TEPPC 2015 Work Plan
Conducting and Reporting on TEPPC Planning Studies
Transmission Expansion Planning (TEP) Department
January, 2015
Updated 02-02-2015
155 North 400 West, Suite 200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84103-1114
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Executive Summary
In 2013, WECC published the 2013 WECC Interconnection-wide Transmission Plan. This collection of
documents, totaling approximately 1,800 pages, as well as a large number of accompanying
presentations, was a comprehensive report on transmission planning activities completed in the
preceding two years.
In 2014, WECC began a discussion with TEPPC and its stakeholders to explore the question, “how can
Transmission Expansion Planning (TEP) staff and TEPPC report most effectively on their planning
activities?” TEPPC and its stakeholders reviewed multiple whitepapers and presentations to consider
alternate reporting approaches. In October, 2014, TEPPC and the SPSG unanimously approved a
“hybrid” approach to reporting1 that would keep the most valuable existing products and adopt new
reporting techniques and tools to provide greater efficiency in understanding the importance and
impact of the results of planning studies.
This report offers details on a possible implementation approach to the “hybrid” reporting system for
consideration and review by TEPPC.
1
At its October 29-30, 2014 meeting, TEPPC unanimously approved a motion to implement the Hybrid reporting structure
as outlined in the white paper on Adapting WECC’s Interconnection-wide Transmission Plan.
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Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1
Hybrid Approach Overview ............................................................................................................... 1
1. Maintaining a Public Database of Planning Data and Models ......................................................... 3
2. Facilitating an Interconnection-Wide Transmission Expansion Planning Process .......................... 3
3. Performing Technical, Reliability and Economic Analysis of the Western Interconnection ........... 3
4. Preparing Interconnection-Wide Reliability Assessment Report .................................................... 4
TEPPC Work Products ........................................................................................................................ 4
Section 1: Public Database of Planning Data and Models ................................................................... 6
Section 2: Interconnection-Wide Transmission Expansion Reliability Assessment Process .................. 7
Section 3: Technical, Reliability and Economic Analyses of the Western Interconnection ................... 8
Section 4: Interconnection-Wide Reliability Assurance Report ........................................................... 9
Timeline.......................................................................................................................................... 12
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Introduction
The expanding magnitude and scope of WECC’s transmission expansion planning activities have
amplified the challenges in reporting study results. In recent years, the Interconnection-wide
Transmission Plan has grown and evolved considerably as it has attempted to cover the “issue dejour:” summarize and evaluate each study evaluated in written form, and meet the information needs
of a broad range of stakeholders. The 2013 WECC Interconnection-wide Transmission Plan totaled
approximately 1,800 pages, including summaries, 10- and 20-year study reports, path reports and
appendices. The presentation materials used to discuss the Plan with stakeholders added hundreds of
additional pages. In view of the current issues, studies, reports and stakeholder information requests,
it may no longer be feasible to continue the current process where all information is rolled into a single
document. Stakeholders can have difficultly identifying the most critical nuggets of information in a
document that spans 1,800 pages.
In 2014, TEPPC reviewed several whitepapers and presentations that offered alternative methods for
reporting on its transmission analysis activities. In October, 2014, both TEPPC and the Scenario
Planning Steering Group (SPSG) unanimously approved a “hybrid” reporting approach that would
synthesize the best elements of timely reporting, efficient report preparation and review and
comprehensively and timely reviewing issues that significantly impact WECC’s ability to assure the
reliability of the Bulk Electric System in the Western Interconnection.
Additionally, in 2014, WECC CEO James Robb introduced the Integrated Reliability Assurance Model
(IRAM) designed to identify, analyze and address the top reliability challenges facing the Western
Interconnection. The IRAM applies WECC’s unique perspective as the reliability assurer for the
Western Interconnection to integrate ongoing activities in Registered Entity oversight, reliability
planning, performance analysis and stakeholder outreach. Its goal is to leverage WECC’s
independence, expertise and analytical capabilities to provide value-added services to assure the
reliability of the Western Interconnection.
This paper attempts to develop in greater detail how WECC, through TEPPC, the TEP Department and
stakeholders in the Western Interconnection, could complete its work that supports the goals of IRAM
and report timely, efficiently and effectively on their activities through each planning cycle.
Hybrid Approach Overview2
During review of reporting alternatives in July through September of 2014, TEPPC stakeholders
expressed their general support for an issue-based reporting system that would facilitate timely
reporting on significant planning issues. But, they also voiced concerns that eliminating a transmission
2
See “Adapting WECC’s Interconnection-wide Transmission Plan.”
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plan such as the one created in 2013 could sacrifice the broad, regional perspective on transmission
planning that WECC’s Interconnection-wide planning activities offer. Stakeholders wanted assurance
that WECC would maintain its ability to connect various planning studies, review trends across the
Western Interconnection, evaluate planning-related policies with analytical studies and maintain the
option of preparing an Interconnection-wide reliability assessment and transmission plan.
To address these concerns, the hybrid approach would preserve the flexibility and timeliness of the
issue-based reporting system while including biennial Interconnection-wide reviews to provide broad
guidance and perspective.
There are four primary elements to the hybrid approach:
1. Maintaining a public database of planning data and models;
2. Facilitating an Interconnection-wide transmission expansion planning process;
3. Performing and reporting on technical, reliability and economic analyses of the Western
Interconnection; and
4. Preparing a bi- or triennial Interconnection-wide reliability assessment report. Such a report
could constitute a plan reflecting the most likely future for a 10- year planning horizon to
include forecast loads, policies, generation and transmission and an assessment of strategic
planning options in the 20-year planning horizon.
TEPPC 2015 Work Plan
Public Data Base Interconnectionof Data and
wide Planning
Models
Process
Technical and
Economic
Analyses and
Reports
Bi- or Triennial
Interconnectionwide
Transmission
Plan
TEPPC and TEP Work Products
The following are descriptions of the key elements of the hybrid approach:
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1. Maintaining a Public Database of Planning Data and Models
In 2014 the TEP Department has been migrating to a continual update process designed to better
maintain the core planning databases such as the 10-year Common Case and the 20-year Reference
Case. Under the hybrid approach, this process and its associated stakeholder engagement would not
change. TEP would continue to release the Common Case periodically with key updates, thereby
supporting the planning regions and other stakeholders as much as possible. Supporting datasets, such
as capital costs and environmental data, would continue with their current processes – some are
reviewed biennially (capital costs) and others are updated continually (environmental data). WECC
studies conducted under the hybrid approach would rely on the “best data” available at that time.
2. Facilitating an Interconnection-Wide Transmission Expansion Planning Process
Under the hybrid approach, TEPPC would continue to facilitate an Interconnection-wide planning
process. Significant activities would include:

