On September 24, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) announced the 31 transmission projects it plans to fund through the Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and Other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (“SPARK”) program. The projects will receive $5.25 billion in total, consisting of $1.9 billion in federal
Adam Webster
Adam is an associate in the firm's Energy Regulatory practice. He received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was an articles editor of the North Carolina Law Review.
FERC Approves Changes to ISO-NE’s Day-Ahead Ancillary Services Market
By Adam Webster & Antonia Douglas on
Posted in FERC Practice, Market Policy
On September 14, 2026, FERC approved changes to ISO New England Inc.’s (ISO-NE) Day-Ahead Ancillary Services (DA A/S) market to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The market incurred more than $900 million in costs during its first year, and ISO-NE estimates the revisions will save approximately $23 million annually. FERC’s approval of ISO-NE’s proposal will adjust how ISO-NE forecasts next-day energy needs and set a new floor on the price at which resources become financially exposed for failing to perform. The revisions take effect on October 22, 2026.
FERC Accepts SPP’s Revisions to Its Western Energy Imbalance Tariff Incorporating a Reliability-Based Market Hold Settlement Mechanism
By Adam Webster, Quintessa Davis & Mary-Kate Rigney on
Posted in FERC Practice
On June 20, 2025, FERC approved Southwest Power Pool, Inc.’s (SPP) revisions to its Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) tariff to allow a participating balancing authority to initiate a market hold due to reliability concerns and to specify how SPP will settle the market in the event of such a market hold. FERC found that the revisions will allow participating balancing authorities to timely respond to reliability-based events while avoiding disruptions to the WEIS market.