Last week I attended a workshop at which where BPA layed out its long term vision for its Transmission Business. To BPA’s credit, they have identified many of the reasons they won’t be able to continue business as usual (though they still need to implement a transmission planning mechanism that is effective in identifying, planning and constructing projects to meet regional transmission needs). … [Read more...] about BPA, the Pacific NW and the “M” Word
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BPA and Real Power Loss Returns
Bonneville’s transmission customers can compensate BPA for transmission losses through financial settlement or by returning power to BPA. In the Spring of 2017, BPA unilaterally decided it could force its customers to keep the energy they planned to deliver to BPA through “mandatory waivers” of those real power loss returns during oversupply conditions. While BPA was able to save customers … [Read more...] about BPA and Real Power Loss Returns
Expansion of CAISO to form Regional Energy Market
For much of 2016, I worked with NIPPC on the initiative to explore expanding the footprint of the California ISO to include the PacifiCorp balancing areas. There have been several parallel work streams, but we focused on two of them. The first process looked at possible changes to California's existing regional resource adequacy rules (which make sure there is enough generation available). … [Read more...] about Expansion of CAISO to form Regional Energy Market
Sixth Anniversary — New Website — New Colleague
October 30, 2009 was my last day at Vestas. I spent Halloween weekend drafting testimony on behalf of the Conservation Law Foundation in support of the Maine Power Reliability Program. Construction of those transmission lines and substations were completed in 2015. The past six years have been a lot of fun — and I appreciate all of the clients and colleagues who made it possible. I’m looking … [Read more...] about Sixth Anniversary — New Website — New Colleague
NWPP-MC and ADI: Half full or half empty?
On May 29, 2015 at their Executive Committee meeting, the participants in the Northwest Power Pool’s Market Assessment and Coordination Committee Initiative (NWPP-MC) unanimously adopted a resolution outlining the NWPP-MC’s priorities through the rest of 2015. Fully half of the announcement is dedicated to quotes from executives around the region describing their “full commitment”, “full support” … [Read more...] about NWPP-MC and ADI: Half full or half empty?
