WASHINGTON, D.C.—Earlier today, the Nuclear Energy Institute filed comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in response to the March 9, 2018, filings of Independent System Operators and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) concerning grid reliability and resiliency pricing. The following statement can be attributed to Ellen Ginsberg, NEI vice president, general counsel and secretary.
“As short term prices continue to drive the premature shutdown of nuclear power plants and take away significant amounts of zero-carbon electricity, it's imperative that FERC develop an in-depth understanding of how the increased reliance on gas could impact grid resilience.
“A recent study conducted by ICF (study attached to comments) provides evidence that our generation fleet’s transformation to be more gas-reliant has outpaced the framework for analyzing the resilience implications of those changes. The ICF study also identified vulnerable 'clusters' of gas generation on the PJM grid. While additional studies on resilience must be conducted, the potential loss of gas infrastructure must be factored into FERC and RTO determinations on grid resiliency.
“We strongly encourage FERC to take action to define, foster and retain grid resiliency, thereby preserving the fuel security offered by nuclear power plants under threat of premature closure. Closure is not a theoretical problem; the retirement process is already underway for several nuclear plants. That process does not—but must—analyze the risks of nuclear plant retirements from a fuel security perspective.”