EPSA calls for FERC technical conference.
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Press Release Summary:
Addressing concerns in Entergy region, EPSA filed comments calling for FERC technical conference to examine persistent, troubling delays and errors recorded by Southwest Power Pool as Independent Coordinator of Transmission it its annual performance report on Entergy's transmission system operations. Entergy's transmission system serves 2.7 million customers in 4 states and includes 15,500 miles of high-voltage transmission lines to which power generators require access.
Original Press Release:
ICT's Annual Report Underscores Need for FERC Technical Conference to Address Transmission Concerns in Entergy Region
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) today filed comments calling for a FERC technical conference to examine persistent, troubling delays and errors recorded by the Southwest Power Pool as the Independent Coordinator of Transmission (ICT) in its annual performance report on Entergys transmission system operations. Entergy's transmission system serves 2.7 million customers in four states and includes 15,500 miles of high-voltage transmission lines to which power generators require access.
"Entergy's customers can only obtain the benefits of competitive electricity supplies if its transmission system keeps pace with load growth and if all suppliers have non-discriminatory access to that system," said EPSA President and CEO John E. Shelk. "Unfortunately, suppliers not affiliated with Entergy continue to be denied timely and adequate transmission access despite federal open access rules. As a result, cleaner, more efficient competitive power plants are idle or under-utilized, while Entergy gives an undue preference to its own, older plants. This hurts the environment while passing on higher natural gas costs to their electricity customers and other natural gas users." As noted in Lafayette (LA) Utilities Systems filing, the ICT report included five examples of Generator Interconnection Service Requests that encountered processing delays of 10 months and beyond.
EPSA's comments on the need to address Entergy's transmission problems echo similar concerns expressed by the L-M Municipals (which include the Lafayette Utilities System) and Occidental Chemical Corporation. EPSA joins these major customers of the Entergy system in urging the Commission to convene a technical conference to assess the sufficiency of the ICT's resources to fulfill its responsibilities over the Entergy region.
"EPSA shares a common interest with public power and industrial users in this case. We join them in saying enough is enough. If the ICT cannot resolve the issues related to current operating and planning practices that impair competition and undercut reliability, efforts that are still under development such as the Weekly Procurement Process will likely stall - or only increase the number of errors reported," Shelk said. He concluded, "If the ICT process cannot be made to work soon, other options will need to be explored."
CONTACT: DAPHNE MAGNUSON
(202) 628-8200
EPSA is the national trade association representing competitive power suppliers, including generators and marketers. These suppliers, who account for nearly 40 percent of the installed generating capacity in the United States, provide reliable and competitively priced electricity from environmentally responsible facilities serving global power markets. EPSA seeks to bring the benefits of competition to all power customers.
