PJM is a regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity through all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

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EPA Wastewater Rules and PJM Coal Retirements | Emissions Watch Blog

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Coal-fired power plants are subject to a myriad of federal environmental regulations that have led to significant retirement waves when plant owners face capital expenditures for compliance that cannot be supported by market revenues. Many coal plant owners are now facing significant potential compliance costs due to rules regulating disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs). CCRs, also known as coal ash, are produced from the process of burning coal and operating flue gas desulfurization equipment at coal-fired facilities.

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Regulations Affecting Coal Combustion Residuals (CCRs) Under EPA Rules | Energy Watch Blog

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ESAI Power’s latest issue of EnergyWatch™ discusses regulations affecting coal combustion residuals (CCR) under EPA rules for wastewater discharge and CCR disposal and handling. Several coal-fired plants in PJM have announced retirement plans or are at-risk of retirement due to compliance requirements with these rules. Clients of our Energy Watch service received an accompanying spreadsheet with data about the affected plants. Also included are ESAI’s Power and Natural Gas forward pricing forecasts in PJM, NYISO, ISO-NE.

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FERC Orders PJM To Change Reserve Market Rules, Delay Capacity Auctions | Capacity News

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Ethan Howland reports in Utility Dive that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday ordered the PJM Interconnection to revise its reserve market rules, which will delay the grid operator’s upcoming capacity auction. This was a reverse of an earlier decision. In a 3-1 vote, FERC reaffirmed its previous decision to direct PJM to consolidate tier one and tier two reserve products, but said it had erred by approving changes to the grid operator’s operating reserve demand curves (ORDC), which help set the price for reserves. Our Scott Niemann, Director and Principal of ESAI Power said, “This rule change seems like a small detail, but the ripple impacts may be more significant and touch a lot of aspects of the PJM market.”

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A New Year (2022) brings New Congestion Risks to PJM, NYISO & ISO-NE | Congestion Watch Blog

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High on-peak load levels and gas prices bolster congestion risks in January across ISO-NE and PJM. Winter demand levels are here to stay and are forecasted to be high in every market except for NYISO where temps will be unseasonably warm. Cold-weather seasons are not usually associated with transmission and generator outages, but ESAI has a few outages on our radar that are forecasted to keep all three markets spicy this January.

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PJM BRA 2023/24 Rule Changes and Auction Parameters: Capacity Price Forecast | Capacity Watch Blog

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In ESAI’s latest Capacity Watch report, we analyze the three major rule changes that will impact pricing in the upcoming PJM Base Residual Auction (2023/24 BRA) and the subsequent influence on clearing prices out to 2030. These rule changes include FERC’s revised approval of ELCC, a default MSOC based upon Net ACR, and FERC’s failure to reach a majority decision on PJM’s proposed MOPR revisions.

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Winter Brings New Congestion Risks to Power Prices | Congestion Watch Blog

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The start of winter signals the end of generator maintenance season and a shift away from supply-stack driven congestion towards load and transmission driven congestion. Certain load pocket zones across the Northeast are susceptible to import constraints leading to elevated congestion risk and higher power prices. ESAI expects high natural gas prices to play a key role in December congestion patterns.

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Northeast’s Inflated Natural Gas and Power Forwards | Energy Watch Blog

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The upcoming winter’s natural gas and power prices outlook for PJM, NYISO and ISO-New England continue to trend up despite the warmer-than-normal weather forecast. The forwards appear overvalued and ESAI Power holds its bearish stance on natural gas and power prices. The markets bullish outlook is based on a recent uptick in delivered gas and global LNG prices, but ESAI Power’s outlook has key insights driving a stable gas and power forecast.

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PJM Renewable Capacity Pricing | Renewables Watch Blog

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Renewable generation in PJM has been increasing over the past few years and will play a larger role in the market’s resource mix going forward. Coal-fired capacity is retiring at a rapid pace, and the interconnection queue is heavily comprised of renewable capacity. There is approximately 133 GW of utility-scale solar, wind, and offshore wind projects with queue positions in various stages of development.

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September Congestion update PJM NYISO & ISO-NE | Congestion Watch Blog

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Weather forecasts across the Northeast power markets continue to call for warmer-than-normal temperatures this summer and elevated electricity demand will be the main congestion driver in August. Planned generator maintenance will be minimal; however, forced generator outages during hot summer weather could significantly impact congestion and be an import constraint on areas across the Northeast Power Pools.

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Stepping Stones to FCA16 and Beyond | Capacity Watch Blog

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In this blog, we highlight a portion of the analysis in the NYISO section of the recently published Q2 Capacity Watch™. Changes to the New York markets’ supply and demand levels and declining peak load forecasts have sent capacity prices in all directions. New York’s commitment to renewable development has increased considerably in the past year with the approval of CLCPA’s minimum statewide goal of 9 GW of offshore wind by 2035. The upward trajectory of renewables has also shaped LCR and IRM expectations.

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