The Energy Choice Coalition (ECC) and other organizations this week called on Congress to support the expansion of competition in wholesale electricity markets by providing funding for a new grant program at the U.S. Department of Energy.
The organizations sent a letter this week to members of the Senate and House Appropriations Committees urging them to provide robust funding for the Energy Department’s new Wholesale Electricity Market Technical Assistance and Grants program.
The Energy Department is requesting $19 million for 2023 for the Wholesale Electricity Market Technical Assistance and Grants program, which provides technical assistance and grants to states and regions to implement policy and market solutions that bring about improved demand response, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transmission utilization.
The funding will support market development, including market governance, planning and policy, and regulatory development assistance related to the formation of RTOs and ISOs. Additionally, the program would provide funding to conduct studies on wholesale market challenges and potential solutions.
The letter highlights recent state efforts across the West and Southeast to expand competitive markets in wholesale electricity markets and encourages the Wholesale Electricity Market Technical Assistance and Grants program to provide grants to evaluate the creation of new markets and market improvements, including examining opportunities such as the expansion of wholesale market offerings to include day-ahead markets or transmission planning.
The letter follows similar requests for Congress to support increased competition in electricity markets, including the Organized Wholesale Electricity Market Technical Assistance Grants language in the Build Back Better Act; DOE's Office of Electricity to provide technical and financial assistance to states for wholesale electricity market buildout, and wholesale markets in future infrastructure legislation.
The full letter is available here.
The letter was signed by the following organizations:
Advanced Energy Economy (AEE),
Alliance for Affordable Energy
American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)
Carolina Utility Customer Association (CUCA)
Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA)
Coastal Conservation League
ConservAmerica
Conservative Energy Network (CEN)
Council for New Energy Economies
Energy Alabama
Energy Choice Coalition (ECC)
Interwest Energy Alliance
National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO)
National Audubon Society
National Retail Federation
North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association
Northwest & Intermountain Power Producers Coalition (NIPPC)
Renew Missouri
Renewable Northwest
Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)
R Street Institute
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Southern Environmental Law Center
Southern Renewable Energy Association
Southface Institute
Sunnova Energy Corporation
Western Resource Advocates