NEM will convene its 20th Annual National Energy Restructuring Conference on April 26th-28th, 2017. The conference will begin with a Welcome Reception on the evening of April 26th at the University Club in Washington, DC. The next two days of substantive discussion will take place at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill.

You may register for the conference at this hotlink. The Agenda is available at this link.

A supplemental notice of technical conference to discuss issues related to wholesale energy and capacity markets operated by the Eastern RTOs/ISOs was issued. The technical conference will be convened on May 1 and 2, 2017, at FERC's Washington, DC headquarters. The technical conference will, "explore how the competitive wholesale markets can select resources of interest to state policy makers while preserving the benefits of regional markets and economic resource selection." This will include, "long-term expectations regarding the relative roles of competitive wholesale markets and state policies in the Eastern RTOs/ISOs in shaping the quantity and composition of resources needed to cost-effectively meet future reliability and operational needs."

The Supplemental Notice includes a full agenda of issues and speakers. Panels will be divided by ISONE, PJM and NYISO and state representatives and stakeholder representatives. State representative panelists were asked to respond to the following issues:

"1. What objectives or policy priorities, if any, are states considering implementing in the coming years?
2. In a multi-state RTO/ISO, if one state’s policy priorities come into conflict with another state’s policy priorities to what extent should, and/or can, the wholesale markets resolve or mitigate that conflict?
3. What specific features of the existing market design, if any, would you seek to modify to meet your state and region’s policy goals?
4. In light of current and future state actions to secure specific resources outside of the centralized energy and capacity markets (out-of-market actions), what role do you see the RTO/ISO having in managing the procurement of capacity for resource adequacy in the long-term?
5. To the extent state policy priorities are effectuated outside of the centralized energy and capacity markets, what long-term impacts, if any, might such actions have on the ability of these markets to provide signals for efficient entry and exit and ensure resource adequacy?
6. Is there a way to achieve state or regional policy objectives with the centralized energy and capacity markets through potentially new or different market mechanisms? If so, what would be the elements of a policy solution to accommodate the objectives of your state or region while preserving the competitiveness and efficiency of wholesale markets?"

Stakeholder representative panelists were asked to respond to the following issues:

"1. There are a number of state policies that may or may not influence wholesale markets. Should the Commission distinguish between state actions that are considered inside the market and ones that are out of market, and why? How can certain types of state policies be readily integrated into wholesale markets as opposed to pursuing state policies outside of the centralized energy and capacity markets?
2. If your company is receiving/seeking an out-of-market payment as a result of a state policy, please explain the dynamics or features of the RTO/ISO market that, in your view, made this particular payment necessary. For the rest of the panelists, please explain how this payment has affected or will affect wholesale markets in general and your entity specifically.
3. What wholesale market benefits may be lost when states take actions outside of these markets?
4. With the idea that state or regional policy objectives can be achieved on a long-term basis through modifications to or potentially new or different wholesale market mechanisms, what would be the elements of a policy solution that could accommodate the objectives of a state or region while preserving the competitiveness and efficiency of wholesale markets?
5. If state policy objectives cannot be achieved through the wholesale markets, what are the consequences for the wholesale markets, as well as for market participants’ ability to make long-term decisions, of continued state support for certain resources or resource types outside wholesale markets?
6. In light of current and future state actions, what role should the RTO/ISO play in ensuring resource adequacy? Specifically, do you see a diminished role for the RTO/ISO? Under what conditions should a state intervene in a resource’s entry and exit decision and at what point could any such intervention affect the RTO’s/ISO’s role in ensuring resource adequacy?"

The full text of the Supplemental Notice of Technical Conference is available on the NEM Website.