Jacob Mays, PhD, Matt Schroettnig, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery discuss a paper Prof. Mays co-authored on contractual form in electricity reliability obligations, how it applies to the program getting developed in the Northwest, and what perspective he has on electric market development in the Northwest.06:52 - discuss recently published article by Professor Mays and Han ShuShu, Han, and Jacob Mays. "Beyond capacity: contractual form in electricity reliability obligations." arXiv preprint arXiv:2210.10858 (2022).episode from the last time Prof. Mays was on Public Power Underground23:54 - applying Prof. Mays insights to the Western Power Pool’s Western Resource Adequacy Program47:27 - thoughts on the NYT article on electric utility deregulationWhy are Energy Prices so High? Some Experts Blame Deregulation by Ivan Penntwitter thread by @MichaelGiberso3 in response to the articlesubstack post on Knowledge Problem by Lynn KieslingRTO Insider article in response to the NY Times pieceAri Pesckoe twitter thread in response to the article54:56 - New Segment!: Ahlmahz’s Insightful Question of the Week!1:01:43 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the newsNWPCC: NW Needs More Reserves to Maintain Resource AdequacyPause in Storms Allows Utilities, State Responders Valuable Time to RegroupWashington State Report: Salmon Remain ‘In Crisis’IOUs Report Significant Demand Reduction With Time-of-Use Rates With EVsPG&E, Energy Vault Seek OK for Biggest U.S. Long-Duration Storage SystemEugene Board Votes to Develop Decommissioning PlanGoforth, T., Nock, D. Air pollution disparities and equality assessments of US national decarbonization strategies. Nat Commun 13, 7488 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35098-4Texas PUC nears market redesign decision amid criticism performance credit will not spur new generationRachel Dibble has been named the vice president of bulk marketing at the Bonneville Power AdministrationSpot Market PowerLa NinaNOAA Climate ForecastsWY2023 Water Supply Forecast1:11:53 - we talk a lot more about Texas’s controversial Performance Credit MechanismYou can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, where you’re valued and appreciated. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Kyri Baker, PhD, Karen Heim, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery address topical energy issues and share stories in the latest episode of Public Power Underground.06:36 - hot takes and lessons to be learned from Winter Storm Elliottoral history of the winter storm elliott takes on #energytwitter compiled by Brian BartholomewTVA and Duke Energy notices of level 3 Energy Emergency AlertsPJM, MISO, and SPP energy emergency alertspaper co-authored by Prof Baker on the Texas freeze of February 202119:26 - debrief from White House Electrification SummitRTO Insider coveragerecording of the eventDafoe, S., Krarti, M., and Baker, K. (March 7, 2022). "Optimal Designs of Grid-Connected Energy Efficient and Resilient Residential Communities." ASME. J. Eng. Sustain. Bldgs. Cities. February 2022; 3(1): 011004. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.405390833:00 - transformer shortages and why distribution needs to be taken more seriously in discussion of electrificationUtility Dive coverage of transformer shortages by Robert WaltonAPPA survey of its members shows that production of distribution transformers is not meeting current demandInaction on electric transformer crisis adds to reliability concerns, APPA warns43:25 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the newsPower restored to 4 Pierce County utility substations after Christmas Day vandalizationFERC Orders NERC Reevaluation of Substation Security Standards Following Attacks by Greg Mason in Clearing UpC. Crozier, A. Pigott and K. Baker, "Spatial Arbitrage through Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Charging," 2022 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PESGM), 2022, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/PESGM48719.2022.9916944.Senate passes bill to increase EV battery recycling as part of defense budgetPower Supply Negotiations End for Washington Aluminum Smelter by Dan Catchpole in Clearing UpA Changing Landscape: Native American Tribes Turn to Renewable Energy by Iolande Bloxsom in California Energy Markets19 Participants Formally Commit to WRAP's Binding Phase by Dan Catchpole in Clearing UpTwo Northwest Clean Hydrogen Proposals Advance in Federal Grant Program by Dan Catchpole in Clearing UpAtmospheric Rivers Deluge California, but No Relief for Long-Term Drought by Linda Dailey Paulson in California Energy MarketsNuScale Submits Standard Design Application for Small Modular Reactor With NRC by Steve Ernst in Clearing UpSpot Market PowerLa NinaNOAA Climate ForecastsWY2023 Water Supply ForecastEnergy-Themed Carols to Liven the Holiday Season from Clearing UpYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

