Washington, D.C. — EPSA President & CEO John E. Shelk released the following statement in response to FERC’s order issued today initiating a new proceeding to evaluate the resilience of the bulk power system in Independent System Operator and Regional Transmission Organization markets (Docket AD18-7-000):
“EPSA commends FERC for its unanimous bipartisan decision to terminate the DOE proposed rule proceeding and pursue the important grid resilience issues raised by the Department of Energy through further proceedings to evaluate each regional power grid.
“This decision is a victory for the independence of FERC as the regulatory agency charged by Congress with implementing the Federal Power Act. EPSA applauds FERC for reaffirming its commitment to well-functioning wholesale power markets.”
“Today is not the end of the matter nor should it be. Rather, today begins the next phase of FERC’s critical and urgently needed work to improve price formation for all bulk power resources, not just a select few. As we learned from the recent cold snap, during which the bulk power system performed very well, fuel neutral reforms such as those implemented after the Polar Vortex of 2014 are the most effective way to move forward.”
Launched over 20 years ago, EPSA is the national trade association representing leading independent power producers and marketers. EPSA members provide reliable and competitively priced electricity from environmentally responsible facilities using a diverse mix of fuels and technologies. Power supplied on a competitive basis collectively accounts for 40 percent of the U.S. installed generating capacity. EPSA seeks to bring the benefits of competition to all power customers.
