As the energy landscape evolves, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner Mark Christie offers his perspective on one of today's most pressing challenges. This involves maintaining grid reliability while integrating clean energy sources. He emphasises the importance of balancing new technologies with established resources in creating a sustainable and resilient power system for the future.
How is FERC developing its regulatory frameworks for the integration of new technologies and energy sources into the grid? What are the key challenges and opportunities?
The challenge facing the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the world is basically twofold: How to maintain the reliability of the power grid while reducing carbon emissions steadily over time.
Grid reliability cannot be compromised because reliable electrical power service is essential to modern life and commerce. We know that as more intermittent sources such as wind and solar are deployed, it is essential to maintain and increase dispatchable resources such as nuclear energy and natural gas. These are absolutely essential to maintaining reliability. With increasing demand for power from data centres, artificial intelligence (AI) and other hyperscale users, we are going to need more generation resources, not less.
Physics and engineering reality dictate that we must have sufficient dispatchable resources for the inevitable periods when weather-dependent generators are not producing. The grid cannot be reliable with only intermittent sources; dispatchable resources in sufficient quantity must also be available.
Given the current state of technology, the reality is that there is no successful energy transition without sufficient gas and nuclear energy-generating capacity.
What regulatory elements are essential to fostering innovation while ensuring a stable and secure energy supply?
That is the regulatory challenge, as I described in my response to the first question. Regulators must allow for the deployment of new technologies as they become commercially and technologically ready. In the meantime, existing resources must be maintained to ensure grid reliability.
How can FERC's international partnerships contribute to global efforts in building a more resilient and interconnected energy grid?
In my many meetings with energy regulators and industry officials from around the world, both as a State and Federal regulator, I have found information sharing to be invaluable. All energy regulators face the same challenges, as I have outlined.
The theme for SIEW is "A Connected and Sustainable Energy World". What are your thoughts on this year's theme?
I interpret "sustainable" as "reliable" when it comes to the electrical power grid. The world faces the same challenge of ensuring power supply reliability as new technologies are deployed. Reliability will not be sustainable without dispatchable power generation resources.
About Mark Christie, Commissioner, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Mark Christie is a commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, DC, USA. FERC is the federal regulator of the bulk power grid in the USA, with authority over interstate transmission rates, wholesale power sales and reliability standards.
Prior to becoming a FERC commissioner in January 2021, Comm. Christie was a state regulator. He was the Chairman of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, on which he served for nearly 17 years. The Virginia commission regulates retail power rates in Virginia, as well as exercising authority over the permitting of transmission and generation projects located in Virginia.
Christie taught regulatory law at the University of Virginia Law School and taught constitutional law and government in a doctoral program at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also has extensive teaching experience in Europe and Asia. He taught American constitutional law at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing. He has lectured on electric and gas rate regulation at the Florence School of Regulation (FSR) of the European University Institute. He has also taught energy regulation at Queen Mary University Law School in London.