Calif. grid manager files RTO plan ``under protest''

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Calif. grid manager files RTO plan ``under protest'' June 1, 2001

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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) via NewsEdge Corporation -

The California Independent System Operator (ISO) said Friday it submitted ''under protest'' a plan requested by federal energy regulators to create a regional transmission organization (RTO) to manage its bulk power system.

``We believe the filing fully complies with the...order but we are submitting it under protest...we believe what FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) has asked us to do is illegal,'' Charles Robinson, the ISO's chief legal counsel, told reporters.

The ISO, which manages most of California's power transmission system, faced a June 1 deadline set by FERC to file an RTO plan or risk losing FERC-backed emergency price controls in California's volatile wholesale power market.

The filing was signed by the ISO, Edison International's utility subsidiary Southern California Edison, and Sempra Energy's utility unit, San Diego Gas and Electric Co. It was not signed by PG&E Corp.'s utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which is currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and filing separately.

The California officials argued that the RTO plan does not address basic problems in the power market. The filing calls for the California ISO to become the RTO. It would, however, remain separate from the two other RTOs planned for the western United States, Desert Star and RTO West.

http://www.individual.com/story.shtml?story=d0601171.501

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 01, 2001

Answers

It would appear to me that a regional grid operation is California's only hope. Why would their ISO be fighting it so?

-- QMan (qman@c-zone. net), June 02, 2001.

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