In June Duke Energy, Southern Company and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) let an early idea slip out that the South Eastern USA could have its own “voluntary regional energy exchange” and had begun to garner support for it. This week, concerned that no-one is asking the consumer or the renewables industry for their say in the matter, a paper was released from policy consultant Energy Innovation and forecaster Vibrant Clean Energy, showing how if the job is done properly and a fully configured Regional Transmission Operator (RTO) is created, it will lead to massive cost savings and price cuts for consumers. The worry is that if the project is controlled by a handful of investor owned monopoly power companies,…