LIVE from the Lounge at NWPPA’s Power Supply Conference hosts Paul Dockery, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Dan Catchpole play an energy-themed analogy game; Arne Olson and Laura Trolese make sports analogies to electric markets in a continuation of Season 4’s Electric Market Enthusiasm Series; and Debra Smith joins to rant about energy and energy-adjacent topics in a rant wheel segment inspired by Lovett or Leave It.03:22 - the Underground vs OpenAI: a game of energy-adjacent analogies with contestants Doug Gilmore and Matt Schroettnig16:30 - Electric Market Enthusiasm pt 5.1: sports analogies for electric markets w/ Arne Olson and Laura Trolese35:47 - the rant wheel w/ Debra Smith; and special contributors Crystal Ball and Matt SchroettnigYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Nicole Hughes, Karen Heim, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, and Paul Dockery address topical energy issues and share stories in the latest episode of Public Power Underground.06:43 - debrief from The NY Times article on the opportunities awaiting electric utilitiesHow utilities can maximize IIJA and IRA benefitsa new way to reference the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (aka the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)24:34 - another run at transmission siting reformSEEC releases Policy Brief on Permitting Reform for the Clean Energy FutureREPEAT project report on Electricity TransmissionMichael Cembalest’s 12th annual energy reportWe recorded on Monday December 5th. Permitting reform legislation has gained some momentum in the days since. If we recorded again today, we’d probably have more to say!39:34 - Southwest Power Pool Markets+ detailed design proposal Coverage in Utility Dive by Robert WaltonCoverage in Clearing Up by Dan Catchpole57:11 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the newsBPA Proposes New Transmission Line Near Tri-Cities by Stever Ernst in Clearing UpNuScale SMR Project Still on Track, While Costs Rising by Steve Ernst in Clearing UpSouthern California Natural Gas Supplies Good, Barring Extreme Cold by Linda Dailey Paulson in California Energy MarketsCPUC Allows PG&E to Exit Enhanced Oversight Process by Anne Ernst in California Energy MarketsClark Public Utilities Acquires Output From Box Canyon Dam by Steve Ernst in Clearing UpHydropower Uneconomical in Willamette Project, DEIS Says by KC Mehaffey in Clearing UpNuScale, Shell, others to develop hydrogen production concept with heat from small modular reactor by Stephen Singer in Utility DiveSpot Market PowerLa NinaNOAA Climate ForecastsWY2023 Water Supply ForecastYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Goodbyes are hard and tend to be cringeworthy. WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A SPECIAL EPISODE!!! The original cast of Public Power Underground gets together for a nostalgic recording with a throwback script to celebrate Ian Bledsoe's promotion to Senior Power Analyst, and acknowledge Paul Dockery's last day at Clatskanie PUD.3:48 - Celebration of Ian Bledsoe's promotion to Senior Power Analyst!8:06 - Conveyance of Anadromous Championship smelt belts for best friends of the underground because they kept coming back12:03 - Paul gives a pep talk on the difficulty of transitions while Ian plays the ukelelePublic Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it's work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Lea Fisher, Ahlmahz Negash, PhD, Dan Catchpole, and Paul Dockery cover electric utility and electric-utility-adjacent news in Season 5, Episode 3.06:32 - introduce Ahlmahz Negash, PhD as new co-host for Public Power UndergroundAhlmahz has been a recurring guest on Public Power Underground and even accepted the designation of a Special