Welcome to Grid Brief! Today we’re looking at power generation and power prices in America’s power markets, with news items where relevant.

What’s Keeping the Lights On?

Let’s start with a snapshot of generation nation-wide:

Natural gas and nuclear continued their streak in the top two, while third place was contested by coal, wind, and solar.

And here’s a map to orient you as we move through the market areas:

ISO-NE

Natural gas ramped up and down in first place, while nuclear and hydro held second and third.

Real-time prices spent the first half of the week above day-ahead before easing up and then sinking twice into the negatives.

New Hampshire’s Merrimack Station coal plant is slated to close next summer, triggering a debate over what will replace it on the New England grid.

PJM

Natural gas, nuclear, and coal kept America’s largest power market humming.

PJM had a relatively sedate week until real-time prices spiked to over $400 MWHr on the 10th.

“PJM's Market Implementation Committee endorsed a PJM proposal to revise how it measures and verifies the capacity that energy efficiency resources may enter into Base Residual Auctions,” reports RTO Insider. 

Two Illinois Democrats have introduced a bill that would exempt the state’s blackstart facilities from emissions regulations.

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