On Friday September 29th, the Department of Energy released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing a rule for action by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The notice calls on FERC to create new rules for how grid operators value “reliability and resilience” in electricity generation. While the proposed rule is limited in specifics, the essence of the proposal is to guarantee cost recovery for “fuel-secure” power generation units, defined as units with a 90-day fuel supply stored on site. While no specific types of generation units are mentioned, this on-site storage definition would likely apply to coal-fired, nuclear, and hydropower generation facilities.
