlight Need for Better Coordination

miso south — Entergy Arkansas’ Mayflower substation, one of the three major substations serving the Little Rock area, suffered heavy damage in the April 27, 2014 tornado. The 500-kV high-voltage yard lost all of its switches and breakers.

The southern expansion meant the RTO, accustomed to dealing with winter snow storms, also had to be prepared for extreme summer heat and hurricanes, said Todd Hillman, vice president of MISO South.

While the summer was mild and there were no severe hurricanes, officials said their emergency procedures were tested during several incidents.

On April 23, multiple forced outages led to post-contingent loading of more than 125% of system operating limits, with studies indicating 1,100 MW of load at risk for the next contingency.

MISO treated the situation as a temporary interconnection reliability operating limit (IROL) condition.

After redispatching generation, MISO directed Entergy to shed 150 MW of load. Entergy ultimately shed 163 MW for almost two and a half hours, avoiding a much larger load shed.

Hillman said the incident highlighted a need to improve crisis communication with state commissions. “We could do a much better job of coordinating with the states,” he said.

Four days later, on April 27, a tornado hit Northern Arkansas, cutting a half-mile-wide swath for about 80 miles with winds of more than 136 mph. Multiple 500-kV transmission lines were lost or damaged, and MISO ordered Entergy’s Arkansas Nuclear One offline.

Hillman said the incident demonstrated the need for better coordination with nuclear units following severe weather events.

Another management challenge for MISO is the much larger qualifying facilities in MISO South, with some behind-the-fence industrial generators as large as 1,500 MW.

SPP Dispute

Officials said the ongoing dispute with SPP had limited the benefits of the larger footprint.

“I really hope we can resolve” the SPP dispute, said Director Michael Curran, who said their neighbor could help improve East/West transmission. “If we continue to take hostages … or create toll roads, we’re really just undercutting the economic successes,” he said.

MISO Board Chairman Judy Walsh said she and CEO John Bear attended SPP’s January board meeting at the invitation of SPP Chairman Jim Eckelberger and later dined with the SPP board at Eckelberger’s home. “I think that was a breakthrough of sorts in the relationship,” she said. “The boards have developed a common goal of greater communication and cooperation and working together to make the seams more efficient.”

She said MISO plans to return the invitation to SPP.

March 3, 2015June 15, 2023

Change Proposed in PJM Demand Response Modeling

PJM is proposing a change to the way it estimates demand response in its load deliverability analysis.

Current practice looks at the amount of DR that has cleared in the last Base Residual Auction to project DR available five years in the future.

But Tom Falin, PJM manager of resource planning, told the Markets and Reliability Committee on Thursday that a significant amount of DR that clears the auction is replaced by other resources before the delivery year arrives. In the 2014/15 year, 46.5% of the DR assumed to be available had been replaced by non-DR resources.

“Our conclusion was that the assumption we’ve been making now for several years does not seem to produce an accurate forecast of DR,” he said.

PJM proposes basing future forecasts on an average of the final amount of committed DR for the most recent three years. The average would be expressed as a percentage of the zone’s 50/50 summer peak forecast for application to future years’ demand.

The model will take into account committed DR that is obligated to respond in an emergency, not all registered DR, Falin said.

Members agreed that the proposal is an improvement over the current model but that it likely would need to be modified in the future.

The MRC and the Planning Committee will be asked to endorse the revisions at their March meetings.

March 3, 2015June 15, 2023

CEO Crane: Solar Puts NRG Ahead of the Curve

By Michael Brooks

nrg — NRG purchased rooftop solar installer Roof Diagnostics Solar in March 2014.

NRG Energy will continue to focus on its residential solar and renewable energy technology businesses, despite posting losses of $53 million and $163 million in those units respectively in 2014, company executives said in an earnings call Friday.

Those losses — and another $981 million in losses in the “corporate” segment, which includes international business and electric vehicle services — were offset by net income of more than $1 billion in NRG Business, the unit that primarily serves businesses and includes the company’s generation assets. Total net income for the company in 2014 was $134 million ($0.23/share), compared to a loss of $386 million in 2013.

CEO David Crane said the industry was undergoing a paradigm shift, and that the company’s investments in renewables now would pay off in the long run.

