
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 46 (Friday, March 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13331-13332]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04719]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD17-11-000]


State Policies and Wholesale Markets Operated by ISO New England 
Inc., New York Independent System Operator, Inc., and PJM 
Interconnection, LLC; Notice of Technical Conference

    Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission) staff will hold a technical conference to discuss certain 
matters affecting wholesale energy and capacity markets operated by the 
Eastern Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and Independent 
System Operators (ISOs). The technical conference will take place on 
May 1, 2017 and May 2, 2017 beginning at approximately 9:00 a.m. and 
ending at approximately 5:00 p.m. The conference will be held at the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20426. All interested persons are invited to participate in the 
conference. Commission members may participate in the conference.
    Competitive wholesale energy and capacity markets bring value to 
customers by efficiently pricing energy and capacity, taking into 
account the operational needs and the dynamics of the transmission 
system, and providing transparent signals for investment and retirement 
of resources. Over the years, the rules underpinning competitive 
wholesale markets have evolved to address a myriad of issues while 
ensuring the reliable delivery and sale of electricity at just and 
reasonable rates. In recent years, there has been increased interest by 
state policy makers to pursue policies that prioritize certain 
resources or resource attributes. Because the wholesale competitive 
markets, as currently designed, select resources based on principles of 
operational and economic efficiency without specific regard to resource 
type, there is an open question of how the competitive wholesale 
markets, particularly in states or regions that restructured their 
retail electricity service, can select resources of interest to state 
policy makers while preserving the benefits of regional markets and 
economic resource selection.
    Commission staff appreciates and has been closely monitoring each 
of the Eastern RTO's/ISO's stakeholder discussions addressing wholesale 
markets and state policies.\1\ These discussions have generally 
recognized that alternative market designs could take the form of 
changes to either the capacity or energy markets. Proposals to change 
the wholesale energy market have generally focused on valuing various 
resource attributes, including the value of fuel security or certain 
environmental costs associated with the production of electric energy. 
By comparison, proposals to change the capacity market have generally 
focused on ways to preserve the integrity of the capacity market, while 
also allowing customers to receive resource adequacy benefits from 
state supported resources in the capacity market.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Commission staff is aware that the New England Power Pool 
Participants Committee and Markets Committee have conducted several 
meetings on wholesale markets and state public policy issues, and on 
August 18, 2016, PJM held a meeting to ``address public policy goals 
and market efficiency.'' Further, NYISO has initiated within its 
Budget and Priorities Working Group a discussion of integrating 
public policy in its markets.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Commission staff takes this opportunity to foster further 
discussion regarding the development of regional solutions in the 
Eastern RTOs/ISOs that reconcile the competitive market framework with 
the increasing interest by states to support particular resources or 
resource attributes. In particular, Commission staff seeks to discuss 
long-term expectations regarding the relative roles of wholesale 
markets and state policies in the Eastern RTOs/ISOs in shaping the 
quantity and composition of resources needed to cost-effectively meet 
future reliability and operational needs. At one end of the spectrum, 
state policies would be satisfied through the wholesale energy and 
capacity markets. At the other end of the spectrum, state policies 
would be achieved outside of the wholesale markets, and the wholesale 
markets would be designed to avoid conflict with those state policies. 
There are numerous alternatives between these two ends of the spectrum. 
As part of this discussion, Commission staff seeks to understand the 
pros and cons of the various alternatives in the Eastern RTOs/ISOs. In 
the end, Commission staff seeks to understand the potential for 
sustainable wholesale market designs that both preserve the benefits of 
regional markets and respect state policies.
    Supplemental notices will be issued prior to the technical 
conference with further details regarding the agenda, speakers and 
organization of the technical conference.
    Those wishing to participate in this conference should submit a 
nomination form online by 5:00 p.m. on March 17, 2017 at: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/05-01-17-speaker-form.asp.
    All interested persons may attend the conference, and registration 
is not required. However, in-person attendees are encouraged to 
register on-line at: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/05-01-17-form.asp.
    The technical conference will be transcribed and there will be a 
free webcast of the conference. The webcast will allow persons to 
listen to the technical conference, but not participate. Transcripts 
will be available immediately for a fee from Ace Reporting Company at 
(202) 347-3700.
    Anyone with Internet access who wants to listen to the conference 
can do so by navigating to www.ferc.gov's Calendar of Events and 
locating the technical conference in the Calendar. The technical 
conference will contain a link to its webcast. The Capitol Connection 
provides technical support for the webcast and offers the option of 
listening to the meeting via phone-bridge for a fee. If you have any 
questions, visit

[[Page 13332]]

www.CapitolConnection.org or call 703-993-3100.
    FERC conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations please 
send an email to accessibility@ferc.gov or call toll free (866) 208-
3372 (voice) or (202) 502-8659 (TTY), or send a fax to (202) 208-2106 
with the requested accommodations.

For Further Information Please Contact Individuals Identified for Each 
Topic

    Technical Information: Amr Ibrahim, Office of Energy Policy and 
Innovation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-6746, amr.ibrahim@ferc.gov.
    Legal Information: Kent Carter, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8604, 
kent.carter@ferc.gov.
    Logistical Information: Sarah McKinley, Office of External Affairs, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20426, (202) 502-8368, sarah.mckinley@ferc.gov.

    Dated: March 3, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-04719 Filed 3-9-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


