Duke Energy, Southern Confirm Talks on Creation of Regional Energy Market

Duke Energy Corp. and Southern Co. have confirmed the companies are in early discussions with other Southeast utilities on the creation of a regional energy exchange.

Jennifer Chen, senior counsel for federal energy policy at the Nicholas Institute, told S&P Global Market Intelligence that success of the exchange "will really depend on how much the utilities contribute in terms of transmission capacity as well as what they're selling and buying on the energy imbalance market." Chen added that having an independent entity run the exchange "helps to ensure fairness and transparency."