On September 21, 2023, the Commission found that J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (“J.P. Morgan Investment”) is an affiliate of Mankato Energy Center, LLC and Mankato Energy Center II, LLC (“Mankato Companies”) through their upstream owner, IIF US Holding 2 LP (“IIF US Holding 2”) because there is liable to be an absence of arm’s-length bargaining in transactions between Mankato Companies and J.P. Morgan Investment. In doing so, FERC considered, among other things, the power delegated by IIF US Holding 2 to J.P. Morgan Investment, which serves as IIF US Holding 2’s investment advisor. Commissioner Danly concurred in the result in a separate statement, and Chairman Willie Phillips concurred in a separate statement.Continue Reading FERC Finds Affiliation Between J.P. Morgan Investment and Mankato Companies
FERC Practice
After Initiating Credit Risk Show Cause Proceedings in 2022, FERC Finds that CAISO’s, ISO-NE’s, and NYISO’s Tariffs Remain Just and Reasonable but Directs Further Briefing on SPP’s
On September 21, 2023, the Commission issued separate orders on show cause proceedings finding that the existing tariffs of the California Independent System Operator Corporation (“CAISO”), ISO New England Inc. (“ISO-NE”), and the New York Independent System Operator, Inc. (“NYISO”) remain just and reasonable as to their collateral requirements for financial transmission rights (“FTR”) market participants. On the contrary, the Commission continued to find that Southwest Power Pool, Inc.’s (“SPP”) tariff appears to be unjust, unreasonable, and unduly discriminatory and therefore directed further briefing on a list of specific questions or for SPP to explain what changes to its tariff it believes would remedy the concerns identified by the Commission, within 60 days of the order.Continue Reading After Initiating Credit Risk Show Cause Proceedings in 2022, FERC Finds that CAISO’s, ISO-NE’s, and NYISO’s Tariffs Remain Just and Reasonable but Directs Further Briefing on SPP’s
FERC Directs PJM to Use a Historical Simulation Model with a 99% Confidence Level for its FTR Credit Requirement
On September 21, 2023, the Commission approved, in part, PJM Interconnection L.L.C.’s (“PJM”) proposed tariff revisions regarding the calculation of the Financial Transmission Right (“FTR”) credit requirement (“September Order”). PJM’s revisions, among other things, would calculate collateral based on a historical simulation model (“HSIM”) instead of a historical value model. FERC accepted the proposal with the exception of PJM’s proposed 97% confidence interval in the HSIM model, and instead required PJM to use a 99% confidence interval.Continue Reading FERC Directs PJM to Use a Historical Simulation Model with a 99% Confidence Level for its FTR Credit Requirement
FERC Revisits Kimball Wind’s Entitlement to Reimbursement for WAPA Substation Expansion
On September 6, 2023, the Commission affirmed the determinations made in a May 4 Order, which found that Kimball Wind, LLC (“Kimball Wind”) was not entitled to reimbursement of funds paid to Western Area Power Administration (“WAPA”) for expansion of WAPA’s Kimball Substation, located in Kimball, Nebraska. Continue Reading FERC Revisits Kimball Wind’s Entitlement to Reimbursement for WAPA Substation Expansion
Department of Energy Proposes New Program to Streamline Federal Authorizations to Site Interstate Transmission Projects
On August 10, 2023 in response to incentives made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) proposed reforms to its regulations governing the coordination of Federal authorizations for the development of interstate, onshore electric transmission facilities and to establish the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits Program (“CITAP Program”). The main goal of the CITAP Program, which will be administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, is to “reduce the time required for transmission project developers to receive decisions on Federal authorizations for transmission projects.” Public comments are due by 11:59pm ET on October 2, 2023.Continue Reading Department of Energy Proposes New Program to Streamline Federal Authorizations to Site Interstate Transmission Projects
Mountain Valley Pipeline To Resume Construction After Supreme Court Vacates Fourth Circuit’s Order Halting Construction
On July 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s decision to grant the Wilderness Society’s motions to stay of construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (“MVP”) pending that court’s review of the Forest Service’s amended Forest Management Plan. The Supreme Court’s order grants MVP’s emergency application to vacate the Fourth Circuit’s stay orders and permits MVP to resume construction on the pipeline.Continue Reading Mountain Valley Pipeline To Resume Construction After Supreme Court Vacates Fourth Circuit’s Order Halting Construction
FERC Affirms Finding of Affiliation Over Appointment of Director
On July 3, 2023, FERC affirmed its earlier determination that Bluescape Energy Partners, LLC’s (“Bluescape”) appointment of a non-independent director to Evergy Inc.’s (“Evergy”) Board of Directors overcomes the rebuttable presumption of a lack of control under FERC’s regulations that normally applies when a company owns less than 10 percent of another company’s equity (see October 27, 2022 edition of the WER). Additionally, FERC clarified that the appointment of a non-independent director is a per se finding of control and found affiliation between Bluescape and Evergy, and therefore between Bluescape and Evergy’s public utility subsidiaries, pursuant to the definition of “affiliate” under FERC’s rules.Continue Reading FERC Affirms Finding of Affiliation Over Appointment of Director
FERC Reverses Course, Rejects SPP Byway Cost Allocation Proposal for Second Time
On July 13, 2023, FERC on rehearing set aside its prior order that had accepted Southwest Power Pool, Inc.’s (“SPP”) proposal to establish a case-by-case process to allocate, on a regional, postage-stamp basis, all of the costs of a transmission facility with a voltage level between 100 kV and 300 kV (“Byway facility”). In setting aside its prior approval, FERC found that SPP’s Proposal granted the SPP Board too much discretion in allocating the costs of Byway facilities. Commissioners Mark Christie and James Danly each concurred with separate statements. FERC’s rejection marked the second time SPP’s proposal failed to obtain Commission approval.Continue Reading FERC Reverses Course, Rejects SPP Byway Cost Allocation Proposal for Second Time
FERC Adopts Regulations to Permit Credit-Related Information Sharing
On June 15, 2023, FERC issued Order No. 895, adopting new regulations permitting regional transmission organizations (“RTO”) and independent system operators (“ISO”) to share, amongst each other, credit-related information of their market participants, and requiring RTOs/ISOs to adopt tariff or similar rules for providing credit-related information sharing in order to better assess market participants’ credit risks.Continue Reading FERC Adopts Regulations to Permit Credit-Related Information Sharing
House Subcommittee Holds FERC Oversight Hearing on Improving Reliability Through Energy Expansion, Interregional Transmission, and Backing Renewables with Fossil Fuels
On June 13, 2023, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security held a hearing on the “Oversight of FERC: Adhering to a Mission of Affordable and Reliable Energy for America.” The hearing focused on reliability and the transition from fossil fuel generation to renewable resources.Continue Reading House Subcommittee Holds FERC Oversight Hearing on Improving Reliability Through Energy Expansion, Interregional Transmission, and Backing Renewables with Fossil Fuels