Power Commission Research Articles

115-kv pipe-type compression cable installation

THE CONSTRUCTION of a fuel-electric generating station at Toronto, Canada, by The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, made it necessary to incorporate additional power into the existing 115-kv transmission system. Due to congested conditions in portions of this area, erection of steel tower transmission lines was not practical.

Natural Gas Supplies for Tomorrow

The control sought to be vested in the Federal Power Commission over the price received by the producer and gatherer of natural gas presents one of our most important contemporary problems. The issue, in so far as it affects the independent producer,' is now before the United State Supreme Court in the Phillips case (State of Wisconsin v. Federal Power Commission2). The issue as it affects natural gas companies has already been passed on in several cases, the soundness from the legal standpoint and wisdom of which are still being debated.3 The problem is a fundamental one in so far as natural gas supplies for tomorrow are concerned. The business of producing and gathering natural gas and selling it in or near the field is, under our American system, a private undertaking. The risks and hazards are so great that no one will undertake them if he is held to a return on his investment similar to that received by utility companies with altogether different types of operations and risks. Notwithstanding this, in the past decade through a series of encroachments on the part of the Federal Power Commission and by strained constructions given the Natural Gas Act by the courts, such a limitation on return or income would appear to be sought. As a basis for understanding the problem presented, it is necessary to describe briefly the nature of natural gas, the operations involved in producing and gathering it, and the competitive and risk-taking characteristics of gas exploration and production.

Tests and Operating Experiences at the Ottawa River Plants of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario [includes discussion

Tests and Operating Experiences at the Ottawa River Plants of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario [includes discussion

Some Consequences of Fears by Independent Producers of Gas of Federal Regulation

This article deals with some of problems of independent producers of natural gas' that are created by fear that sales of their gas to an interstate transmission line (long line) may subject them to regulation by Federal Power Commission under Natural Gas Act.2 If this fear is not removed, supply of natural gas available to long lines may be insufficient before many years to meet needs of present consumers. Moreover, prices for gas to consumers may go considerably above present levels. It follows that ultimate consumers of natural especially householders, should be keenly interested in removing causes of those fears. In other articles in this special issue of Law and Contemporary Problems will be found comprehensive discussion of Natural Gas Act, including jurisdictional provisions and their interpretation by Federal Power Commission and by courts. Therefore, this article does not purport to establish scope or meaning of jurisdictional provisions, especially those quoted below in footnote 2 that exempt from jurisdiction the production or gathering of natural gas, and also exempt certain sales and transportation. Neither does this article purport to establish activities that are or ought to be included as part of production, nor what consti-

Rate Regulation of Natural Gas Companies by the Federal Power Commission

The scope suggested by the foregoing title is so broad as to require an introductory comment on what is to follow. Of necessity this article will attempt only to describe the current practice and policy of the Federal Power Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission), and comments or criticism with respect to those policies will be limited to but a few of the many problems encountered; also of necessity it presupposes at least some familiarity with rate and regulatory terminology and the general principles of rate making.

Phillips and the Natural Gas Act

Should federal regulation encompass sales of natural gas to interstate pipe-line companies by independent producers and gatherers-those whose natural-gas activities exclusively consist of one or more of the functions of producing, moving, processing, and selling in or near the field? Or for that matter, should any sales to interstate transporters be federally regulated if made during the course of and gathering? The sporadically impending threat of federal regulation in this area has been a matter of growing concern to the oil and gas industry on one side and to thousands of consumers on the other, with the Federal Power Commission (Commission) in the middle. Many hundreds of producers and gatherers have been disturbed off and on for nearly fifteen years, lest they be regulated as a business affected with a public interest within the utility framework of the Natural Gas Act (Act).1 The possibility of a sharp rise in price, stemming from an authoritative declaration that such regulation either could not or would not be invoked, has been a corresponding concern of consumers supplied from out-of-state reserves. All these fears focus on the meaning to be given to the production or gathering exemption in Section i(b) of the Act:

The Plant Accounting Regulations of the Federal Power Commission--A Critical Analysis

The Plant Accounting Regulations of the Federal Power Commission--A Critical Analysis

Lightning investigations at 115/230-kv stations

IN 1947 THE Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario instigated a survey at its Burlington and Leaside 115/230-kv transformer stations to determine the effectiveness of the lightning protection provided by overhead ground wires, used to protect the stations from direct lightning strokes, and by co-ordinating gaps, used in place of the more conventional lightning arresters to protect the power transformers from severe overvoltages.

