"Profoundly Disappointing"; "Dreadful" - TX Utility Conference Reaction To Perry Coal "Plan"
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Prominent voices in Texas electricity unloaded yesterday on the Department of Energy's recent directive to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that may serve as a lifeline to struggling coal and nuclear plants. Yet leaders here also tended to hold out hope that DOE's push will lead to U.S. power market reforms they see as more compatible with competition.
Recognition of a disconnect ran through the Gulf Coast Power Association's fall conference as Texans mentally contrasted a Perry who carried a free-market mantra as governor with a Perry whose name is attached to a federal plan that could disrupt organized electric markets.
Perry's letter to FERC seeking change has caused waves since its emergence last week (Energwire, Oct. 2). While Texas' main power market is regulated primarily by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), the proposal from Perry remains jarring for those here pondering the national implications of DOE's plan. "It's just profoundly disappointing that the man who presided and actively oversaw and protected the best competitive market in the country signed that letter," Pat Wood III, a former chairman of both FERC and the PUC, said in an interview.
CEO Robert Flexon of Dynegy Inc. said the proposal is counter to the competitive marketplace, even if his power company might see some benefits from the plan. "If you're going to do that, just re-regulate," he said. "Just re-regulate everything." "I think it is a dreadful policy proposal," said Alison Silverstein, a consultant who was involved in a recent grid study for DOE. She said the DOE plan "appears to have immense cost implications for the market, for reliability and for customers" without obvious benefits to those segments.
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https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060062543
