Avoid

In an attempt to avoid electricity shortages predicted in the state by the end of the decade, Minnesota legislators passed a compromise energy bill last week that among other things, improves energy conservation, requires statewide planning for energy needs and clarifies regulations for building power plants and transmission lines. The legislation (SF022) is expected to be signed by Gov. Jesse Ventura and enacted in 2002.

In an attempt to avoid electricity shortages predicted in the state by the end of the decade, Minnesota legislators passed a compromise energy bill late Monday that among other things, improves energy conservation, requires statewide planning for energy needs and clarifies regulations for building power plants and transmission lines. The legislation (SF022) is expected to be signed by Gov. Jesse Ventura and enacted in 2002.

Saying it wants to avoid the uncoordinated development of market mitigation proposals, FERC last week rejected a proposal by Consolidated Edison Co. of New York (ConEd) to make revisions to the utility’s localized market power mitigation measures. Among other things, the Commission voiced concerns over the fact that ConEd’s proposal failed to use the New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO) stakeholder process.

Saying it wants to avoid the uncoordinated development of market mitigation proposals, FERC earlier this week rejected a proposal by Consolidated Edison Co. of New York (ConEd) to make revisions to the utility’s localized market power mitigation measures. Among other things, the Commission voiced concerns over the fact that ConEd’s proposal failed to use the New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO) stakeholder process.

At 2 p.m. (PST) Monday, the Cal-ISO anticipated California wouldavoid rolling blackouts and have only some business interruptionsin northern California to get around the transmission bottleneckfor moving supplies south to north. The prognosis for Tuesday ispretty much as it was yesterday, said Cal-ISO’s COO KellanFluckiger, noting that they do not anticipate any unplannedoutages, which is always the wildcard in transmission gridmanagement in the midst of shortages of the magnitude thatCalifornia has faced for the past two months.

Responding to a California power market gone haywire andteetering on the brink of operational and financial disaster, FERCFriday issued a series of remedial measures, virtually strippingthe Cal-PX and Cal-ISO of their control of the market and callingmarket stakeholders together to negotiate bilateral forwardcontracts.

Except for moderate firmness for intra-Alberta and Rockiespoints Monday, the cash market tended to stay on the downward slopethat had developed Friday. However, Monday’s declines were smallerthan those for the weekend, ranging mostly between a nickel and adime.

It’s not a perfect world yet, but sponsors of the major projectsto tap reserves in the far north are working to avoid mistakes ofthe past by coming up with a joint plan to pipe supplies fromAlaska and the Northwest Territories to market areas in the south.

It’s not a perfect world yet, but sponsors of the major projectsto tap reserves in the far north are working to avoid mistakes ofthe past by coming up with a joint plan to pipe supplies fromAlaska and the Northwest Territories to market areas in the south.