The Missouri Public Service Commission is giving interested stakeholders an opportunity to comment in a working docket the Commission opened to consider Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order 2222 regarding participation of distributed energy resource aggregators in markets operated by Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators.

Specifically, the Commission seeks comments regarding modification of a temporary ban on aggregators for commercial and industrial customers.

The Commission’s August 4 order lists a number of questions about which the Commission is seeking input. Any interested stakeholder wishing to comment should do so no later than September 1, 2021. The Public Service Commission Staff (PSC Staff) is to consider any comments received and file a report responsive to those comments by no later than October 1, 2021.

FERC order 2222 amends its regulation to remove barriers to the participation of distributed energy resource aggregators in the capacity, energy and ancillary service markets operated by Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators. FERC order 2222 was issued in September 2020.

The Public Service Commission directed the PSC Staff to investigate and recommend an appropriate response from the Commission to FERC order 2222. In a report filed on April 30, 2021, the PSC Staff did not reach any conclusions about the Commission’s response to FERC order 2222 and subsequent clarifying orders but recommended the matter be studied further through a series of workshop meetings with stakeholders. An initial workshop was held on June 29, 2021, and one topic discussed was the operation in Missouri of Aggregators of Retail Customers (ARCs).

“In an order issued on March 31, 2010, the Commission prohibited the operation in Missouri of ARCs. That prohibition remains in place until further order of the Commission. In light of recent developments, the Commission is considering whether that prohibition should be modified as applied to commercial and industrial customers,” said the Commission. “In considering that question, the Commission would like to have input from interested stakeholders.”