The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced it will hold a Technical Conference on Carbon Pricing in Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 from 9am to 5pm EDT to discuss considerations related to state adoption of carbon pricing mechanisms in regions with Commission-jurisdictional organized wholesale electricity markets. The conference will be free and open to the public to attend. FERC will issue additional notices prior to the conference with further details regarding the agenda, how to register to participate, and the format (including whether the technical conference will be held in-person or electronically).
On October 27, 2020 from 9am to 5pm EDT, FERC will host a Technical Conference Regarding Offshore Wind Integration in RTOs/ISOs. This conference will discuss whether existing Commission transmission, interconnection, and merchant transmission facility frameworks in RTOs/ISOs can accommodate anticipated growth in offshore wind generation in an efficient and effective manner that safeguards open access transmission principles. The conference will also discuss if possible changes or improvements to the current framework should be considered if they are needed to accommodate such growth. The technical conference will be held either in-person at the Commission’s headquarters (with a WebEx option available) or solely electronically. Additional details such as the agenda and the format will be released by FERC on a later date.
On June 18, 2020, FERC Commission staff published a Cybersecurity Incentives Policy White Paper discussing a potential new framework for providing transmission incentives to utilities for cybersecurity investments. The paper includes a description of cybersecurity challenges for the bulk power system and existing standards. It then lays out the case for a new approach to incentivize cybersecurity investments. Interested parties are invited to file comments on the paper within 60 days on the questions posed on the paper (page 26 and 27) or any other pertinent matter.
NASEO will provide additional information on all above meetings as more details become available.