“Our industry is in the early but unmistakable stage of a technology-driven disruption of historic proportion,” Crane told investors Friday. “This disruption ultimately is going to end in a radically transformed energy industry where the winners are going to be those who offer their customers, whether they be commercial, industrial or individual customers, a seamless energy solution that is safer, cleaner, more reliable, more convenient and increasingly wireless.”

According to Kelcy Pegler Jr., president of NRG Home Solar, the company ended 2014 with 13,000 total residential solar customers, 9,000 of which were gained that year. NRG has a goal of adding 22,000 to 27,000 more by the end of 2015.

“It’s our view at NRG that traditional centralized energy service models are significantly at risk,” said Steve McBree, president of NRG Home, the parent of Home Solar. “We believe that the future eventually will belong to demand-driven decentralized models of service that empower individual consumers.”

Responding to an analyst’s question about upcoming Environmental Protection Agency regulations on carbon emissions from existing power plants, Crane said NRG was not worried. “As long as the rules imposed are imposed in a fair and reasonable way, tightening environmental regulations actually enhance us relative to our competition,” he said. According to its year-end earnings filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company has a goal to reduce its carbon emissions 90% by 2050.

Q4 Results

The company posted a $119 million profit for the fourth quarter of 2014, after reporting a $297 million loss in the same period of 2013.

Analysts were less than thrilled, however. The quarterly earnings amounted to 21 cents per share, far less than the average estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research of 93 cents.

Zacks said NRG’s Goal Zero product, a portable solar panel used to charge mobile devices, would attract more customers and help it retain existing ones, but that the company’s reliance on weather conditions was concerning. During the call, Chief Operating Officer Mauricio Gutierrez said, “The recent cold front in the northeast once again proved the value of our diversified portfolio, where unlike gas generation, our coal and oil assets benefited from spikes in gas and power prices. Our strategy is to extend the life of our assets and maintain a cheap option in energy that can benefit from short-term dislocations in the market like the ones we experienced the past two winters.”

March 3, 2015

DC Consumer Advocate Seeks Delay in Exelon-Pepco Proceedings

By Ted Caddell

D.C.’s consumer advocate asked the Public Service Commission last week for more time to respond to Exelon’s sweetened offer in its proposed $6.8 billion acquisition of Pepco Holdings Inc., saying Exelon’s Feb. 18 filing is a “procedural mess.” If granted, a final decision from the PSC could be delayed until fall.

Exelon submitted an updated filing with data responses and hundreds of pages of testimony shortly after announcing it would more than double the customer credits to D.C. ratepayers to $33.75 million. (See Exelon Sweetens the Deal for DC in Pepco Takeover.)

In a joint filing with the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington on Wednesday, the Office of People’s Counsel complained that Exelon’s filing doesn’t point out the differences between it and its original submission. The OPC is asking to file its responses — due March 18 — in April, with a May 26 deadline for any supplemental testimony.

“Due process, fairness and the need for a clean evidentiary record must prevail over corporate expedience,” the OPC said.

Exelon has said it expects approval from the two remaining authorities it still needs, Maryland and the District, by the third quarter.

Exelon said last week that it will oppose the delay. “The six-week extension that the commission recently granted is more than adequate, and the request for additional time is unwarranted,” Exelon spokesman Paul Adams said.

The PSC has scheduled hearings for late April into June. If it grants the OPC request, hearings probably wouldn’t start until June, with a final decision from the PSC in September or October.

Antitrust Institute Weighs In

Also last week, the president of the American Antitrust Institute asked the U.S. Department of Justice to block the merger or impose mitigation measures.

“A merged Exelon-Pepco would possess an enhanced ability and pre-existing, powerful incentive to engage in vertical foreclosure and block entry by rivals,” wrote AAI President Diana Moss in a letter to Assistant Attorney General William J. Baer on Wednesday. “If unaddressed through antitrust remedies, the proposed merger stands not only to harm competition and consumers but also to reverse some of the gains from restructuring.”

Adams said the organization’s complaint was without merit. “These same allegations were already considered and rejected by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which approved the merger.”

