Gas-Fired Power Shortfalls Suggest Need to Reward Reliability

Energy markets and grid operators should reward gas-fired power plants for showing up to prevent outages—and come down harder on plants that fail to produce when needed, the head of North America’s reliability agency said Tuesday.

Meeting the country’s climate goals depends on sending regulatory and market signals to natural gas projects as a “bridge” to a future driven by renewable energy, said Jim Robb, president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

“Here’s the thing that terrifies me in this transition,” Robb said. “Your point of view on the length of that bridge dictates an awful lot ...