CFR Subpart H

CFR Subpart H
in effect

18 C.F.R. § 35.36 Generally.

(a) For purposes of this subpart: (1) Seller means any person that has authorization to or seeks authorization to engage in sales for resale of electric energy, capacity or ancillary services at market-based rates under section 205 of the Federal Power Act. (2) Category 1 Seller means a Seller that: (i) Is either a wholesale power marketer that controls or is affiliated with 500 MW or less of generation in aggregate per region or a wholesale power producer that owns, controls or is affiliated with 500 MW or less of generation in aggregate in the same region as its generation assets; (ii) Does not own, operate or control transmission facilities other than limited equipment necessary to connect individual generating facilities to the transmission grid (or has been granted waiver of the requirements of Order No. 888, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,036); (iii) Is not affiliated with anyone that owns, operates or controls transmission facilities in the same region as the Seller's generation assets; (iv) Is not affiliated with a franchised public utility in the same region as the Seller's generation assets; and (v) Does not raise other vertical market power issues. (3) Category 2 Sellers means any Sellers not in Category 1. (4) Inputs to electric power production means intrastate natural gas transportation, intrastate natural gas storage or distribution facilities; physical coal supply sources and ownership of or control over who may access transportation of coal supplies; (5) Franchised public utility means a public utility with a franchised service obligation under State law. (6) Captive customers means any wholesale or retail electric energy customers served by a franchised public utility under cost-based regulation. (7) Market-regulated power sales affiliate means any power seller affiliate other than a franchised public utility, including a power marketer, exempt wholesale generator, qualifying facility or other power seller affiliate, whose power sales are regulated in whole or in part on a market-rate basis. (8) Market information means non-public information related to the electric energy and power business including, but not limited to, information regarding sales, cost of production, generator outages, generator heat rates, unconsummated transactions, or historical generator volumes. Market information includes information from either affiliates or non-affiliates. (9) Affiliate of a specified company means: (i) Any person that directly or indirectly owns, controls, or holds with power to vote, 10 percent or more of the outstanding voting securities of the specified company; (ii) Any company 10 percent or more of whose outstanding voting securities are owned, controlled, or held with power to vote, directly or indirectly, by the specified company; (iii) Any person or class of persons that the Commission determines, after appropriate notice and opportunity for hearing, to stand in such relation to the specified company that there is liable to be an absence of arm's-length bargaining in transactions between them as to make it necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or consumers that the person be treated as an affiliate; and (iv) Any person that is under common control with the specified company. (v) For purposes of paragraph (a)(9), owning, controlling or holding with power to vote, less than 10 percent of the outstanding voting securities of a specified company creates a rebuttable presumption of lack of control. (10) Ultimate upstream affiliate means the furthest upstream affiliate(s) in the ownership chain. The term “upstream affiliate” means any entity described in § 35.36(a)(9)(i). (b) The provisions of this subpart apply to all Sellers authorized, or seeking authorization, to make sales for resale of electric energy, capacity or ancillary services at market-based rates unless otherwise ordered by the Commission.

