The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) took a decade-long step July 15 toward ushering in grid reforms that could dramatically speed up renewable energy growth and advance the Biden Administration’s zero-carbon electricity goals. Even though FERC did not announce any specific policy changes, it launched an advance notice of proposed rulemaking. Clean energy advocates said FERC’s advance notice could lead to reforms for reaching the carbon-free electric grid. FERC said it is seeking comments about how it could change or enhance existing transmission regulations to support the build-out of carbon-free resources. FERC is inviting the public to comment on potential changes to interconnection policies that could make it easier for solar and wind farms to come online, it said. The agency is also seeking input on whether the current method of passing the costs of transmission upgrades to generators is fair, among other topics. The public will have 75 days to comment and another 30 days to reply after the advance notice is published in the Federal Register. FERC Commissioner James Danly stressed that the agency should be careful not to overstep its authority in considering new transmission planning policies. (Source: Energy Wire 07/15/21) Mississippi/Gulf Coast Note: The Southern Company is among the five largest utilities in the U.S. committed to zero carbon emissions by 2050. Southern Company operates Mississippi Power, Alabama Power and Georgia Power, which serves about 4.2M customers. FERC launches first transmission reforms in a decade - E&E News (eenews.net)
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