NEM is pleased to announce that it will be hosting its New England Energy Policy Summit on October 12-14, 2015 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A welcome reception will be held on the evening of October 12, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge, and a reception will be held the evening of October 13, 2015, at the Harvard Faculty Club. Please save these dates. An agenda is forthcoming. You may register at this hotlink. A block of rooms has been set aside for the event at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge at the NEM rate of $279/night ((617)441-6494).

FERC Staff presented its 2015 Summer Seasonal Assessment reflecting a generally positive outlook. "EIA has forecast a 2.9 percent increase in electric demand from 2014, reflecting an expected return to more typical conditions from last year’s unusually mild weather. . . . Meanwhile, the total generating capacity in the U.S. has decreased by about 3 percent, primarily because of increased coal generator retirements." Reserve margins are expected to be adequate for all assessment areas this summer, and resource adequacy is forecast to improve this summer in MISO, ERCOT and New York. Enrolled demand response capacity has fallen in each of the regions from last year, most significantly in PJM where it has dropped by nearly 2,500MW. The average NYMEX futures natural gas price for June through August is $2.89/MMBtu, representing a 40 percent decrease from 2014. Similarly, forward peak power prices have decreased by an average of 24 percent from last year. The full text of the 2015 Summer Seasonal Assessment is available on the NEM Website.