The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will share information and regulatory practices with India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) under an agreement signed by representatives of both entities.

The agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by FERC Commissioner Philip Moeller and CERC’s Chairman, Dr. Pramod Deo, is effective until June 30, 2010.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to work closely with our counterparts in the world’s largest democracy,” Moeller said. “Sharing information and regulatory experiences can only benefit the work that both commissions do to ensure that consumers enjoy the benefits of competitive markets in our respective countries.”

The MOU involves the following activities:

• Identification of energy-related issues and development of topics and possible agendas for exchanging information and regulatory practices;
• Visits by commissioners and/or staff to each other’s regulatory facilities;
• Participation in seminars, visits and exchanges;
• Development of programs of mutual interest; and
• Sharing of information by providing speakers on energy issues.

The MOU also covers such topics as: development and oversight of power markets; regulatory initiatives for investing in the power sector; the integration of renewable sources of energy into the electricity grid; pricing of transmission services; regulatory oversight of grid reliability; technical training; common standards for metering to ensure interoperability with components of distribution systems; development of smart grids; and regulatory support for energy efficiency.