Power Moves | January 2024

Dear reader,

As we wrap another year of representing America’s competitive power suppliers and step into a new chapter, we continue to work towards a more reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable future. Take a look back through 2023 in our PowerFacts blog and our Energy Solutions podcast, and keep reading to discover what the year’s end looked like for EPSA and America’s competitive power suppliers.?Don't forget to subscribe here to receive the full version of Power Moves in your inbox each month.

In this month’s Power Moves, we cover:?

• Six energy leaders from across the nation gather on Energy Solutions to discuss power system reliability this year and into the future,?
• Ways competitive power suppliers work to keep the grid secure from cyber-attacks,?
• A conversation with an expert on top national grid reliability concerns and solutions,?
• How competitive power suppliers give back during the holidays,?
• An expert analysis on levelized cost of electricity – with a webinar recording, a fact sheet, and a press release,
• Why market design reforms are needed,?
• Competitive power updates,?
• And more.?

??? SAVE THE DATE: MARCH 26, 2024

Registration is just five days away! Join us March 26 for a day of expert panels and featured speakers discussing critical issues facing competitive power and the U.S. electric system.

Stay tuned and check this page for speakers, agenda updates, and additional details. Registration opens Monday, January 8, 2024.

New Podcast Episode: Regional Power Wrap: Electricity From Coast to Coast

In this episode, six of America’s top energy leaders representing competitive power suppliers across nation come together to compare notes on the current state of reliability, debrief the past year in energy, and look ahead towards the next year and beyond. Featuring leaders from the New England Power Generators Association , Independent Power Producers of New York , WESTERN POWER TRADING FORUM , Texas Competitive Power Advocates , Independent Energy Producers , and The PJM Power Providers (P3) Group .?

“I think that we’re about to have a national reckoning here in terms of what we’re trying to accomplish … Our industry… depends on reliability, affordability, and clean energy. That’s the direction things are headed. And how you balance those three and particularly in transition is a huge undertaking.”??–Jan Smutny-Jones, Executive Director, Independent Energy Producers Association

Find Energy Solutions on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Pandora, and Apple Music.?

Listen to the podcast.

Expert Insights: A Look at System Reliability and NERC’s 2023 Long-Term Reliability Assessment

We spoke with Mark Lauby , Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) , to hear his take on the recent rise in threats to the reliability power grid—including energy policy, grid transformation, resilience to extreme events, security risks and critical infrastructure interdependencies—and how increasing demand impacts the system as the electrification of our economy continues.

“Declining reserve margins are extremely worrying, especially during the [power system] transformation. To address the uncertainty from fuel availability (wind, sun, and natural gas delivery, etc.), more reserves and their availability is critical.”?–Mark Lauby, Senior Vice President and Chief Engineer, NERC?

Read the rest.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving: How America’s Competitive Power Suppliers Support Their Communities Through the Holiday Season

As we close out 2023, we highlighted what our competitive power suppliers do – not just to bring Americans reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable power – but to give back to the communities they serve, particularly around the holiday season, which can be a difficult time for many. Featuring Tenaska Power Services Co. , NRG Energy , Vistra Corp. , Shell Energy , ECP (Energy Capital Partners) , and energy news highlights from bp , Competitive Power Ventures , and LS Power .

Read about how competitive power suppliers give back during the holidays.

New Analysis Examines System-Wide Costs of Integrating Energy Resources in PJM

In a critical step towards understanding the true costs of integrating different energy resources onto the grid—with important implications for policymakers, regulators, and voters—EPSA released a new analysis evaluating the real-life impacts of different energy resource options on the reliability of the electric grid. The analysis is an effort to better capture the “full-cycle” levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), including the impact of regional costs, interconnection costs, curtailment costs, and the cost of ensuring that all units can provide an equivalent level of resource adequacy to the grid.

To introduce the analysis, EPSA hosted a webinar in which study author and economist Robert Kaineg, managing director at FTI Consulting Inc., discussed his methodology, assumptions, and findings. The recording of the webinar is available at this link, our fact sheet about the study is here, and our press release announcing the study's findings is here.

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America’s power grid is changing, and there’s a lot to keep up with. Follow along as we share how competition is bringing cleaner, cost-effective, reliable and innovative electricity solutions for an energy transition that works for everyone.

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