18 C.F.R. § 35.37 Market power analysis required.

(a)(1) In addition to other requirements in subparts A and B, a Seller must submit a market power analysis in the following circumstances: When seeking market-based rate authority; for Category 2 Sellers, every three years, according to the schedule posted on the Commission's website; or any other time the Commission directs a Seller to submit one. Failure to timely file an updated market power analysis will constitute a violation of Seller's market-based rate tariff. The market power analysis must be preceded by a submission of information into a relational database that will include a list of the Seller's own assets, the assets of its non-market-based rate affiliate(s) and identification of its ultimate upstream affiliate(s). The relational database submission will also include information necessary to generate the indicative screens, if necessary, as discussed in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. When seeking market-based rate authority, the relational database submission must also include other market-based information concerning category status, operating reserves authorization, mitigation, and other limitations. (2) When submitting a market power analysis, whether as part of an initial application or an update, a Seller must include a description of its ownership structure that identifies all ultimate upstream affiliate(s). With respect to any investors or owners that a Seller represents to be passive, the Seller must affirm in its narrative that the ownership interests consist solely of passive rights that are necessary to protect the passive investors' or owners' investments and do not confer control. The Seller must also include an appendix of assets and, if necessary, indicative screens as discussed in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. A Seller must include all supporting materials referenced in the indicative screens. The appendix of assets and indicative screens are derived from the information submitted by a Seller and its affiliates into the relational database and retrievable in conformance with the instructions posted on the Commission's website. (b) A market power analysis must address whether a Seller has horizontal and vertical market power. (c)(1) There will be a rebuttable presumption that a Seller lacks horizontal market power with respect to sales of energy, capacity, energy imbalance service, generation imbalance service, and primary frequency response service if it passes two indicative market power screens: a pivotal supplier analysis based on annual peak demand of the relevant market, and a market share analysis applied on a seasonal basis. There will be a rebuttable presumption that a Seller lacks horizontal market power with respect to sales of operating reserve-spinning and operating reserve-supplemental services if the Seller passes these two indicative market power screens and demonstrates in its market-based rate application how the scheduling practices in its region support the delivery of operating reserve resources from one balancing authority area to another. There will be a rebuttable presumption that a Seller possesses horizontal market power with respect to sales of energy, capacity, energy imbalance service, generation imbalance service, operating reserve-spinning service, operating reserve-supplemental service, and primary frequency response service if it fails either screen. (2) Sellers and intervenors may also file alternative evidence to support or rebut the results of the indicative screens. Sellers may file such evidence at the time they file their indicative screens. Intervenors may file such evidence in response to a Seller's submissions. (3) If a Seller does not pass one or both screens, the Seller may rebut a presumption of horizontal market power by submitting a Delivered Price Test analysis. A Seller that does not rebut a presumption of horizontal market power or that concedes market power, is subject to mitigation, as described in § 35.38. (4) In lieu of submitting the indicative market power screens, Sellers studying regional transmission organization (RTO) or independent system operator (ISO) markets that operate RTO/ISO-administered energy, ancillary services, and capacity markets may state that they are relying on Commission-approved market monitoring and mitigation to address potential horizontal market power Sellers may have in those markets. (5) In lieu of submitting the indicative market power screens, Sellers studying RTO or ISO markets that operate RTO/ISO-administered energy and ancillary services markets, but not capacity markets, may state that they are relying on Commission-approved market monitoring and mitigation to address potential horizontal market power that Sellers may have in energy and ancillary services. However, Sellers studying such RTOs/ISOs would need to submit indicative market power screens if they wish to obtain market-based rate authority for wholesale sales of capacity in these markets. (6) Sellers submitting simultaneous transmission import limit studies must file Submittal 1, and, if applicable, Submittal 2, in the electronic spreadsheet format provided on the Commission's Web site. (d) To demonstrate a lack of vertical market power, a Seller that owns, operates or controls transmission facilities, or whose affiliates own, operate or control transmission facilities, must have on file with the Commission an Open Access Transmission Tariff, as described in § 35.28; provided, however, that a Seller whose foreign affiliate(s) own, operate or control transmission facilities outside of the United States that can be used by competitors of the Seller to reach United States markets must demonstrate that such affiliate either has adopted and is implementing an Open Access Transmission Tariff as described in § 35.28, or otherwise offers comparable, non-discriminatory access to such transmission facilities. (e) To demonstrate a lack of vertical market power in wholesale energy markets through the affiliation, ownership or control of inputs to electric power production, such as the transportation or distribution of the inputs to electric power production, a Seller must provide the following information: (1) A description of its ownership or control of, or affiliation with an entity that owns or controls, intrastate natural gas transportation, intrastate natural gas storage or distribution facilities; (2) Physical coal supply sources and ownership or control over who may access transportation of coal supplies; and (3) A Seller must ensure that this information is included in the record of each new application for market-based rates and each updated market power analysis. In addition, a Seller is required to make an affirmative statement that it and its affiliates have not erected barriers to entry into the relevant market and will not erect barriers to entry into the relevant market. (f) If the Seller seeks to protect any portion of a filing from public disclosure, the Seller must make its filing in accordance with the Commission's instructions for filing privileged materials and critical energy infrastructure information in § 388.112 of this chapter.

18 C.F.R. § 35.38 Mitigation.

(a) A Seller that has been found to have market power in generation or ancillary services, or that is presumed to have horizontal market power in generation or ancillary services by virtue of failing or foregoing the relevant market power screens, as described in 35.37(c), may adopt the default mitigation detailed in paragraph (b) of this section for sales of energy or capacity or paragraph (c) of this section for sales of ancillary services or may propose mitigation tailored to its own particular circumstances to eliminate its ability to exercise market power. Mitigation will apply only to the market(s) in which the Seller is found, or presumed, to have market power. (b) Default mitigation for sales of energy or capacity consists of three distinct products: (1) Sales of power of one week or less priced at the Seller's incremental cost plus a 10 percent adder; (2) Sales of power of more than one week but less than one year priced at no higher than a cost-based ceiling reflecting the costs of the unit(s) expected to provide the service; and (3) New contracts filed for review under section 205 of the Federal Power Act for sales of power for one year or more priced at a rate not to exceed embedded cost of service. (c) Default mitigation for sales of ancillary services consist of: (1) A cap based on the relevant OATT ancillary service rate of the purchasing transmission operator; or (2) the results of a competitive solicitation that meets the Commission's requirements for transparency, definition, evaluation, and competitiveness.

