NYSEG Petitions FERC for Emergency Action on ISO Breakdowns

BINGHAMTON, N.Y., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- NYSEG has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to investigate and initiate emergency actions in order to correct start-up problems at the New York Independent System Operator (ISO). "Quick action by FERC will allow the ISO an opportunity to address these transitional problems," said Michael I. German, NYSEG's president and chief operating officer. "These problems became evident during testing last year and the ISO should not have gone as quickly as it did." "We are concerned that the ISO software and implementation problems could strangle the nascent competitive retail electricity market in New York. That is unacceptable," German said. "The ISO encountered significant problems last winter and continues to experience major problems as we enter the summer peak period."

(snip)

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-01-2000/0001205740&EDATE=

-- - (x@xxx.cQm), May 01, 2000

Answers

Is there a version of the above in English?

-- E.H. Porter (Just Wondering@About.it), May 01, 2000.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi- bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-01-2000/0001205740&EDATE=

NYSEG Petitions FERC for Emergency Action on ISO Breakdowns

BINGHAMTON, N.Y., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- NYSEG has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to investigate and initiate emergency actions in order to correct start-up problems at the New York Independent System Operator (ISO).

"Quick action by FERC will allow the ISO an opportunity to address these transitional problems," said Michael I. German, NYSEG's president and chief operating officer. "These problems became evident during testing last year and the ISO should not have gone as quickly as it did."

"We are concerned that the ISO software and implementation problems could strangle the nascent competitive retail electricity market in New York. That is unacceptable," German said. "The ISO encountered significant problems last winter and continues to experience major problems as we enter the summer peak period."

"The FERC has already taken actions to protect evolving competitive power markets in Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland, California and New England, and these markets are less complex and more mature than New York's. We are asking for the same kinds of actions and corrective measures to be taken on behalf of New York's electricity consumers," German said.

The ISO took operational control of the state's high-voltage electric transmission system from the New York Power Pool in November 1999. In addition to responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the transmission system across the state, the ISO is responsible for ensuring competitive access to the transmission system, and facilitating the safe, reliable flow of electricity from generators to distributors. It is also responsible for maintaining a healthy and active electricity market in New York State. The ISO is governed by 10 outside directors, none of whom are affiliated with New York's electric utilities or other market participants.

NYSEG is a subsidiary of Energy East Corporation (NYSE: NEG), a super-regional energy services and delivery company in the Northeast. . . .

-- (v@vvv.calm), May 02, 2000.

Interesting. I also heard that the KFEN was planning to shutdown the UMTZ and ask the PLAMZ for permission to declare martial law in the USA.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), May 02, 2000.

Let me guess. The two key sentences are supposed to be....

"These problems became evident during testing last year and the ISO should not have gone as quickly as it did."

and

"The ISO encountered significant problems last winter and continues to experience major problems as we enter the summer peak period."

This is a press release from the NYSEG. The part about testing sounds as if the topic may be a computer system. Then again, this press release is so vague that who could tell?

-- (P@rs.ing), May 02, 2000.

Same news release but on NYSEG's Web site.

http://www.nyseg.com/NYSEGWEB/news.nsf/2723168dcd161eb8852567930045802 f/8ca88a52b6d52457852568d2005fd218?OpenDocument

-- (-=-@=-=.-=-), May 02, 2000.

Hawk:

**Snort**

E.H.:

I don't know the details of the problems that are alleged with the New York ISO but I know that the California ISO, which started in April of 1998, had massive problems with software glitches and an inability to properly balance sytem load and voltage. The ISO was originally run by a bunch of MBA types with a lot of financial experience and almost no utility experience. Somebody finally figured out that it takes more than college boys to run an electical supply system and they started recruiting utility system operators. Things have been slowly working themselves out since.

I suspect, that New York, showing the typical lack of ability to learn from history, is replicating the California experience.

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), May 02, 2000.

New York Independent System Operator

http://www.nyiso.com/

-- (Net@search.er), May 02, 2000.