FERC's newly appointed Chairman Rosner lays out his agendas: Focus on construction, construction, construction.
New FERC Chairman David Rosner Steers Energy Policy
David Rosner, the new Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), assumed his role in early August, following Mark Christie's departure. Christie, in his final days, expressed disappointment over his inability to issue a colocation decision before leaving on Aug. 8.
Rosner's focus lies in enabling economic growth through 'abundant and affordable energy.' He is 'really excited' about infrastructure and believes America needs more infrastructure to move energy. One of his top priorities is resolving the pending PJM colocation docket.
Colocation arrangements allow data centers to receive electricity directly from a nearby power plant. However, Rosner's efforts to issue guidelines for data center colocation with power plants in the PJM Interconnection were unsuccessful due to lack of support from two other commissioners.
The United States, the world's largest LNG exporter, exported 11.9 billion cubic feet per day last year. With eight operational LNG export terminals handling 14.5 Bcf/d, another eight are under construction, potentially increasing exports to about 21.8 Bcf/d. As of September 9, there are 18 LNG export projects approved but not yet under construction, totaling 13.2 Bcf/d, according to FERC.
FERC is currently reviewing two more LNG export applications and has two projects in the agency's pre-filing process. Commissioner Lindsay See has also expressed interest in resolving the colocation proceeding and hopes for a future process to create a 'blanket certificate' program for LNG export facilities, modeled after FERC's existing program for gas pipelines.
See aims to strike a balance between making decisions quickly and ensuring regulatory certainty. The Senate recently confirmed Willie L. Phillips and Clements Fehrenbach to fill the vacant seats on FERC. The House has passed a bill to fast-track dispatchable generation interconnection.
FERC is focused on developing 'accurate, clear, stable market price signals' to get new infrastructure built where it's needed. The outcome of the review on colocated load in the power markets FERC oversees could set a precedent. Rosner's priorities as chairman include making decisions swiftly, fairly, and independently, with grid reliability as the top priority.