18 C.F.R. § 35.39 Affiliate restrictions.

(a) General affiliate provisions. As a condition of obtaining and retaining market-based rate authority, the conditions provided in this section, including the restriction on affiliate sales of electric energy and all other affiliate provisions, must be satisfied on an ongoing basis, unless otherwise authorized by Commission rule or order. Failure to satisfy these conditions will constitute a violation of the Seller's market-based rate tariff. (b) Restriction on affiliate sales of electric energy or capacity. As a condition of obtaining and retaining market-based rate authority, no wholesale sale of electric energy or capacity may be made between a franchised public utility with captive customers and a market-regulated power sales affiliate without first receiving Commission authorization for the transaction under section 205 of the Federal Power Act. All authorizations to engage in affiliate wholesale sales of electric energy or capacity must be listed in a Seller's market-based rate tariff. (c) Separation of functions. (1) For the purpose of this paragraph, entities acting on behalf of and for the benefit of a franchised public utility with captive customers (such as entities controlling or marketing power from the electrical generation assets of the franchised public utility) are considered part of the franchised public utility. Entities acting on behalf of and for the benefit of the market-regulated power sales affiliates of a franchised public utility with captive customers are considered part of the market-regulated power sales affiliates. (2) (i) To the maximum extent practical, the employees of a market-regulated power sales affiliate must operate separately from the employees of any affiliated franchised public utility with captive customers. (ii) Franchised public utilities with captive customers are permitted to share support employees, and field and maintenance employees with their market-regulated power sales affiliates. Franchised public utilities with captive customers are also permitted to share senior officers and boards of directors with their market-regulated power sales affiliates; provided, however, that the shared officers and boards of directors must not participate in directing, organizing or executing generation or market functions. (iii) Notwithstanding any other restrictions in this section, in emergency circumstances affecting system reliability, a market-regulated power sales affiliate and a franchised public utility with captive customers may take steps necessary to keep the bulk power system in operation. A franchised public utility with captive customers or the market-regulated power sales affiliate must report to the Commission and disclose to the public on its Web site, each emergency that resulted in any deviation from the restrictions of section 35.39, within 24 hours of such deviation. (d) Information sharing. (1) A franchised public utility with captive customers may not share market information with a market-regulated power sales affiliate if the sharing could be used to the detriment of captive customers, unless simultaneously disclosed to the public. (2) Permissibly shared support employees, field and maintenance employees and senior officers and board of directors under §§ 35.39(c)(2)(ii) may have access to information covered by the prohibition of § 35.39(d)(1), subject to the no-conduit provision in § 35.39(g). (e) Non-power goods or services. (1) Unless otherwise permitted by Commission rule or order, sales of any non-power goods or services by a franchised public utility with captive customers, to a market-regulated power sales affiliate must be at the higher of cost or market price. (2) Unless otherwise permitted by Commission rule or order, sales of any non-power goods or services by a market-regulated power sales affiliate to an affiliated franchised public utility with captive customers may not be at a price above market. (f) Brokering of power. (1) Unless otherwise permitted by Commission rule or order, to the extent a market-regulated power sales affiliate seeks to broker power for an affiliated franchised public utility with captive customers: (i) The market-regulated power sales affiliate must offer the franchised public utility's power first; (ii) The arrangement between the market-regulated power sales affiliate and the franchised public utility must be non-exclusive; and (iii) The market-regulated power sales affiliate may not accept any fees in conjunction with any brokering services it performs for an affiliated franchised public utility. (2) Unless otherwise permitted by Commission rule or order, to the extent a franchised public utility with captive customers seeks to broker power for a market-regulated power sales affiliate: (i) The franchised public utility must charge the higher of its costs for the service or the market price for such services; (ii) The franchised public utility must market its own power first, and simultaneously make public (on the Internet) any market information shared with its affiliate during the brokering; and (iii) The franchised public utility must post on the Internet the actual brokering charges imposed. (g) No conduit provision. A franchised public utility with captive customers and a market-regulated power sales affiliate are prohibited from using anyone, including asset managers, as a conduit to circumvent the affiliate restrictions in §§ 35.39(a) through (g). (h) Franchised utilities without captive customers. If necessary, any affiliate restrictions regarding separation of functions, power sales or non-power goods and services transactions, or brokering involving two or more franchised public utilities, one or more of whom has captive customers and one or more of whom does not have captive customers, will be imposed on a case-by-case basis.

