Dive Brief:
- The Western Power Pool on Monday released a paper that outlines a proposed concept for a West-wide effort – called the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition – to build “an actionable transmission plan” for the region.
- Current transmission planning processes in the West, which were established under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Orders 890 and 1000, have not identified new transmission solutions that lead to building out new projects, the concept paper noted. “The limited nature of regional planning also handicaps the broader West in developing inter-regional transmission solutions,” it says.
- This discussion comes against the broader backdrop of a push to create a West-wide regional transmission organization. “A lot of this stuff that we’re looking at is because we don’t see the certainty in the timing of a West-wide RTO coming any time super soon,” Sarah Edmonds, WPP President and CEO, said. “But we can’t wait around for that to happen to have important region-wide discussions on things like resource adequacy, and this potential new approach for looking at transmission.”
Dive Insight:
Western transmission planning is performed under NorthernGrid, WestConnect and the California Independent System Operator. NorthernGrid and WestConnect, both planning regions, were created in response to FERC Orders 890 and 1000.
But “what we have seen since implementing those orders under the various transmission provider tariffs is a very thorough and compliant transmission planning process – but actually, not a lot of new transmission projects being identified out of that process,” Edmonds said.
One of the most common critiques of the current system is that, especially for regions that aren’t part of a regional transmission organization or independent system operator, cost allocation implications for FERC-jurisdictional transmission providers have created a chilling effect on the overall process, she said.
“For us in the West, that risk of getting a cost allocation that you cannot really predict or control, and there’s no real clear tariff apparatus for how to implement it, that has been a real challenge,” she added.
Given the dynamic energy landscape in the West, “it’s become very clear that real transmission solutions need to get identified,” Edmonds added. That’s exactly what this concept paper seeks to do. The Western Transmission Expansion Coalition “is interested in engaging with the region to explore a new approach for West-wide transmission planning that will result in an actionable transmission plan to address regional and inter-regional needs.”
The paper itself proposes a participation structure for this effort, and identifies some ideas for various committees that can begin the work. These are just proposals at the moment, and the paper seeks feedback on them. One of those groups would be a technical task force, which eventually could develop a scope for an actionable transmission plan, which will in turn inform what resources and funding the group will need. Edmonds hopes that after the comment period closes Oct. 31, the various committees will be put together in November and December.
The group has also been talking to many regional utilities, including PacifiCorp.
“PacifiCorp is aware of and has been involved in the development of this proposal. The company is supportive of many of these objectives, and we recognize there is much work ahead to move the initiative forward,” utility spokesperson David Eskelsen said in an email.