Correspondent during earlier seasons. She has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, was recently the Chair of the Pacific Northwest Utility Conference Committee’s System Planning Committee, is a recipient of PNUCC’s “Albert Einstein Award”, and is currently on sabbatical from Tacoma Public Utilities where she is a Senior Power Analyst. [I forgot to do an adequate introduction during the recording because I figured y’all knew Ahlmahz, but then I realized I shouldn’t take knowledge for granted and am hopeful y’all will look here.]09:18 - a lot going on with WRAPBPA’s draft close out letter and workshop materialscoverage of draft closeout letter by Steve Ernst in Clearing UpDan Catchpole’s coverage in Clearing Up on deficiency letter from FERCComments filed by the Power Pool acknowledging BPA’s unique statutory obligations (WRAP22 0011 - Edmonds/Western Power Pool)27:05 - tensions/tradeoffs of the incremental approach to marketscoverage of Markets+ two-day, in-person development session by Tom Kleckner in RTO Insiderpresentation from workshop on implementation cost of Markets+ (slide 14)an earlier presentation on RTO West implementation costs43:22 - reliability assessment: Not Greatcoverage of NERC’s 2022-2023 Winter Reliability Assessment by Rory Sweeney in Clearing UpNorth American electric grid faces ‘unprecedented’ widespread risk this winter: NERC by Robert Walton in Utility DiveNERC’s announcement with links to full assessment and infographic53:55 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the newsDecade-Long Effort to Remove Klamath Dams Gets Final OK by KC Mehaffey in Clearing UpFERC, States Hash Out Independent Transmission Monitor Concept by Jason Fordney in California Energy MarketsBoardman to Hemingway Power Line Approved by Oregon EFSC by Greg Mason in Clearing UpStudy: Coal Facility Closures Could Increase Available Western Water by Linda Dailey Paulson in California Energy MarketsBPA Rate Cases Kick Off; Settlement Calls for Keeping Rates Flat by Steve Ernst in Clearing UpDiablo Canyon Selected for $1.1-Billion Federal Boost by Jim DiPeso in California Energy MarketsHeat-Wave Power Sellers Argue Their High Prices Were Justified by Jason Fordney in Clearing UpSpot Market PowerLa NinaNOAA Climate ForecastsWY2023 Water Supply Forecast1:04:07 - Paul shares some personal newsYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Travis Kavulla, Abigail Sawyer, Dan Catchpole, and Paul Dockery cover electric utility and electric-utility-adjacent news in Season 5, Episode 2.05:51 - energy angles to election coverageAbigail Sawyer coverage of elections in the Southwest in California Energy MarketsAnne Ernst coverage of California elections in California Energy MarketsDan Catchpole’s coverage of NW election results in Clearing Up21:15 - Travis Kavulla acts as the Underground’s Special Correspondent from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Annual Meeting in New OrleansWhite Paper on approaches to State-Federal Cooperation in a Decarbonizing Electricity SectorTwitter Wager between Rob Gramlich and Travis Kavulla32:57 - Travis Kavulla’s take on bifurcating spot market price formation45:33 - legislative mandates for RTO participation from a former regulator’s perspectivestory on Nevada legislation from Utility Divestory on Colorado legislation from Utility Divejob opening for Executive Director of the California Electric Transmission Authority55:58 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the newsCalifornia Public Utilities Commission releases NEM 3.0WECC's 2022 resource adequacy assessmentPowerex committed to joining SPP’s Markets+NW Groups Compete for Slice of $7B From Feds for Clean Hydrogen HubJoe Manchin won’t hold a renomination hearing for FERC’s Rich GlickMike Hummel, CEO and general manager of Salt River Project, announced he will retire in May 2023PacifiCorp Proposes Nearly 26 Percent Rate Increase for California Customersthe Public Utility Commission of Texas released a study of Market Reform OptionsTravis Kavulla quoted in the Wall Street JournalSpot Market PowerLa NinaNOAA Climate ForecastsWY2023 Water Supply ForecastYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Kieran Connolly, Dan Catchpole, Abigail Sawyer, and Paul Dockery kick off the Season 5 premier of Public Power Underground.06:11 - what evolution into a centrally dispatched market means for a