RTO Insider reported in December that the Justice Department was investigating the interconnection process in PJM’s MAAC sub-region as part of its anti-trust review of the acquisition. (See DOJ Probing Interconnection Process in Exelon-Pepco Merger.)

AAI says it advocates on behalf of consumers to “challenge abuses of concentrated economic power.”

Although the Exelon-Pepco deal has already gained the approval of regulators in Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware, “the state settlements that we have seen so far do not produce any additional remedies that give us the comfort level we need that a merged Exelon-Pepco would not be able to exercise their market powers,” Moss said in an interview.

If Exelon acquires Pepco, “you will now have a bigger transmission owner, sitting on a pretty substantial pile of generation,” she said. “The problem is, if you control the network, and you also own generation, you have the ability and the incentive to frustrate access by competing developers.”

March 3, 2015June 15, 2023

Ameren Earnings Up; Sees Tx Growth Despite ROE Case

By Chris O’Malley

Ameren reported a 30% jump in fourth-quarter earnings and said it expects future growth from new transmission projects, even as federal regulators consider lowering the rate of return on such investments.

The St. Louis-based company reported net income of $48 million ($0.20/share) compared with $37 million ($0.15/share) during the fourth quarter of 2013.

Electric revenues grew 19% to $360 million in Illinois, due in part to increasing residential and industrial demand, while falling 3% to $692 million in Missouri.

For the year, earnings soared to $586 million ($2.40/share) from $289 million ($1.18/share) in 2013, when the costs of the divestiture of its deregulated power generation unit crimped results.

On a continuing operations basis, net income in 2014 was $587 million ($2.40/share) versus $512 million ($2.10/share) in 2013.

“We delivered strong earnings growth in 2014,” Ameren CEO Warner Baxter told analysts during a Feb. 25 conference call. “I am pleased with the progress we made last year.”

Current Year Growth

Executives said they expect 2015 earnings to rise to between $2.45 and $2.65 per diluted share. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations are expected to grow at a 7 to 10% compound annual rate.

Those estimates assume the Missouri Public Service Commission’s approval of the company’s request for a $190 million annual rate increase. A decision is expected by May.

Ameren expects a higher average estimated rate base of $1.4 billion in 2015 compared to $900 million in 2014.

Transmission Potential

Transmission services revenues in 2014 increased to $33 million from $19 million in 2013.

Last fall, MISO industrial customers filed a complaint contending that the MISO transmission operators’ current base return on equity — 12.38% except for American Transmission Co. — is too high. Industrials argue the base ROE for TOs including Ameren should not exceed 9.15%.

Ameren said it has established a reserve for the potential ROE reduction. Although the amount wasn’t disclosed, the company assumed a scenario similar to what the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission set last June involving New England TOs — a 7.03 to 11.74% “zone of reasonableness.”

Ameren officials said the ROE decision may not come until 2016. Regardless, Baxter said the company sees “robust opportunities” in additional transmission projects. He noted that not only does Ameren’s territory sit on the seams of multiple RTOs but that there are a number of local reliability projects that could be explored.

“We see meaningful investment opportunities in the transmission businesses,” Baxter added.

The biggest current transmission project for Ameren and its Ameren Transmission Co. of Illinois subsidiary is the nearly 400-mile Illinois Rivers project, a 345-kV line crossing the Mississippi River that will head east to nearly the Indiana border. It’s estimated to cost about $1.4 billion.

Ameren is also eyeing about $1 billion in local reliability projects for completion by 2019.

March 3, 2015

PJM MRC/MC Briefs

Markets and Reliability Committee

PJM to Drop Fees for Tx Projects under $20M

WILMINGTON, Del. — PJM will not charge transmission developers fees on any projects estimated to cost less than $20 million under a revised proposal it plans to file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

FERC last month rejected an earlier proposal that would have assessed a $30,000 fee on all greenfield transmission proposals and transmission owner upgrades of $20 million or more.

The commission said the proposal was discriminatory because PJM failed to show that the costs of studying upgrades under $20 million would be different than the costs of studying greenfield projects with similar costs (ER15-639). (See FERC Rejects Fee on Greenfield Transmission Projects.)

