Summary of Experience
Ms. Powers has over 29 years of experience in the wholesale and retail electricity markets, power generation, and energy consulting fields with considerable expertise in wholesale electric market operations and analysis, transmission system planning and operations, generation asset sales and acquisitions, asset valuation, wholesale and retail energy planning and procurement, and power plant operations. She has experience in executing both regulated and unregulated fossil and renewable generation asset sale transactions in the areas of regulatory analysis, policy development, due diligence analyses, energy market assessment, and business unit strategy. With her significant experience in preparing market assessments and forecasts, Ms. Powers has advised several clients on the procurement of competitive electricity in deregulated markets by developing strategic procurement strategies, preparing solicitation packages, evaluating supply and service proposals, and negotiating contracts with retail energy suppliers.
Ms. Powers has been extensively involved in the design, implementation, and operation of the ISO New England Forward Capacity Market as well as the operation of existing wholesale markets in the New England power region. Part of her role in this project was to manage the market design effort, which included designing several processes and procedures pertaining to resource qualification, capacity requirements, and market power mitigation and settlement. Ms. Powers drafted several sections of the Market Rules and presented the draft rules to market participants during approximately 20 meetings over a six-month period.
Education
M.B.A., magna cum laude, Bentley College
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts
Testified Before
Regulatory Commission of Alaska; Connecticut Siting Council; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Illinois Commerce Commission; Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission; Massachusetts District Court; New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board; New York State Public Service Commission; United States Bankruptcy Court
Case Studies
Certificate of Necessity Support
We supported the client’s process of developing a Certificate of Necessity and Integrated Resource Plan filing for its public service commission for the purpose of receiving approval to build a […]
Integrated Resource Plan Support
We analyzed the Integrated Resource Plan developed by the client’s state energy and environmental protection agency in order to provide a response to the state on the plan and projected resource needs in […]
Plant Retirement and Redevelopment
Our utility client owns and operates coal-fired generating stations in the Midwestern U.S. Following the decision to retire certain coal-fired generating assets, the company’s decommissioning team was faced with the […]
Independent Evaluator
We acted as an agent of a state regulatory commission by serving as the Independent Evaluator for the competitive acquisition process that our utility client undertook to acquire resources pursuant to its […]
Generating Facility Reliability Support
We provided assistance with a RFP for reliability services related to the retirement of the client’s power generating facility. This work involved a review of the RFP, including the review of […]
Focused Management Audit
On behalf of a public utilities commission, we reviewed the reasonableness of a member-owned, not-for-profit, generation and transmission cooperative’s Mitigation Plan. In particular, we reviewed the ability of its coal-generating fleet to […]
Wholesale Market Expert Advisory
We have served as an independent system operator’s (“ISO”) market expert in a variety of capacities, including development of the initial design of its Forward Capacity Market (“FCM”). Our work involved […]
Renewable Energy Contract Review
We reviewed and conceptualized various market structures and offerings by existing solar developers. We applied this analysis to the four solar proposals that were provided to the client to determine […]
Due Diligence for an Energy Infrastructure Company
We provided financial advisory services pertaining to the acquisition of a major energy infrastructure company, including natural gas distribution and pipelines. This effort included detailed due diligence to develop twenty-year financial […]
Power Purchase Agreement Arbitration Support
We provided arbitration dispute services related to three small independent power producers(“IPP”) concerning the price set for renewing power purchase agreement contracts. The services we provided include opinions on the […]
Contract and Damages Assessment
We provided a contract and damages assessment in an arbitration case. The assessment involved contract review and an analysis of damages based on energy and capacity clearing prices versus contract […]
Publications
Comments on Forward Clean Energy Market Design Proposal PDF
Competitive Transmission: Experience To-Date Shows Order No. 1000 Solicitations Fail to Show Benefits PDF
Retail Competition in Electricity: What Have We Learned in 20 Years? PDF
Building New Transmission: Experience to Date Does Not Support Expanding Solicitations PDF
Has the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act (“PURPA”) Outlived Its Purpose? PDF
Integrated Resource Planning Today – Challenges and Opportunity PDF
