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U.S. Department of Energy Associate Deputy Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons has a message for electric utilities from the Trump administration: “We all have the same goals” for affordable, reliable and secure energy systems.
Fitzsimmons sought to deliver that message at the Edison Electric Institute’s annual conference in Las Vegas this week, where the dominant theme was balancing demand growth with affordability — underscored by the presence of dozens of protesters who disrupted the conference to demand action on rising electricity costs.
Utility Dive caught up with Fitzsimmons at the conference to talk electricity markets, rising demand, coal plant emergency orders and more. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
UTILITY DIVE: DOE under this administration is taking a more direct role in pushing for changes that have implications for wholesale electricity markets. The proposed backstop auction in PJM is just one example. Should the executive branch play a more active role in wholesale electricity markets?
