Remember PJM's little boo-boo earlier this month that resulted in controlled little mini-blackouts of up to 8 hours for certain electric consumers in three states?

PJM still refuses to call it what it was... a failure of their planning process.  But, never fear, PJM and its "stakeholders" (not to include any people who were actually affected) intend to examine it ad nauseam and recommend changes.

Here's PJM's official sequence of events and excuse for its own failure.  PJM "sincerely regrets" their flub.

See another, better written and more understandable, unbiased version of events at RTO Insider here.

So, what caused this?

1. Too much generation and equipment offline for routine maintenance.  PJM pretends to be surprised that the weather was really hot during the first part of September.  I wasn't.  September can produce some really hot days -- do these guy live on the same planet as the rest of us?  Maybe PJM's historical data didn't warn them that this could happen, but have they noticed that climate change has produced some really "unusual" weather over the past few years?  Also, we could ponder what effect an odd really hot day would have on a system that keeps getting bigger and more interconnected while generators get bigger and farther away from load. 
   
2. Equipment failures.  Transformers and transmission lines in AEP & FirstEnergy's service territory failed, causing operators to have to shift loads, which caused overloads elsewhere.  Maybe if PJM didn't promote the building of new transmission to the detriment of maintenance and upgrading of existing transmission lines, equipment wouldn't be so vulnerable to failure at the first sign of stress. As well, both companies involved routinely brag to investors about cutting their maintenance costs in order to toss a few more cents into quarterly dividends.  When is PJM going to enforce proactive maintenance over shareholder dividends?  And, again, what if the PJM region wasn't increasingly dependent on long distance transmission to deliver electricity from greater and greater distances?  "Economies of scale" mean nothing when they cause expensive "load shedding" (aka BLACKOUTS).
3. Reserve generation didn't come online when called.  We pay these clowns to be ready to provide extra generation when PJM says it's needed.  But they just couldn't get it together -- because they weren't ready.

And speaking of clowns, let me introduce you to my "friend" Raymond from International Transmission Company (ITC) who opines:

Ray needs to ponder number 1 and 2 above.  This "event" can probably be blamed on increased transmission, which wasn't really "economic" at all when the lights went out in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio.  Bigger, inter-regional transmission lines aren't the answer. 

Ray also needs to ponder the wonders of distributed generation microgrids, but that's not what ITC pays him to do.

Who wants to guess how much time and money PJM spends "investigating" itself... and will the lights stay on while they dither over avoiding the obvious?

It appears that FirstEnergy and its apologists at the WV PSC believe that our legislators are dumb and forgetful.
That's the only explanation I can come up with for that regurgitated pack of lies legislators were fed during the Gov. Org. discussion of the study regarding electric utilities' billing practices on Monday afternoon.  I do realize that it was late in the day and our legislators wanted to go home, instead of grilling the company and its regulators.  However, only a few legislators managed to ask questions, and they could have done a better job with more information.  Nobody expects legislators to have read all the documents in the case, but a little preparation would have been nice.  It's up to each one of you to get your legislators up to speed here so that they can do a better job following up on your concerns next time.

Next time?  Although Chairman Snyder made noises that  the committee "may not pick it up again," let's not kid ourselves.  The people haven't lost interest and, in fact, a whole new wave of billing problems is beginning to form.  Ut-oh!

Karen Short, PSC attorney, began the festivities by apologizing and making excuses for FirstEnergy again.  Her litany of excuses was almost verbatim to those offered by by PSC Communications Director Susan Small back in May.  When Small's list of excuses for the company was read aloud at the Citizens' Public Hearing, Senator Snyder went ballistic, shaking his fist and proclaiming that making excuses for FirstEnergy "wasn't their [the PSC's] job!"   It must have been the delivery, because I didn't hear Senator Snyder object to:

1.    FE had billing problems related to its merger.
2.    FE made bad decisions about these changes.
3.    Storms!  Storms!  Storms!
4.    Renumbering.
5.    Last winter was 30% colder than the one before.