“We think it makes most sense to refile the proposal … with the change that there would be no fees for any projects under $20 million, and that would eliminate the concern that FERC had raised,” Steve Herling, vice president of planning, told the Markets and Reliability Committee.

The committee will be asked to endorse the proposed revisions at its next meeting.

MRC Greenlights PJM/MISO Scheduling Product

The MRC on Thursday endorsed the creation of a new, optional Coordinated Transaction Scheduling product intended to reduce uneconomic power flows between PJM and MISO. There were two abstentions but no objections.

Under CTS, traders can submit “price differential” bids that clear when the price difference between MISO and PJM exceeds a threshold set by the bidder.

The product is expected to be implemented by November 2016, said Becky Carroll, PJM manager of real-time operations. PJM and MISO would evaluate traders’ bids individually, and the commonly cleared set would be the transactions that flow.

Thursday’s endorsement was just the start of several approvals of the Joint Operating Agreement. PJM and MISO also will be adding details of their forward-price projection methodology, and stakeholders will have to approve the accuracy of the pricing models.

The product is similar to the one launched Nov. 4 with NYISO. Of that initiative, Carroll said, “We’re definitely seeing more participation than we expected. We thought market participants would be slow in getting comfortable with the product.”

Unlike NYISO, MISO does not currently post look-ahead prices, but it expects to introduce a calculating mechanism by the end of 2015.

Manual Changes Approved

The MRC approved the following Thursday with no opposition:

Manual 02: Transmission Service Request — Changes clarify and more accurately describe the Available Transfer Capability (ATC) processes and the Initial Study process for long-term firm transmission service requests. They include a grammatical cleanup; updated references to the Joint Operating Agreement; and links to the deliverability analysis in Manual14A and Manual 14B.
Manual 14A: Generation and Transmission Interconnection Process — Adds Feasibility Study data form and Impact Study data form so that developers can more easily see data requirements.
Manual 14B: PJM Regional Transmission Planning Process —Updated to reflect existing long-term deliverability analysis procedures and cleanup language regarding voltage drop analyses, generator deliverability analyses, load deliverability analyses and cost allocation. Revisions make no changes to upgrades or cost allocations.
Manual 40: Training and Certifications Requirements — Revisions resulting from the annual review required by North American Electric Reliability Corp. standard PER-005-2; includes a new section on training of operations support personnel.

Members Committee

TOs Propose Cost Allocation Change

PJM’s Transmission Owners are proposing a change to the way costs are allocated for reliability projects that are included in the Regional Transmission Expansion Plan due only to an individual Transmission Owner’s planning criteria.

The revision to Schedule 12 of the PJM Tariff, presented Thursday’s Members Committee meeting, clarifies that such costs will be allocated to the local Transmission Owner. If the project is required by regional criteria from PJM, it will be subject to regional cost allocation.

The change was recently announced by the Transmission Owners Agreement Administrative Committee.

Historically, the application of TO planning criteria has resulted in lower voltage projects. However, that has evolved to include criteria more stringent than required by PJM, due to aging infrastructure and storm hardening, which necessitate more significant investment.

— Suzanne Herel

March 3, 2015June 15, 2023

Iberdrola Broadens Northeast Footprint in $3B UIL Deal

By William Opalka

Iberdrola SA announced Thursday it is acquiring UIL Holdings, which has electric and gas distribution companies in Connecticut and Massachusetts, in a cash and stock deal valued at $3 billion.

The Spanish energy conglomerate will incorporate UIL’s operations into its U.S. subsidiary, Iberdrola USA.

UIL shareholders will each receive one share of Iberdrola USA and $10.50 for each of their UIL shares, giving them 18.5% of the U.S. subsidiary. Iberdrola SA will own 81.5% of Iberdrola USA, which will be traded on a yet-to-be-determined U.S. exchange.

UIL unit United Illuminating provides electric service to Connecticut’s two largest cities, New Haven and Bridgeport. UIL also owns Southern Connecticut Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas and Massachusetts utility Berkshire Gas. UIL acquired the gas units from Iberdrola in 2010 for $1.25 billion.

The deal implies a share price of $52.75, a 25% premium to UIL’s closing share price on Wednesday.

