FERC Clarifies Qualifying Facility Restrictions in Sale/Resale Transactions

On May 19, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") issued an order in Idaho Wind Partners I, LLC, a docket in which wind farm owners in Idaho petitioned FERC for approval of a unique transaction that would both provide eligible Renewable Energy Credits ("RECs") to a utility in California and leave the wind farm owners in a position to make a Qualifying Facility ("QF") "put" sale at avoided cost rates on the interconnecting utility.

FERC confirmed that so long as the third party is a QF, the size, affiliation, or relative physical location of the third party has no effect on the QF status of the power being sold and repurchased. Consequently, any power that the Idaho wind farms sell to a QF and then buy back may subsequently be sold to an electric utility at avoided cost rates.

Read more on the Qualifying Facility Restrictions

SunZia Transmission Obtains Approval of Ownership Structure, Anchor Tenant Proposal

On May 20, FERC granted SunZia Transmission’s ("SunZia") petition for FERC’s approval of the ownership structure and transmission service plans for the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project (the "Project"). SunZia had requested that each of its investor-owners be allocated ownership rights representing 100 percent of its respective pro rata investment in the Project, and that certain of the investor-owners be able to allocate up to 50 percent of their pro rata shares of transmission capacity to anchor tenants through long-term negotiated transmission contracts. In May 2010, FERC rejected SunZia’s request to allocate 100 percent of the Project’s transmission capacity (as opposed to ownership rights) among the owners according to their pro rata investment in the Project’s capacity and ruled that the owners do not have exclusive rights to the Project’s capacity equal to their share of investment in the Project.

Read more on the Approval of SunZia Ownership Structure and Anchor Tenant Proposal

Midwest ISO Releases Group 5 Re-Study System Impact Study

On May 19, the Midwest ISO released the long-anticipated Minnesota Group 5 Re-Study Generator Interconnection System Impact Study, which Re-Study was ordered by FERC as the result of a cost allocation dispute between a wind developer (Community Wind) and the Midwest ISO with respect to the Brookings County-Twin Cities transmission line.

Read more on Midwest ISO’s Group 5 Re-Study Generator Interconnection System Impact Study

A Big Day for Transmission Rate Incentives: Multiple Applications Approved, and FERC Seeks Comments on Its Policies

FERC’s May 19 open meeting turned out to be positive for transmission developers, as FERC approved transmission rate incentives (or related settlements) for five transmission projects located from the Atlantic coast to the desert Southwest. FERC also issued a Notice of Inquiry on its implementation of Section 219 of the Federal Power Act, and is seeking comments on how it should modify its policies and regulations to promote increased transmission investment.

Read more on each of FERC’s Approved Transmission Rate Incentives