Document ID: FERC-2015-1345-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Technical Conferences: Public Citizen, Inc. v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., et al
Posted Date: 2015-10-08T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 195 (Thursday, October 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60896-60897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-25632]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. EL15-70-000; EL15-71-000; EL15-72-000; EL15-82-000]

Public Citizen, Inc. v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, 
Inc., The People of the State of Illinois By Illinois Attorney General 
Lisa Madigan v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., 
Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. Midcontinent Independent 
System Operator, Inc., Dynegy, Inc., and Sellers of Capacity into Zone 
4 of the 2015-2016 MISO Planning Resource Auction, Illinois Industrial 
Energy Consumers v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.; 
Notice of Technical Conference

    Take notice that a staff-led conference will be held on October 20, 
2015, at the offices of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. 
(EST). The purpose of the conference is to obtain further information 
concerning the above referenced complaints.\1\
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    \1\ As noted in its order issued October 1, 2015 in Docket No. 
IN15-10-000, the Commission's Office of Enforcement is conducting a 
non-public investigation under Part 1b of the Commission's 
regulations into whether market manipulation or other potential 
violations of Commission orders, rules and regulations occurred 
before or during the Auction conducted by MISO in April 2015. This 
technical conference will not address the current investigation.
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    The technical conference will be transcribed. Transcripts will be 
available for a fee from Ace-Federal Reports, Inc. (202-347-3700).
    There will be a free webcast of the conference. The webcast will 
allow persons to listen to the technical conference, but not 
participate. Anyone with internet access who wants to listen to the 
conference can do so by navigating to the Calendar of Events at 
www.ferc.gov and locating the technical conference in the Calendar. The 
technical conference will contain a link to its webcast. The Capitol 
Connection provides technical support for the webcast and offers the 
option of listening to the meeting via phone-bridge for a fee. If you 
have any questions, visit www.CapitolConnection.org or call 703-993-
3100. The webcast will be available on the Calendar of Events on the 
Commission's Web site www.ferc.gov for three months after the 
conference.
    Advance registration is not required but is highly encouraged. 
Attendees may register at the following Web page: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/10-20-15-form.asp. Attendees should allow time 
to pass through building security procedures before the 9:00 a.m. (EST) 
start time of the technical conference. In addition, information on 
this event will be posted on the Calendar of Events on the Commission's 
Web site, www.ferc.gov, prior to the event.
    Discussions at the conference may address matters at issue in the 
following Commission proceeding(s) that are either pending or within 
their rehearing period: Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., 
Docket No. ER11-4081-000, et al.
    Commission conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations, please 
send an email to accessibility@ferc.gov or call toll free (866) 208-
3372 (voice) or (202) 502-8659 (TTY), or send a FAX to (202) 208-2106 
with the required accommodations.

[[Page 60897]]

    The technical conference will consist of four sessions and focus on 
the issues raised in the complaints, as detailed below. Commissioners 
may attend and ask questions. The times given below are approximate and 
may change, as needed.

Conference Introduction: Commission Staff (9:00 a.m.-9:15 a.m.)
Session 1: Market Power Mitigation (9:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.)
    Panel 1: Implementation of the Current Mitigation Procedures and 
Reference Level Calculations (90 mins)

    Staff will lead a discussion to obtain information on the current 
market power mitigation procedures, including Initial Reference Levels, 
the transmission availability from MISO to PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. 
(PJM), PJM's market for replacement capacity, opportunity costs, and 
the Conduct Threshold for capacity market offer mitigation. Panelists 
should also be prepared to answer questions including, but not limited 
to, the following: For the 2014/15 and 2015/16 delivery years, how much 
PJM replacement capacity was procured after PJM's third incremental 
auction, and of that, how much was from MISO resources, and for what 
prices and durations were these MISO resources contracted? How much 
total transmission capability was available between MISO and PJM during 
the 2014/15 and 2015/16 MISO and PJM delivery years, and how much of 
that transmission capacity was subscribed as of the PJM third 
Incremental Auction for each delivery year? How much total transmission 
capability is expected between MISO and PJM for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 
delivery years, and how much of that transmission capability is already 
subscribed?

    Panel 2: Alternatives to the Current Mitigation Procedures and 
Reference Level Calculation (90 mins)

    Panelists should be prepared to discuss possible alternatives to 
the current market power mitigation procedures and calculations. 
Panelists should also be prepared to answer questions including, but 
not limited to, the following: How should opportunity cost underlying 
reference levels consider physical or economic limitations of capacity 
sales? Should individual reference levels be developed for market 
participants that are pivotal suppliers in the capacity market? If so, 
how should they be determined? What are alternatives to PJM replacement 
capacity sales for determining the opportunity costs used to establish 
mitigation reference levels?

Lunch Break: (12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m.)
Session 2: Local Requirements (1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m.)

    Panelists should be prepared to describe the calculations of 
Auction parameters such as Local Reliability Requirements, Capacity 
Import Limits, Capacity Export Limits, and Local Clearing Requirements, 
and to answer questions including, but not limited to, the following: 
What was the rationale behind the methodological change to examine 
constraints below 200 kV in the calculation of Capacity Import Limits 
and Capacity Export Limits? How does MISO's calculation of zonal 
Capacity Import Limits and Capacity Export Limits reflect counter-flows 
from or into neighboring regions?

Session 3: Zonal Boundaries (2:15 p.m.-3:00 p.m.)

    Panelists should be prepared to discuss the current zonal 
boundaries in MISO and the criteria used to establish zonal 
configuration. Panelists should also be prepared to answer questions 
including, but not limited to, the following: Have the six criteria in 
the Tariff established a zonal configuration that reflects the physical 
constraints on the MISO transmission system? If there is little or no 
congestion between adjacent zones, what are the reasons for and against 
combining the zones? What changes to the criteria and/or zonal 
configuration are currently being considered by MISO?

Break: (3:00 p.m.-3:15 p.m.)
Session 4: Wrap Up (3:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m.)

    Panelists should be prepared to answer questions including, but not 
limited to, the following: What changes to the Tariff, including those 
not discussed in the first three sessions, might be necessary to ensure 
just and reasonable outcomes going forward, and, of these changes, 
which can be implemented for the 2016/17 Auction?

Conference Conclusion: Next Steps (4:00 p.m.-4:15 p.m.)

    Following the technical conference, the Commission will consider 
post-technical conference comments regarding the matters discussed at 
the conference submitted on or before November 4, 2015.
    For more information about this technical conference, please 
contact Elizabeth Shen, 202-502-6545, elizabeth.shen@ferc.gov, 
regarding legal issues; or Angelo Mastrogiacomo, 202-502-8689, 
angelo.mastrogiacomo@ferc.gov, and Emma Nicholson, 202-502-8846, 
emma.nicholson@ferc.gov, regarding technical issues; or Sarah McKinley, 
202-502-8368, sarah.mckinley@ferc.gov, regarding logistical issues.

    Dated: October 1, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-25632 Filed 10-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P