Here's what Short told legislators the PSC was doing or had done to remedy the problems:

1.    Ordered FE to make monthly data filings.
2.    The General Investigation will evaluate the systemic problems.
3.    FE has changed its collection policy to be more customer-friendly.
4.    The Commission will render an Order setting public comment hearings.
5.    The Commission can order the company to meet specific metrics.

She also asserted that the Commission is concerned about new estimates perpetuating last year's errors.  Great... but is she going to read my meter every month now to correct this problem?  No.  Your "concern" is greatly appreciated, Ms. Short, but why not make the company correct its previous errors and estimation routine to keep it from perpetuating this winter.  It's already begun, and we're hardly into the heating season.

Short says FirstEnergy has been "responsive."  Maybe that's what it looks like from a seat on the Commission's bench, but the view is so much different from my house.

Byron Harris, Consumer Advocate, stopped by on his last day of work to be congratulated and thanked by the legislators.  Even with all that going on, Byron was the only presenter who tried to stick up for you, however, he admitted that he has no data on your complaints because that is handled by PSC staff, and not the Consumer Advocate.  The Consumer Advocate has asked for public comment hearings in Charles Town, Martinsburg and Morgantown.  If you want one in your town, you need to call the new Consumer Advocate, Jackie Roberts, at 304-558-0526 and let her know. 

Byron touched on topics such as pay for performance, making the problems an issue in a future rate case; that the company should have internal controls to flag an account with too many estimates; that he would have to go to hearing to get any remedies the Consumer Advocate might suggest, or FirstEnergy could fight improvement and take the case to hearing.  He mentioned that the company has hired a consultant to analyze their billing program, and Byron hopes it will be an independent and honest process.  He was asked what the customer remedy would be for the company's  failure to follow the tariff and responded that the customer could file a complaint with the PSC.

Byron said the public hearings will be very important.  The PSC and the Consumer Advocate needs to hear from you!

Excuses made for FirstEnergy:

1.    The company spends $6M/year on meter reading.  Having good service will cost too much.
2.    Customers can read their own meters.
3.    FE "works with customers" and is responsive.
4.    There has been some improvement, but there is a long way to go.

In response to Senator Snyder's questioning about an effective legislative remedy, Byron wasn't very helpful, except to shoot down Herb's suggestion to add the meter reading frequency to statute (and perhaps with good reason).  If Herb wants some real suggestions, he knows who to ask... or maybe he'll just get told ;-)

FirstEnergy trotted out WV "Director of Operations" Holly Kauffman.  Where has this woman been?  Nobody has seen or heard from her since this debacle began.  Maybe she's just a do-nothing figurehead whose job is to run boring power point presentations and use up valuable discussion time?

Anyhow, Holly said she takes pride in how FirstEnergy supports "our customers."  Well, I guess that explains it then.  Holly went on to say that FirstEnergy will fix their problems "as a company."  Then she made all the same old, tired excuses as Karen Short.  Do you think they rehearsed this together while exchanging recipes and doing each other's nails?

Holly wants us to believe that FirstEnergy launched its own "internal investigation."  Was that before or after they blew off the Citizens' Public Hearing in Charles Town?  Let's save Holly some embarrassment and admit that we sent her a personal invitation.  She never responded.  Instead, lobbyist Sammy Gray merely "respectfully declined" the invitation for a second time.  I guess Holly just does what Sammy tells her to do.

Holly says FirstEnergy's estimation process is fixed!  You believe her, don't you?  No?  Okay then, she also admitted that the EPRI analysis of FE's billing system has not yet been completed... but why should they bother, when it's already fixed?  And, one more point to ponder -- who is paying for this study?  Surely not the ratepayers, since the problem was caused by the FirstEnergy merger.... and no merger costs are billable to customers.  Well, at least that's what the merger stipulation says, but it also says that FirstEnergy's merger would be a huge benefit to electric consumers in West Virginia.  We're still waiting, FirstEnergy.  Your merger has been nothing but misery and agony for your captive customers.

FirstEnergy did one good thing!  I know... shocking, isn't it?  Supposedly they have hired 7 roving meter readers to fill in during absences and help the meter readers catch up on those impossibly heavy meter reading schedules.  Wow!  Did they call in Sherlock Holmes to figure out that they need some sort of back-up system because life happens?  They have also supposedly begun calling customers to alert them in advance of a renumbering double billing event about to happen.  Is that because that tiny line of text on the bill just wasn't effective?  Right.