18 C.F.R. § 35.40 Ancillary services.

A Seller may make sales of ancillary services at market-based rates only if it has been authorized by the Commission and only in specific geographic markets as the Commission has authorized.

18 C.F.R. § 35.41 Market behavior rules.

(a) Unit operation. Where a Seller participates in a Commission-approved organized market, Seller must operate and schedule generating facilities, undertake maintenance, declare outages, and commit or otherwise bid supply in a manner that complies with the Commission-approved rules and regulations of the applicable market. A Seller is not required to bid or supply electric energy or other electricity products unless such requirement is a part of a separate Commission-approved tariff or is a requirement applicable to Seller through Seller's participation in a Commission-approved organized market. (b) Communications. A Seller must provide accurate and factual information and not submit false or misleading information, or omit material information, in any communication with the Commission, Commission-approved market monitors, Commission-approved regional transmission organizations, Commission-approved independent system operators, or jurisdictional transmission providers, unless Seller exercises due diligence to prevent such occurrences. (c) Price reporting. To the extent a Seller engages in reporting of transactions to publishers of electric or natural gas price indices, Seller must provide accurate and factual information, and not knowingly submit false or misleading information or omit material information to any such publisher, by reporting its transactions in a manner consistent with the procedures set forth in the Policy Statement on Natural Gas and Electric Price Indices, issued by the Commission in Docket No. PL03-3-000, and any clarifications thereto. Seller must identify as part of its Electric Quarterly Report filing requirement in § 35.10b of this chapter the publishers of electricity and natural gas indices to which it reports its transactions. In addition, Seller must adhere to any other standards and requirements for price reporting as the Commission may order. (d) Records retention. A Seller must retain, for a period of five years, all data and information upon which it billed the prices it charged for the electric energy or electric energy products it sold pursuant to Seller's market-based rate tariff, and the prices it reported for use in price indices.

18 C.F.R. § 35.42 Change in status reporting requirement.

(a) As a condition of obtaining and retaining market-based rate authority, a Seller must timely report to the Commission any change in status that would reflect a departure from the characteristics the Commission relied upon in granting market-based rate authority. A change in status includes, but is not limited to, the following: (1) Ownership or control of generation capacity or long-term firm purchases of capacity and/or energy that results in cumulative net increases (i.e., the difference between increases and decreases in affiliated generation capacity) of 100 MW or more of capacity based on nameplate or seasonal capacity ratings, or, for solar photovoltaic facilities, nameplate capacity, or, for other energy-limited resources, nameplate or five-year average capacity factors, in any individual relevant geographic market, or of inputs to electric power production, or ownership, operation or control of transmission facilities; or (2) Affiliation with any entity not disclosed in the application for market-based rate authority that: (i) Owns or controls generation facilities or has long-term firm purchases of capacity and/or energy that results in cumulative net increases (i.e., the difference between increases and decreases in affiliated generation capacity) of 100 MW or more of capacity based on nameplate or seasonal capacity ratings, or, for solar photovoltaic facilities, nameplate capacity, or, for other energy-limited resources, nameplate or five-year average capacity factors, in any individual relevant geographic market; (ii) Owns or controls inputs to electric power production; (iii) Owns, operates or controls transmission facilities; (iv) Has a franchised service area; or (v) Is an ultimate upstream affiliate. (b) Any change in status subject to paragraph (a) of this section must be filed quarterly. Power sales contracts with future delivery are reportable once the physical delivery has begun. Sellers shall file change in status in accordance with the following schedule: For the period from January 1 through March 31, file by April 30; for the period from April 1 through June 30, file by July 31; for the period July 1 through September 30, file by October 31; and for the period October 1 through December 31, file by January 31. Failure to timely file a change in status constitutes a tariff violation. (c) Changes in status must be prepared in conformance with the instructions posted on the Commission's website. (d) A Seller must report on a monthly basis changes to its previously-submitted relational database information, excluding updates to the horizontal market power screens. These submissions must be made by the 15th day of the month following the change. The submission must be prepared in conformance with the instructions posted on the Commission's website.

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