Iberdrola USA already owns New York State Electric and Gas, Rochester Gas & Electric and Central Maine Power, with a combined 3 million customers.

UIL CEO James P. Torgerson will become Iberdrola USA’s new CEO. Iberdrola said Torgerson will select a U.S.-based leadership team from among UIL and Iberdrola USA executives.

Torgerson and two other UIL directors will join Iberdrola USA’s board, which will have up to nine members.

In earnings reported two weeks ago, Iberdrola highlighted U.S. operations in New York and New England as one of its bright spots as it coped with lower Spanish subsidies for its renewable energy operations.

It is also one of the leading wind energy companies in the U.S., with operations in about 20 states.

UIL Holdings has about 700,000 customers. The deal is expected to close later this year.

The agreement, which has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards of directors, must be approved by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

The combined company intends to invest $6.9 billion in regulated electric and gas infrastructure and other capital expenditures over the next five years.

March 3, 2015June 15, 2023

Exelon-Backed Bill Proposes Surcharge to Fund Illinois Nukes

By Suzanne Herel

Exelon’s year-long lobbying campaign has won bipartisan backing for a bill that would charge Illinois electricity users a fee to ensure continued operation of three nuclear generators that the company says are unprofitable.

The proposal could increase Commonwealth Edison and Ameren bills by $300 million a year, according to the Citizens Utility Board, a consumer watchdog group.

The Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (SB1585, HB3293), announced Thursday, came a week after the introduction of a dueling measure, the Clean Energy Jobs Bill (SB1485, HB2607), supported by environmental and consumer advocates.

Both proposals say they will increase renewable energy and jobs while lowering carbon emissions as required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan. Both have bipartisan support.

Exelon says its plan would ensure the operation of the state’s nuclear power plants, which produce nearly half of Illinois’ power, provide more than 5,900 jobs and represent $9 billion in economic impact.

“There is simply no way Illinois will achieve meaningful carbon reductions and meet the EPA goals without preserving our current nuclear fleet,” said state Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., a Democrat who represents many nuclear plant workers in his Will County district and co-sponsored HB3293.

Walsh told the Chicago Tribune that the final proposal likely would represent a compromise bill hammered out with the proponents of the Clean Energy Jobs Bill. He could not be reached for comment on Friday.

That bill and its companion were introduced by state Sen. Don Harmon and Rep. Elaine Nekritz, both Democrats.

“If we can raise the energy efficiency standard to 20% and raise the renewable portfolio standard to 35%, we can create 32,000 new clean energy jobs every year,” Harmon said in introducing his bill. “The potential for Illinois if we act is great — and at the same time, the risk if we fail to act is enormous.”

The Exelon legislation was drafted in response to a 269-page, House-commissioned report released Jan. 8 that presented options to improve the finances of Exelon’s nuclear power plants. (See Exelon in Lobbying Push to Save Ill. Nukes.)

Under the proposed legislation, beginning next year, 70% of the electricity delivered by ComEd, which is owned by Exelon, and Ameren would have to be generated by “clean-energy” sources: solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, tidal, wave and clean coal.

The fee to customers would fund low-carbon energy credits that would be auctioned by the Illinois Power Agency.

The system would result in an average $2/month surcharge to electricity bills, not to exceed a 2.015% annual increase compared with 2009 rates. It would sunset at the end of 2021, or earlier if the state is in compliance with the EPA’s program.

While Exelon has said the legislation is needed to save the nuclear plants it maintains are struggling – Byron, Quad Cities and Clinton — the bill does not require the company to keep them open even if the new standard is adopted.

Critics of the power company’s proposal point to a Crain’s Chicago Business study of Exelon’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings that concluded its nuclear fleet is profitable. Exelon has declined to open its books to prove its contention.

“Exelon has made more than $20 billion in profits over the past decade, its overall nuclear fleet is profitable — and consumers have already paid for those plants several times over, from when the facilities were owned by ComEd,” said David Kolata, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board. “The solution to Illinois’ energy issues requires a much more comprehensive and long-term plan than Exelon’s proposal, which would raise ComEd and Ameren electric bills by an estimated $300 million a year.”

Exelon Senior Vice President Joseph Dominguez addressed the profits issue in an interview with Northern Public Radio.