But then she got carried away and insisted that FirstEnergy is responsive to customers and that no customers had their power disconnected due to the billing fiasco.  This is just plain NOT TRUE!

A few legislators asked questions, but Holly batted them all away as insignificant or unworkable.  A very unintelligent discussion of smart meters ensued, but Holly's bottom line was that we could either have cheap electricity or good service, but not both.

And make note of this... in the event that you overpay the company due to an over estimated bill, you can call and request that they send you a check instead of being stuck with a huge credit.

To sum it up, FirstEnergy is a company that "continues to improve" and "continues public outreach."  After all, when you've hit rock bottom with customer service, the only direction to go is up.

Please write to your legislator and let him/her know that you are not satisfied with Monday's performance.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how much we like to help our friends at the power companies with the puzzling task of getting landowners and ratepayers to agree with their outrageous schemes to overbuild unneeded transmission at our expense and/or pull the wool over our eyes while jacking up rates.

That's why we'd like to offer some landowner-created and approved suggestions to Clean Line that are guaranteed to turn that frown upside down!  After all, you're not a real transmission developer until StopPATH WV blog starts making fun of you!  Wear it as a badge of honor, Clean Line!

Reader Nance has come up with an ingenious new way to use orange t-shirts in advertising:

Clean Line could even hand out little promotional chotchkes of tiny transmission towers dressed in orange Clean Line shirts to serve as reminders to politicians, business groups, colleges, and local governments that their support has already been purchased.  Landowners will also want to take these home from open houses and public comment hearings, because water and granola bars (while very effective in setting a hairy-legged tree hugger image) are not very filling, when you spend all day working hard for a living.

And don't forget that all important indoctrination instant!  It's all about shaping the thought processes of the next generation to accept this abuse of due process as routine, right? 

Therefore, we'd like to add another word search puzzle to Clean Line's collection of ultra-exciting school activities!

Students and landowners alike will enjoy hours of fun learning all about Clean Line's projects and how they will shape their lives for many years to come!

Go ahead, Clean Line, use at will, we're giving you these great suggestions free of charge (unlike HDR, who is charging you an arm & a leg)!  Why are we doing this?  Because we love you!  Honest!

Watch this video to find out what offer Jimmy Glotfelty made to a group of high school students.

Jimmy, you're a creep!

Take your monopoly money and go back to Houston.

After issuing a preliminary opinion that FirstEnergy's  Hatfield's Ferry and Mitchell power stations were necessary for grid reliability, PJM ultimately changed its mind last week and approved closure of the plants on October 9.

FirstEnergy, PJM and state officials have been playing a confusing game of life or death with these plants for months now.

Pennsylvania legislators and regulators have been raising a ruckus, giving plant employees false hope that they could find a way to keep the plants open.  Ultimately, all this posturing was only harmful to the actual working men and women at the plants, who have been buoyed along on false hopes, and may have squandered valuable time in securing alternative employment or training for other jobs.  Very sad.

At least nobody is playing FirstEnergy's plant closure game this time though.  Last time, FirstEnergy scored some very valuable reliability must run contracts to keep plants slated for closure open until new transmission could be built.  However, in the end, those plants will close too, and when they do FirstEnergy has nothing to offer to loyal employees.  The company simply doesn't care.

Of course we shouldn't be surprised.  PJM is a transmission operating and building cartel.  Its annual planning is based on a Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP).  Transmission is all PJM does, therefore when the only tool PJM has is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.  While many uninformed people will blame some imaginary "war on coal," they'd be more effective pointing the finger at the pro-transmission lobby that is PJM.  Pay attention to PJM's new transmission project proposal window to find out why FirstEnergy decided to close these plants and replace them with transmission from other generators.  As PJM continues to expand, generation is increasingly centralized at generators located farther and farther  from load.  This isn't economic or reliable, but it puts money in the pockets of transmission owners, developers and suppliers.  This is the REAL enemy that closed Mitchell and Hatfield's Ferry.

