U.S. energy regulators have asked for public comment on a rule proposed by the Secretary of Energy that would require organized grid operators to pay certain electric generators for their grid reliability and resilience benefits.
On September 28, 2017, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider a proposed rule on an expedited basis. The proposed rule defines an "eligible grid reliability and
resiliency resource" based on criteria including the ability to provide essential energy and ancillary reliability services and to have a 90-day fuel supply on site enabling it to operate during an emergency, extreme weather
conditions, or a natural or man-made disaster. It would requires independent system operators and regional transmission organizations to establish a tariff that provides a
" just and reasonable rate"
for the purchase of electric energy from such resources including recovery of costs and a return on equity
On October 2, the Commission issued a Notice Inviting Comments, asking interested persons to submit comments regarding the proposal on or before October 23, 2017. Two days later, Commission staff followed up with a series of questions for public comment. Questions in that document cover topics including the need for reform, eligibility, implementation, and rates, as well as impacts on consumers.
Some questions posed by the Commission staff in its October 4, 2017 document are general, such as, "What is resilience, how is it measured, and how is it different from reliability? What levels of resilience and reliability are appropriate?" Others ask for whether commenters agree with references in the proposed rule to the 2014 "Polar Vortex" and "other extreme weather events, specifically hurricanes Irma, Harvey, Maria, and superstorm Sandy," as well as "the retirement of coal and nuclear resources and a concern from Congress about the potential further loss of valuable generation resources" as justifying the need for action.
As previously noticed by the Commission, initial comments on the proposed Grid Reliability and Resilience Pricing Rule in Docket No. RM18-1-000 are due on or before October 23, 2017 and reply comments due on or before November 7, 2017.
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Showing posts with label Hurricane Maria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hurricane Maria. Show all posts
Guajataca Dam, spillway erosion, and repairs
Friday, October 6, 2017
As Puerto Rico continues to grapple with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, information on damage to the Guajataca Dam remains scarce, while reports suggest spillway repairs may be ongoing.
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico last month, bringing 150 mph winds and 20 inches of rain. Damage to infrastructure was widespread, and the destruction of electricity and communications networks hindered efforts to assess the damage and move toward recovery.
Early reports suggested that the Guajataca Dam had "failed". On September 22, the National Weather Service's San Juan office tweeted an alert of a "flash flood emergency for a dam failure" at the Guajataca Dam and noted ongoing evacuations.
But as reported by Vox on September 30, an Army Corps spokesman said that the dam was not breached and "has not failed and not collapsed." The article described damage to the dam's overflow spillway.
According to a Department of Defense posting dated October 1, 2017, the Defense Department has deployed more response capacity to Puerto Rico, while the Guajataca Dam spillway continued to erode. The Defense Department said U.S. Transportation Command delivered 900 super sandbags for spillway stabilization to Aguadilla Airport on September 30, and that spillway sandbag installation by the Army Corps of Engineers would start on October 1 and will be complete by October 2.
An article posted by The Independent on October 4 describes the Army Corps' use of Osprey V2 rotor-tilt heavy-lift aircraft to drop concrete barriers from the dam into the spillway, in an attempt to limit further erosion of the spillway channel. The article says the "channel has suffered serious erosion as much of its cement cladding was washed away."
Dam safety and flood control spillway damage have featured prominently in recent news. California's Oroville Dam's spillway was damaged earlier this year, including a concrete failure on the lower chute of the gated flood control spillway, severe erosion under the gated spillway, and erosion in the areas on the hillside beneath the emergency spillway. According to the California Department of Water Resources, repairs at Oroville Dam will remain ongoing into 2018 or beyond.
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico last month, bringing 150 mph winds and 20 inches of rain. Damage to infrastructure was widespread, and the destruction of electricity and communications networks hindered efforts to assess the damage and move toward recovery.
Early reports suggested that the Guajataca Dam had "failed". On September 22, the National Weather Service's San Juan office tweeted an alert of a "flash flood emergency for a dam failure" at the Guajataca Dam and noted ongoing evacuations.
But as reported by Vox on September 30, an Army Corps spokesman said that the dam was not breached and "has not failed and not collapsed." The article described damage to the dam's overflow spillway.
According to a Department of Defense posting dated October 1, 2017, the Defense Department has deployed more response capacity to Puerto Rico, while the Guajataca Dam spillway continued to erode. The Defense Department said U.S. Transportation Command delivered 900 super sandbags for spillway stabilization to Aguadilla Airport on September 30, and that spillway sandbag installation by the Army Corps of Engineers would start on October 1 and will be complete by October 2.
An article posted by The Independent on October 4 describes the Army Corps' use of Osprey V2 rotor-tilt heavy-lift aircraft to drop concrete barriers from the dam into the spillway, in an attempt to limit further erosion of the spillway channel. The article says the "channel has suffered serious erosion as much of its cement cladding was washed away."
Dam safety and flood control spillway damage have featured prominently in recent news. California's Oroville Dam's spillway was damaged earlier this year, including a concrete failure on the lower chute of the gated flood control spillway, severe erosion under the gated spillway, and erosion in the areas on the hillside beneath the emergency spillway. According to the California Department of Water Resources, repairs at Oroville Dam will remain ongoing into 2018 or beyond.
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