“No one from Exelon has ever denied that the company is profitable. It is,” he said. “What we’re talking about is the profitability of units that are persistently losing money and our inability to keep those units open unless we recognize the important attributes that they provide.”

March 3, 2015June 15, 2023

Company Briefs

Ten people protesting the 550-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline project were charged after blocking the entrance to Dominion Virginia Power’s Richmond headquarters last week.

About 50 protestors said they object to the proposed pipeline that would supply customers in North Carolina with shale gas from West Virginia. “This proposal would be a dangerous investment in fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when the scientific consensus is clear that we must invest in renewables, such as wind and solar, to avoid further warming of our planet,” said Whitney Whiting, a protester from Newport News, Va.

Nine were charged with traffic obstruction, and another was given a misdemeanor citation for disorderly conduct.

More: TheBayNet.com

Exelon Seeks More Water for Limerick Plant

The Delaware River Basin Commission will consider at its March 10 meeting whether to allow Exelon to increase the amount of water the Limerick nuclear plant may draw from the Schuylkill River on days when the air temperature is 87 F or higher.

Exelon’s request seeks to make permanent the temporary permission it was given Aug. 19 to boost the amount of water it can use on hot days by 3.3 million gallons, from 44 million. The company said recent repairs that increased the efficiency of its closed circuit cooling water system led to the loss of more water through evaporation.

Exelon addressed concerns about taking too much water out of the river during heat waves, when river levels are at their lowest, by seeking permission to add water upstream. That would ensure against higher water temperatures dissolving oxygen and harming aquatic life downstream, according to the company.

The plant’s Unit 1 was out of service for three days last week after a main steam isolation valve closed unexpectedly. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the unit shut down without any further problems. Unit 2 was not affected by the event.

More: The Mercury; The Express-Times

Ameren Illinois President Named One of Top Business Leaders by Magazine

Richard J. Mark, president of Ameren Illinois, was named one of the top business leaders by African-American Career World magazine.

“The executives on our inaugural list of top African-American business leaders were selected for their business acumen, leadership and vision to drive their company’s success, often during difficult times,” said Joann Whitcher, editorial director of Equal Opportunity Publications.

Mark oversees utility distribution operations to more than 1.2 million electric customers and 812,000 natural gas customers. He has led the company on a 10-year, $3.5 billion upgrade program.

More: Ameren

SunEdison’s Maine Wind Energy Project Gets Environmental Staff Approval

The staff of a Maine environmental permitting appeals panel recommended upholding approval of SunEdison’s Bingham Wind project.

Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection in September granted a permit for the 62-turbine, $398 million project in western Maine, but activists appealed the decision. The staff of the Board of Environmental Protection, which hears appeals of the regulatory agency’s actions, said that the company’s plan was financially sound and recommended approval.

The board could rule on the final permit application March 5.

More: Bangor Daily News

Clean Line Energy’s Rock Island Project Faces Appeal of ICC Ruling

Landowners and Commonwealth Edison are appealing the Illinois Commerce Commission’s approval of Clean Line Energy’s $2 billion Rock Island Line transmission project.

The proposed 3,500-MW direct-current line would deliver wind-generated power to Illinois from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The 500-mile line is the first merchant-owned transmission project approved by the ICC.

More: The Times

Heavy Snowfall in Carolina Causes 200,000 Duke Energy Outages

A rare heavy snowfall in North Carolina last week left more than 200,000 Duke Energy customers without power.

Up to 10 inches of thick, heavy snow caused outages in the upper third of the state. The lack of sunlight and weight of the snow on trees caused limbs to break and fall on power lines. The company worked into the weekend to restore service.

More: News & Observer

NRG Home Solar Expands into North Carolina

NRG Home Solar, fast becoming one of the largest residential solar companies in the U.S., is moving into the North Carolina market.

“North Carolina is an ideal market for solar and specifically for residential solar where we see significant untapped market potential throughout the state,” said Kelcy Pegler Jr., president of NRG Home Solar. The company is offering homeowners solar systems with zero-money down financing. It will open an office in Charlotte this spring.

More: NRG Home Solar

Compiled by Ted Caddell