Transmission Planning –
A National Perspective
Lauren Azar
Senior Advisor to the Secretary
U. S. Department of Energy
May 31, 2013 – WI Public Utilities Institute
Federal Role in Transmission Planning
FERC: latest = Order 1000
NERC: compliance with reliability standards
DOE: funding for interconnection-wide planning, R&D in
transmission modeling, convening stakeholders
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FERC/NERC = regulatory agencies
DOE = research, convening and direct ownership of
transmission
FERC Order 1000
FERC Order 1000 – Transmission Planning
Four requirements for planning:
1. Process must satisfy Order No. 890 and
produces a regional transmission plan.
2. Must consider needs driven by public policy
requirements and evaluate proposed
solutions.
3. Eliminate ROFRs for new lines.
4. Utilities in neighboring transmission planning
regions must look for coordinated solutions.
FERC Order 1000 – Cost Allocation
Three requirements for cost allocation:
1. Utilities must participate in regional planning
process with a regional cost allocation method.
Method must satisfy six cost allocation principles.
2. Utilities in neighboring regions must have a
common interregional cost-allocation method for
new interregional lines.
3. Participant-funding of new transmission facilities
is permitted, but is not allowed as the regional or
interregional cost allocation method.
Boundary lines are approximated and based on the best
publicly available geographic information from planning
regional participants. For illustrative purposes only.
FERC Order 1000 –
Compliance Filings and Decisions
Example FERC decisions:
• Duke
• MISO
• ISO NE
• NY ISO
• CAISO
• West Connect
• NTTG
Interconnection-Wide
Planning
Interconnection Wide: The East
Combined Federal Climate and Energy • Nationwide implementation
• Economy-wide carbon emissions reduced by 50% from 2005 levels in 2030 and 80%
in 2050;
• Meet 30% of nation’s electricity requirements from renewables by 2030;
• Significant deployment of energy efficiency measures, demand response,
distributed generation, smart grid, and other low-carbon technologies
National Renewable Portfolio Standard –
• Regional implementation
• 30% of the nation’s electricity requirements from renewables by 2030
Business as Usual
• Existing conditions including load growth, existing Renewable Portfolio Standards,
and current proposed environmental regulations.
Scenario 1: Combined Federal Climate and Energy Policy
Scenario 2: Nat’l RPS with Regional Implementation
Scenario 3: Business as Usual
Eastern Interconnection: Energy Zones
Create a "clean energy resources atlas" - provide
information, tools and support to states who wish to
identify these types of zones
Some states may ID zones in 2013
DOE Triennial
Congestion Study &
NIETCs
NIETCs
1. DOE’s Triennial Congestion Study.
2. DOE Secretary designates NIETCs.
3. Developers of lines within NIETCs may submit
a construction application to FERC.
4. Under certain circumstances, FERC can issue
an application that includes federal eminent
domain powers.
The End