hydro-centric regionSPP Sees Markets+ as Potential Path to Full RTO in the WestCarrie Simpson to serve as Southwest Power Pool’s director of western services developmentCalifornia Independent System Operator released its draft final proposal for the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM)18:42 - how does increased deployment of wind and solar in the Northwest impact hydro operationsBiden Signs Inflation Reduction Act; Permitting Reform Next StepRural Electric Co-ops Glad to Be Included in Inflation Reduction Act BenefitsTwitter memo on Ira versus I-R-AThe definitive podcasts on the content of the Inflation Reduction Act29:05 - thoughts on SMRs in a hydro dominated region like the Pacific NorthwestPacifiCorp, TerraPower to Study Deploying Five More SMRs by 2035TVA developing plans for 20 small nuclear reactors to power Tennessee Valley by 2050TVA takes step to build small modular reactor near Oak Ridge38:52 - hydro operations under stressed grid conditionsCalifornia Avoids Rolling Blackouts in Record Heat; Energy Prices SurgePacific Northwest heat wave was a freak, 10,000-year event, study findsAn energy emergency alert 3 for CAISO in August of 2020Extremely constrained system in the Northwest in March of 201953:46 - Short to Ground; where we TL;DR our way through the rest of the newsSPP membership elects two new directorsWestern Power Pool Approves Nominees for New Independent Board of DirectorsSRP coverage by Abigail SawyerSouthwest elections preview by Abigail SawyerCoverage of PPC pressing Columbia Basin Collaborative by K.C. MehaffeyFusion coverage by Dan CatchpoleProduct switch coverage by Dan CatchpoleHydrogen project coverage by Steve ErnstDrought coverage by Linda Dailey PaulsonBriefs in Clearing UpSpot Market PowerLa NinaNOAA Climate ForecastsWY2023 Water Supply ForecastYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

In the fifth installment of Public Power Underground’s Electric Market Enthusiasm series, an expert panel including Laura Trolese (Senior Market Design & Policy Analyst, The Energy Authority), Carrie Simpson (Director - Western Markets, Xcel Energy), and Jeff Spires (Director - Power, PowerEx) discuss different choices made in market paradigms and how it all makes sense. Specifically the discussion is framed as a compare and contract episode of different market design choices, but in a fun, infotaining way using professional sports analogies whenever possible. The notes from the analogies are available as a google sheet (← link works).05:59 - Resource Adequacy is like Roster Management for professional sports leagues25:24 - Real Time Markets are “the game”43:34 - Day Ahead Markets are like practice / training / coaching55:50 - Transitioning from bilateral to centrally dispatched markets make comparisons complex01:09:23 - Transmission cost recovery is as controversial as who pays for professional sports stadiumsYou can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com

Richard Glick, the Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), joined Crystal Ball, Matt Schroettnig, and Paul Dockery for the fourth installation of our Electric Market Enthusiasm series. We try to keep it light while discussing transmission, batteries, price formation, the incremental approach to market expansion, governance, and FERC’s recently published five year strategic plan. To close it out we played an outro game called "Which FERC is the best FERC?".06:02 - Discuss elements of FERC’s FY22-26 Strategic PlanFERC FY22-26 Strategic Plan | Federal Energy Regulatory CommissionFact Sheet | Strategic Plan FY 2022-2026 | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission15:01 - New merch idea15:12 - Benefits of Transmission RegionalizationThe Pacific Northwest/Pacific Southwest IntertieMISO board approves $10.3B transmission plan to support 53 GW of renewablesthe Organization of MISO States24:28 - Governance and the incremental approach to market expansion27:58 - “I think it’s inevitable”31:46 - Outro Game: Which FERC is the best FERC?You can find our merch on shopify. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to share this with any friends you have that are electric utility enthusiasts like us!Public Power Underground, for electric utility enthusiasts! Public Power Underground, it’s work to watch! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpowerunderground.substack.com