News Release, on Final Rule in RM14-2

April 16, 2015
News Media Contact
Craig Cano | 202-502-8680
Docket No. RM14-2-000
Item No. M-1

FERC Approves Final Rule to Improve Gas-Electric Coordination
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today took further steps to improve coordination of wholesale
natural gas and electricity market scheduling as the nation increasingly relies on gas for electric generation. The Final
Rule, together with prior Commission actions, will help ensure the reliable and efficient operation of both the
interstate natural gas pipeline and electricity systems. This Final Rule represents the culmination of more than three
years of Commission efforts to evaluate whether changes are needed to the scheduling practices of the natural gas and
electric industry in order to better ensure the reliable and efficient operations of our interstate natural gas pipelines
and our electricity systems.
The Final Rule adopts two proposals submitted by the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) to revise the
interstate natural gas nomination timeline and make conforming changes to their standards. In the March 2014 Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), the Commission proposed changes to the nomination timeline for natural gas
pipelines, but provided the gas and electric industries with time to consider revisions to those proposals. Today, the
Commission is adopting the proposal to move the Timely Nomination Cycle deadline for scheduling gas transportation
from 11:30 a.m. Central Clock Time (CCT) to 1 p.m. CCT and the proposal to add a third intraday nomination cycle
during the gas operating day to help shippers adjust their scheduling to reflect changes in demand.
The Final Rule declines to adopt the NOPR proposal to move the 9 a.m. CCT start of the gas day to 4 a.m. CCT. The
Commission concluded that, while certain efficiencies could be achieved through a better alignment of the natural gas
and electric operating days, the record in this proceeding does not justify changing the start time for the nationwide
natural gas day. The Final Rule recognizes that several regional efforts continue to address the misalignment between
the gas day and the regional electric days.
The Final Rule takes effect 75 days after publication in the Federal Register.
R-15-30

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