Some Current Problems in Natural Gas Regulation

I REALIZE THAT, if I am not actually sticking my head into the lion's mouth by coming here today to speak to you and submit to your questioning, at least I am venturing well into the lion's den. For I am sure that there exists nowhere a more sophisticated and properly skeptical group of investment specialists than the membership of this National Federation of Financial Analysts Societies. I can only hope that-though I probably will not, like Daniel, emerge unscathed-there may be enough life left in the carcass to get me back to Washington to participate in the regular deliberations of the Federal Power Commission tomorrow morning.

The Natural Gas Industry

I AM PLEASED AND FLATTERED to be with you and also to speak on the same program with Commissioner Nelson Lee Smith of the Federal Power Commission, whom I often appear before in regulatory matters affecting the natural gas business. Although I have occasions to disagree with him, I respect the integrity of his thinking and have found him at all times willing to listen to an argument with an open mind. When Mr. Stathas asked me to appear before you I had some reluctance to talk about the natural gas industry to such a well-informed group. I had even more reluctance when he suggested that your principal interest would be in the problems of the industry and that my talk should be limited to about 25 minutes in order to allow ample time for questions. Your profession is to question, and your astuteness is well recognized. Though I am doubtful of my ability to answer your questions, I am prepared to try.

Introduction and Utilization of Natural Gas the Wisconsin Experience

Competition among the applicants to serve the Wisconsin market was very keen, and each applicant sought to outdo the other in demonstrating to the Commission its ability to furnish at the lowest rates all the gas the market would absorb. In addition, the applicants were willing to assume some of the burden of paying for the conversion of customer appliances, and two of the applicants were even willing to contribute money to reimburse distributing companies for production facilities to be abandoned after natural gas became available. The prospective city gate rates offered ranged from about 12 cents per thousand cubic feet to about 20 cents. The producers of gas in the Hugoton field in Kansas and Oklahoma were so anxious to obtain market outlets that they offered to pay some of the costs of conversion and the abandonment of facilities. The 1941 situation is in sharp contrast to that of 1949 when the pipeline to Wisconsin was completed. After protracted hearings at which the applicants were opposed by coal, railroad and labor interests, the Wisconsin Commission on January 2, 1942 issued a certificate of authority to one of the applicants subject, however, to several conditions. The most important condition was a time limitation for completion of the pipeline. The date of the order was about one month after Pearl Harbor. Subsequently, on February 7, 1942, the natural gas act was amended by Congress so as to give the Federal Power Commission jurisdiction over extension projects, such as those proposed for Wisconsin. The advent of the war and the necessity for obtaining federal approval led to the abandonment of the projects. During the ensuing years, Wisconsin became a natural gas battleground. Proponents were led by gas-distributing utilities, and certain agricultural and industrial interests who thought they would benefit from the introduction of natural gas. The opponents were led by railroad, coal and labor interests. The battle was waged principally in the legislature, although considerable pressure * Chief, Rates and Research Department, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The author prepared this article for, and presented it at a meeting of the Public Utilities Section of the annual convention of the American Economic Association at Chicago, December 29, 1952.