So, FirstEnergy employees being kicked to the curb can develop new careers in transmission far from home, or they can invest in new opportunities in distributed generation in their own communities and join with the consumers opposing unnecessary transmission.  Whatever they choose, we wish them well.

Safety first, Potomac Edison customers!

Lots of stuff to catch up on today now that I'm back in this time zone, but the most important thing going on today is the legislative discussion of the study regarding electric utilities' billing practices being held at 3:00 p.m.  You may listen live at this link.  When it's time for the meeting, the location will change to a "Listen Live" link.  I  hope you have already called or emailed the members of Gov. Org. to let them know about your concerns regarding your electric bill.  If not, here's a link to committee members.

Please do your part to inform the legislators about your concerns.  "Someone" isn't going to take care of it for you this time.  "Someone" has been busy helping other people for the past week, and "nobody" stepped up to fill the void.  It's "do-it-yourself" this time.

Clean Line’s Rock Island Clean Line has been presented to the Illinois Commerce Commission as a merchant project that will export wind energy from Iowa into the east coast’s PJM Interconnection region.

We are told that east coast states have a need for imported renewable energy, so therefore Illinois must make the sacrifice for the good of society.

However, RICL now has some direct competition from another merchant project that has been developed that doesn’t require any sacrifice from Illinois landowners.

The Lake Erie CleanPower Connector, owned by merchant developer Lake Erie Power Corp., would deliver Canadian-generated electricity to the PJM grid that supplies power to 60 million Americans.  The project would involve laying two six-inch high-voltage direct current cables from Nanticoke, Ont., to Erie County, Pennsylvania, about 100 kilometres across Lake Erie.  The project is not expected to need hundreds of miles of new rights-of-way across non-renewable farmland, and therefore will not cause the kind of expensive, time-consuming public opposition that RICL has.

The transmission line is proposed to import power into PJM’s 13-state and the District of Columbia regional grid, where state renewable portfolio standards require load serving entities to meet renewable purchase mandates by supplying power from “clean” sources.  It is expected to cost $1B, much less than RICL’s proposal.

The project would be entirely financed by the private sector, and the company would make money by charging a fee to have the power transmitted across the Lake.  This is the same business model that RICL originally proposed to adopt, however doubts about RICL’s access to capital, and its sly insinuations in filings with PJM and FERC that it is worthy of having its costs regionally allocated, indicates that RICL may have plans to dump the cost of its project onto PJM ratepayers, including millions in Illinois.

Lake Erie Power has already applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the right to transmit power. The company says a lot of environmental and engineering work has been done, and it has discussed the project with Ontario’s energy and environment ministries, and Canada’s National Energy Board.

The project’s main financial backer is Toronto-based JCM Capital, a private company that until now has invested mainly in solar power projects.

It looks like RICL now has some direct competition to supply “clean” energy to east coast states.  If the ICC approves RICL, there is no guarantee that the project will not be obsolete or have no customers before it is in service.  If other companies, such as Lake Erie Power Corp., are able to offer renewables to load serving entities in PJM at a lower cost, RICL will fail.

The ICC should carefully consider RICL’s proposal against other options and make the decision that we, as a society, will be comfortable living with for many years to come.  Illinois does not have to make the ultimate sacrifice for east coast states.  Lake Erie CleanPower Connector is a win-win solution.  RICL’s application should be denied.

Big doings tonight in Mendota, Illinois, the epicenter of opposition to Clean Line Energy's Rock Island "Clean" Line.  The Illinois Commerce Commission has scheduled a public comment hearing for 7:00 p.m.

And "the public" will be there... with bells on!

Read about it here.

Remember Matthew's story?

Here it is again, this time in the Topeka Capital-Journal.

The photo tells its own story.

These are real people.  They are not just points on a map or names on a list. 

And here's a quote that may come as a surprise to MISO and PJM:

"Developer Clean Line Energy estimated it would spend more than $900 million on the Kansas portion of the project, which would be recovered from the end users in Indiana and possibly farther east."

That's interesting, considering this project has not been approved for cost allocation in any regional planning process and has been sold to the permitting states as a merchant transmission project.  Who's going to pay for billions of dollars worth of Clean Line's transmission projects?