FERC sets conferences on climate change, extreme weather, reliability, and electrification

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

US electricity regulators have scheduled a series of technical conferences to address specific issues, including a two-day event to explore issues related to "threats to electric system reliability posed by climate change and extreme weather events", and a separate event on "electrification" of sectors like transportation and heating and its implications for the grid.

On March 5, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a notice of technical conference in its "Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and Electric System Reliability" docket (AD21-13-000).  The technical conference will be held on June 1, 2021 and Wednesday, June 2, 2021 via teleconference (over WebEx).

As noted by the Commission, "Reliable electric service is vital to the nation’s economy, national security, and public health and safety, and prolonged power outages can have significant humanitarian consequences, as the nation recently witnessed in Texas and the south-central United States." The Commission's notice cites a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which found that "extreme weather events topping $1 billion in estimated damages and costs are occurring with increasing frequency", as well as the 2017 Quadrennial Energy Review which found that the "leading cause of power outages in the United States is extreme weather, including heat waves, blizzards, thunderstorms, and hurricanes."

According to the Commission, it seeks to use this proceeding "to understand the near, medium and long-term challenges facing the regions of the country; how decisionmakers in the regions are evaluating and addressing those challenges; and whether further action from the Commission is needed to help achieve an electric system that can withstand, respond to, and recover from extreme weather events." The technical conference set for June 1-2 will address "concerns that because extreme weather events are increasing in frequency, intensity, geographic expanse, and duration, the number and severity of weather-induced events in the electric power industry may also increase". 

The notice also frames future discussion of "the specific challenges posed to electric system reliability by climate change and extreme weather, which may vary by region." For example, wildfire pose major reliability challenges in some regions, while weather-driven fuel supply interruptions may be more likely to affect other areas.

In a separate docket focused on "Electrification and the Grid of the Future" (AD21-12-000), the Commission issued a notice that it will hold a technical conference on April 29, 2021, "to discuss electrification—the shift from non-electric to electric sources of energy at the point of final consumption (e.g., to fuel vehicles, heat and cool homes and businesses, and provide process heat at industrial facilities)." According to that notice, the purpose of this technical conference is "to initiate a dialog between Commissioners and stakeholders on how to prepare for an increasingly electrified future" including "projections, drivers, and risks of electrification in the United States; the extent to which electrification may influence or necessitate additional transmission and generation infrastructure; whether and how newly electrified sources of energy demand (e.g., electric vehicles, smart thermostats, etc.) could provide grid services and enhance reliability; and the role of state and federal coordination as electrification advances."

These technical conferences have potential to shape the Commission's development of policies responsive to both reliability and electrification concerns.

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