Southeast Energy Exchange Market answers comments in FERC review process
The Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM) members today responded to comments filed by interested parties in the SEEM dockets at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“SEEM is designed to help deliver the most affordable power to the region and make it easier for renewable power to participate in the Southeast market,” said Noel Black, governmental affairs vice president for Southern Company. “We do this by adding automated technology that helps match available energy with locations that need it most across a wide 11-state footprint, thereby maximizing the customer benefits.
“With 160,000 megawatts already committed to participate, it is our intent for SEEM to pass along benefits of scale to customers. In addition to bringing economic and environmental customer benefits, we also have worked to avoid adding significant new layers of bureaucracy to the region. SEEM keeps in place the effective and efficient state and federal regulations and oversight that already exist today,” said Black.
“In our filed response we encourage FERC to evaluate the SEEM proposal that is before them and not get distracted by a few commenters who advocate for a complete redesign of the existing Southeast market. We have shown that SEEM can provide real benefits to customers in a relatively short amount of time. There is no compelling reason to delay approving the SEEM proposal and getting those benefits to customers throughout the region,” Black concluded.
On Feb. 12, 2021, SEEM asked FERC to approve an automated, intra-hour energy exchange that aims to lower costs to customers and optimize renewable energy resources.
If approved, the new SEEM platform will facilitate sub-hourly, bilateral trading, allowing participants to buy and sell power close to the time the energy is consumed.
To view SEEM’s full response, visit (web link to FERC site).
Founding members of SEEM are expected to include Associated Electric Cooperative, Dalton Utilities, Dominion Energy South Carolina, Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, Georgia System Operations Corporation, Georgia Transmission Corporation, LG&E and KU Energy, MEAG Power, NCEMC, Oglethorpe Power Corp., PowerSouth, Santee Cooper, Southern Company and TVA. Participation in SEEM is open to other entities that meet the appropriate requirements. Some utilities will make decisions about whether to commit following FERC approval.
The founding members hold energy assets in parts of 11 states and serve the energy needs of more than 32 million retail customers (roughly more than 50 million people).
