Blackmon: Competition, Not Monopoly Control, The Answer To Grid Reliability
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By David Blackmon
Published on April 4, 2026.
The article discusses the rise in electricity prices or investment lags, rather than the rise or investment delays, as claimed by Exelon CEO, Calvin Butler, CEO of Exelons, who claimed Independent Power Producers (IPPs) are guilty of intentionally underinvesting in new projects to capitalize off market scarcity. The author argues that IPPs like Vistra, Calpine, NRG, and Constellation are fierce competitors who bid into energy, capacity, and ancillary service markets that pit one generator against another in real time. The article also criticizes the role of independent market monitoring within PJM, which is designed to detect anti-competitive behavior and enforce anti-trust actions when necessary. However, the author concludes that the real threat to PJM's success is not market design, but special interest politics, rather market design. The solution to the issue is predictable, market rules, predictable market rules and faster interconnection.
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