National Council on Electricity Policy

National Council on Electricity Policy

The National Council on Electricity Policy (NCEP) is a collaborative forum for state-level electricity decision-makers to share perspectives and learn from one another. NCEP focuses on the impact of pressing energy system issues on electricity policy and electricity customers, how different state decision-makers' roles influence their approaches, and how federal policies, regulations, and priorities affect state actions. All state officials and staff with roles that impact the energy system are considered members of NCEP, including representatives from state utility commissions, state energy offices, consumer advocate offices, state legislatures, governors’ offices, air quality agencies, and others.

NCEP facilitates an annual meeting, connections to virtual resources, and ongoing learning opportunities for members to explore multiple perspectives on complex electricity system issues.

Join Us!

NCEP hosts members-only and public events. To be added to our listserv, please make a profile through the MYNARUC web portal and subscribe to the NCEP listserv.

The National Council on Electricity Policy has been convening state officials and staff in 50 states since 1994, representing state utility commissioners, energy directors, legislators, air agency officials, consumer advocates, their staff, and others working on power sector interests. Since 2018, NCEP has examined the evolution of the transmission and distribution systems at their interface.

Mission and Values

A set of Guiding Principles guide NCEP in its purpose, administration, mission, and values. NCEP’s Mission Statement is:

The National Council on Electricity Policy (NCEP) is a collaborative forum for state-level electricity decision-makers to share perspectives and learn from one another. NCEP focuses on the impact of pressing energy system issues on electricity policy and electricity customers, how different state decision-makers' roles influence their approaches, and how federal policies, regulations, and priorities affect state actions. All state officials and staff with roles that impact the energy system are considered members of NCEP, including representatives from state utility commissions, state energy offices, consumer advocate offices, state legislatures, governors’ offices, air quality agencies, and others.

Scope

NCEP members act at the intersections of complex energy and electricity sector issues. NCEP forums focus on:

  • Energy system issues with a clear link to electricity customers.
  • Energy policies and regulations over which state-decision makers have a clear role, responsibility, or influence.
  • The impact that federal electricity policies and regulations have on state roles and state electricity policies.

NCEP will provide virtual and in-person opportunities to convene NCEP members, share perspectives, and provide education on various state decision-maker roles. NCEP will elevate existing and emerging resources on relevant electricity system issues of interest to members. When producing resources, NCEP will focus on sharing member perspectives and decision-maker roles within the electricity landscape.

Leadership

NCEP is led by a seventeen-person Executive Committee representing five regions and six types of state agencies. 

NCEP is an initiative facilitated by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners through the Center for Partnerships & Innovation. NCEP thanks the U.S. Department of Energy for its support.

NCEP hosts webinars and annual meetings to share resources and perspectives on current and emerging energy system issues that impact electricity policy and electricity customers.

Upcoming Events

Recent Meetings and Webinars

  • National Council on Electricity Policy Member Updates
    NCEP Member Updates provide virtual updates on recent and future activities and resources of the NCEP member organizations, including NASEO, NGA, NCSL, NACAA, NASUCA, and NARUC. These organizations represent the broad spectrum of decision makers impacting policy and implementation decisions related to the provision of electricity and the electric grid. See below for a recording of recent updates and the presentation slides to learn more about the latest resources and events across the six organizations.
  • Innovations in Electricity Modeling Training Series, October - November 2021
    NCEP and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory offered training on innovations in electricity system modeling, in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Participants learned:
    • What modeling tools and methods are available to plan distribution and bulk power systems with distributed energy resources (DERs), including comprehensive planning approaches.
    • How utilities analyze utility-scale and distributed storage in integrated resource planning, ways state officials can review the analysis, and how to improve evaluation of storage in planning.
    • How to assess technical and economic impacts of DERs for distribution and bulk power systems, and what changes are needed in load forecasting, potential assessments, and modeling to treat energy efficiency and demand response on a comparable basis to other resources during planning.
    • Ways to improve planning throughout the electricity system in the face of climate change.

    Presentations and recordings are available.

  • NCEP Annual Meeting 2021 – Coordinated Electricity Planning , September 13 – 15, 2021
    In 2021, the NCEP community explored developments in modern electricity planning techniques and tools to align planning processes across distribution, resource, and transmission planning.
  • Webinar: Approaches to Maximizing Existing Transmission Capacity, August 3, 2021
    This webinar featured a discussion of opportunities to maximize existing transmission line throughput as a near-term complement to planning for and building new transmission.

To be added to our listserv, please make a profile through the MYNARUC web portal and subscribe to the NCEP listserv.

Contact us with any questions about NCEP:

Danielle Sass Byrnett, Senior Director