Pa. big-grid operator slams Trump plan to aid coal, nuke plants

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The nation’s biggest electric grid operator says a Trump administration plan to change the way electricity is priced to better reward coal and nuclear power is both unworkable and potentially against the law.

Any Ott, PJM’s president and CEO, made the comments before the grid operator filed its comments late today with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. PJM operates the mid-Atlantic grid covering 65 million people from Illinois to Washington, D.C.

In its comments, Pennsylvania-based PJM says the Trump plan would undermine the reliability of electricity markets, intrude on state policies and represent a radical departure from the commission’s policies. PJM also says the Trump administration’s strategy wouldn’t lead to the outcome it envisions.

Coal-fired and nuclear generators comprise just over half of all generation capacity in PJM’s region.