News Roundup

Six More Utilities to Join New Western Regional Market

Six utilities in the U.S. states of Idaho and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia have committed to joining a new regional power market that U.S. grid operator Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is organizing. Markets+, a bundle of services that would centralize day-ahead and real-time power plant commitment and dispatch, as well as removing barriers to transmission service across participating utilities.

SPP states that this will enable greater integration of a “rapidly growing” fleet of renewable energy. Bonneville Power Administration has stated that it will help to fund the next phase of the project, but has not yet made a firm commitment to participate.

Source: Southwest Power Pool announces additional commitments to western market development (SPP)

Maine Supreme Court Revives Controversial Power Line Proposal

The state of Maine’s highest court has found that a 2021 ballot initiative seeking to stop a major power line to Quebec was unconstitutional. In doing so, the Maine Supreme Court has potentially revived Avangrid’s New England Clean Energy Connect, a 145-mile high-voltage DC line that would run from Lewiston the Main-Quebec border. In November 2021, 59% of Maine voters approved an initiative to ban the construction of transmission lines through the Upper Kennebec Region. If Avangrid can prove to a lower court that it engaged in good faith construction of the line before the initiative, it can legally proceed.

Source: Final Decision (Maine Supreme Judicial Court)

Distributed Energy Shifted to State Interconnection Processes in New England

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved a proposal by New England’s grid operator (ISO-New England) requiring certain planned distributed energy resources to go through state interconnection processes instead of the ISO-New England process. FERC has stated that his move will not only ease a burden on ISO-New England but will also increased energy supply and lower wholesale market prices. The decision was welcomed by renewable energy developers, with trade group Advanced Energy Economy stating that the proposal addresses an “acute barrier” to market participation.

News coverage: FERC approves ISO-NE plan to bypass the grid operator and rely on state reviews for DER interconnections (UtilityDive)