Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
A bipartisan group of eight former FERC commissioners panned a proposal from a Midwestern electricity grid operator to speed up power generation.
Why it matters: The letter is an unusual rebuke at a time when regional grid operators are scrambling to comply with demands to address a backlog of proposed power projects.
- The plan from Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) — which oversees power to 45 million customers — dovetails with moves in Congress and some states to fast-track power plants.
What they're saying: Under MISO's proposal, regulators could favor utility-owned projects for expedited access to the grid while preventing electricity suppliers from competing, the former commissioners wrote.
- FERC approval would "undermine competition in MISO leading to higher costs for customers" and "threaten to reverse FERC's precedent" of allowing open access to the power grid.
- The group included commissioners serving most of the last 30 years — including two of the most recent chairs, Democrat Richard Glick and Republican Neil Chatterjee.
Flashback: FERC approved a plan in February from PJM Interconnection, the country's largest grid operation, that sought up to 50 projects and used a scoring criteria to select them.
Between the lines: Independent power producers would face challenges accessing the grid under MISO's plan, which lacks many of the guardrails seen in PJM's plan, said Carrie Zalewski, ACP's vice president of transmission and electricity markets.
- "At a time of skyrocketing energy demand, MISO is headed down a concerning path of sidelining critical resources rather than diversifying its generation mix," Zalewski said.
The other side: Several utilities — including Duke Energy Indiana, Ameren Service Co., and American Municipal Power — and Indiana and Missouri's governors voiced support in MISO's docket at FERC.
- Ameren rejected the idea that MISO's criteria would only allow utilities building their own projects.
- MISO's plan would "quickly evaluate generation projects that address immediate resource and reliability needs," Brandon D. Morris, a MISO spokesman, told Axios.
What's next: FERC has 60 days to respond to MISO's proposal after comments were due Monday.
