The Bipartisan Policy Center, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) hosted the second in a three-workshop series exploring how to ensure the reliability of our nation's electric system without jeopardizing important progress on public health and environmental protection.

The Power Sector Environmental Regulations workshop framed the issues in the debate and provided background on upcoming regulations for the power sector. To view the video and presentations from Workshop One, click here.

The second workshop, Reliability Impacts of Power Sector Developments, delved into analysis of the power sector impacts under various scenarios of EPA regulation stringency and timing, as well as a range of conditions for key variables such as natural gas price, and electricity demand. Using projections of power plant decisions on retrofits and retirements, the second workshop also explored regional reliability assessments, and included a presentation from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the PJM Reliability Transmission Organization.

WORKSHOP II: RELIABILITY IMPACTS OF POWER SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS

8:00-8:30
Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30-8:40
Workshop Introduction
Jason Grumet, President, Bipartisan Policy Center

8:40-10:30
Power Sector Developments and Costs
Moderator: Tom Wilson, Senior Program Manager, Electric Power Research Institute

Context and key inputs/assumptions for power sector projections

• Howard Gruenspecht, Ph.D., Deputy Administrator, US Energy Information Administration

Policy scenarios

• Joseph Chaisson, Research and Technical Director, Clean Air Task Force

Modeling Results: retirements, retrofits, electricity price impacts

• Steve Fine, Vice President, ICF International

Respondents

• Frank Huntowski, Director, The Northbridge Group
• John McManus, Vice President of Environmental Services, American Electric Power
• John Shelk, President and CEO, Electric Power Supply Association

Question and Answer Session

10:30-10:45
Break

10:45-12:25
Potential Reliability Impacts
Moderator: Chairman Ron Binz, Colorado Public Utilities Commission

Modeling and analysis of reliability impacts of different regulatory scenarios

• John Moura, Technical Analyst, North American Electric Reliability Corporation

Regional reliability assessment

• Paul Sotkiewicz, Ph.D, Chief Economist, Markets, PJM Interconnection

Respondents and panel discussion on key variables affecting reliability

• Ira Shavel, Vice President, Charles River Associates
• Bill Tyndall, Senior Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Duke Energy
• Mark Brownstein, Deputy Director, Energy Program, Environmental Defense Fund
• Joe McCartin, Deputy Director, Building and Construction Trades Department

Question and Answer Session

12:25-12:30
Wrap-up and Next Steps
Joe Kruger, Policy Director, Bipartisan Policy Center

WORKSHOP THREE – January 2011

The third workshop will focus on local, state, regional, and federal planning and options to accommodate the expected power sector transition.

Energy Project, The Electric Grid Initiative