SPP (Southwest Power Pool), the regional transmission operator (RTO) for much of the Great Plains and Midwest, continues to undervalue wind power by downplaying the risk of fossil fuel plant failures when power is needed the most. SPP has once again proposed a risk methodology for its system-planning work that inaccurately evaluates the possibility that generators will not be available when needed. Today, after months of working inside the process, NRDC and other organizations filed a complaint at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stop these rules from taking effect.
How did we get to this place? Let’s break it down.
In February, SPP, which oversees the power grids in all or parts of 14 states, proposed changes to how it counts the reliability value of each power plant in its system. All RTOs work through this “accreditation” process to ensure they have…