Federal Regulation of the Uses of Natural Gas

The Natural Gas Act of 1938, as amended in 1942, requires natural-gas companies subject to the act to obtain certificates of public convenience and necessity from the Federal Power Commission before transporting or selling natural gas in interstate commerce, as well as before acquiring, constructing, or extending facilities for those purposes. The issuance of such certificates is a conventional function of public-utility regulatory bodies, and the Commission has administered it in a conventional manner. The tests developed by the Commission to determine the “public convenience and necessity,” relating primarily to the adequacy of natural gas reserves, physical facilities, financial resources, and market demand, are commonplace standards, framed in the public-utility tradition to fit the economic and physical characteristics of the natural-gas industry. The real importance of the certificate power under the Natural Gas Act lies in the fact that issues raised in proceedings pursuant to it have transcended the scope of these standards, involving no less than an attempt to redefine in the broadest terms the public interest in respect to natural gas.

Waters. Public Rights. Secretary of Interior Has No Standing to Appeal Federal Power Commission Order Licensing Private Power Projects in River Basin Congressionally "Approved" for Development, nor Does "Approval" Deprive FPC of Licensing Jurisdiction

Waters. Public Rights. Secretary of Interior Has No Standing to Appeal Federal Power Commission Order Licensing Private Power Projects in River Basin Congressionally "Approved" for Development, nor Does "Approval" Deprive FPC of Licensing Jurisdiction

The hot spot rise simulator

THE NEED FOR accurate indicaton of hot spot temperatures under both steady-state and transient conditions is well known. This applies to rotating machines and cables as well as to transformers. The deficiences of the available hot spot indicators led to the development of the Hot Spot Rise Simulator. The goal was the production of a reliable instrument which could be tested and adjusted in the field by the relay engineer in the same way that he tests and adjusts an ordinary protective relay. Work was begun in 1946, and the first installations were made early in 1947 at two stations in the Niagara region of The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. All major power transformers purchased by this authority since early 1950 are being equipped with these devices.

Co-ordination of a power-line carrier network

RECENT EXPANSION in generating capacity of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, together with the policy of centralized control, has necessitated a power-line carrier channel mileage of approximately 16,000 operating over 2,600 circuit miles of the power network. Complexities in operating conditions and requirements, and a limited frequency spectrum, 50–200 kc, require quantitative measurements and consideration of the more important transmission factors in the co-ordination of a power-line carrier network.

Transmission Systems of The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario

Transmission Systems of The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario

Transmission and Distribution Grounding in The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario

Accepted grounding methods have been modified for use in areas having difficult grounding conditions. Satisfactory transmission line grounding in rocky areas is obtained economically where the improved methods are followed. Long rods are effective in reducing distribution neutral voltages to an acceptable sustained maximum of 15 volts, which introduces a negligible hazard. Measurements taken on an air-switch installation showed the superiority, over that with rods alone, of a grounding arrangement incorporating a mat or grid. On the basis of these tests, it is proposed to use such a mat to control the potentials possible between switch handle and ground. Personnel and equipment at generating stations under construction are protected from fault currents by connecting all equipment on the ungrounded distribution system to a common metallic circuit. Ground detectors are used if this arrangement is not practical. Completed stations are safely grounded both for power-frequency system faults and lightning surges. In most instances, separate grounding arrangements are necessary for each type of installation.

An Investigation of Economies of Large Size in Steam Stations

easier to analyze than the costs of other types of plants for two reasons: First, the product, electricity, is homogeneous in a physical sense, in contrast to the output of, say, a steel rolling mill. Second, the accounting records of steam stations approach comparability more closely than those of many types of plant owing to the uniform system of accounts prescribed by the Federal Power Commission and the several state public utility commissions. The present study was undertaken in the hope that with these advantages it would be possible to get some general notion, at least, of the relation between size of station and the cost of steam-generated power. It must be emphasized that this investigation is not a general study of the factors influencing the cost of power from steam stations. The rise in prices which has occurred in recent years, for example, is of interest only secondarily. The purpose of the investigation is specialized: it is to uncover the relation between size and cost, other things being equal. The work was undertaken with the fear that the results would be crude but in the

An Appraisal of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario

An Appraisal of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario

The Effects of Federal Power Commission Accounting Orders on Dividend Legality

The Effects of Federal Power Commission Accounting Orders on Dividend Legality