Stakeholder meetings (at least quarterly) to discuss pertinent planning issues, coordinate
regional efforts, review WECC study results, and advise WECC on study priorities and industry
needs. This could result in more frequent stakeholder input (compared to past years) to TEP’s
prioritization process to ensure that ongoing work reflects current priorities across the Western
Interconnection.

Monthly coordination calls of all interested parties to allow continuing updates on current
events and products and to encourage regional groups and sub-regions to report their pressing
activities and products.

Working group and task force meetings as needed to continue the work with which they are
charged.

An update to the TEPPC Planning Protocol, which guides the current Interconnection-wide
planning process, to reflect minor changes in the process that have already been made, as well
as to account for changes embedded in the hybrid approach. However, WECC would maintain
the core philosophies behind the protocol, such as implementing an integrated planning
process, conducting an annual open season and prioritizing the annual study program.
3. Performing Technical, Reliability and Economic Analysis of the Western Interconnection
TEP Plans to continue using power flow tools to model reliability studies, a production cost model to
complete studies in the 10-year planning horizon and a capital expansion model to complete 20-year
studies. Key features of WECC’s reporting on technical and economic analyses include:

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Releasing study reports as they are available, rather than holding them for release en masse as
part of a biennial report;
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

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Working with TEPPC and its stakeholders to continually prioritize WECC’s reliability assessment
work;
Completing reports on specific reliability issues that may arise over the course of the year
initiated either by TEP staff or by TEPPC’s stakeholders; and
Streamlining reporting to use the most appropriate format, ranging from Power Point slide
decks to comprehensive reports, to share the information needed to communicate impactful
planning results.
Under this approach, TEPPC could devote a portion of their quarterly meetings to reviewing the study
prioritization, study progress, and dataset development needs. Adjustments to the study prioritization
could be made continually by TEPPC or a TEPPC sub-group working in collaboration with WECC staff.
Importantly, TEPPC would maintain the open study season and initial SWG/TAS prioritization process.
An optional enhancement could be for TEPPC to request study themes from stakeholders as opposed
to specific project oriented studies. This would help to streamline the study development process,
possibly cutting a 4-5 month process down to 1-2 months.
4. Preparing Interconnection-Wide Reliability Assurance Report
The hybrid option repurposes, rather than eliminates, an interconnection-wide report. The report
could be created biennially or triennially through a robust stakeholder process, with the focus of the
document shifting to one or more of the following areas:
1. Summary and synthesis of WECC work products;
2. Summary and synthesis of Regional Planning Group activities and products; and/or
3. Policy and planning observations.
WECC recognizes that the options above for a repurposed Plan are not exhaustive and stakeholders
likely have a number of additional ideas that need to be considered. Importantly, listing these options
above is not intended to: (1) suggest that all of these options are feasible or needed for a single Plan
document (this would undo one of our goals, which is to simplify) or (2) necessitate that a report
feature one or more of the three theme areas listed above.
TEPPC Work Products
Over the past several years, TEPPC has created and distributed many different work products. The
following work products have been identified as priorities for 2015:
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Table 1: TEPPC Work Products
Data
Tools
Reports


Power Flow and Round Trip


Production Cost Model

(PCM) (WECC currently uses

GridView)
10-Year Common Case
(including load and
resource assumptions,
wind and solar profiles,
load shapes, hydro
shapes, fuel prices, CCTA,
unit commitment data)

20-Year Reference Case

Wind and Solar Profiles
(aggregated NREL
profiles)

Resource and
Transmission Capital
Costs

Capital Expansion Model
(CEM) (“Long-Term
Planning Tool”)

Environmental Data Viewer

Environmental Risk
Classification System

WECC Project Information
Portal

Capital Cost Calculator

Preferred Environmental
Data

Steady-State and Dynamic
Models (GE-PSLF)

Advanced model
development


Climate Change data
affecting reliability risks
Supporting Models (windsolar, flexible reserve,
demand response dispatch,
load forecasting)
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Common Case Transmission Assumptions
Annual TEPPC Study Programs
Issue-Based Reports (specific topics determined by staff,
TEPPC and stakeholders)
o Policy issues needing further development
o Technical Reports on Transmission Planning Issues
(proactive and by request, e.g. EPA Clean Power
Plan analyses and Flexibility Assessment)
o Consultant Reports

10-Year Study Case Reports (based on PCM and power
flow analyses)

20-Year Study Case Reports (based on capital expansion
analysis)

Bi/Triennial Report—Interconnection-wide Overview of
Previous Two/Three Years’ Work. This could take the
form of an Integrated generation and transmission future
plan (based on the Common Case), as appropriate
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Section 1: Public Database of Planning Data and Models
WECC will maintain the public database of planning data and models that stakeholders in the Western
Interconnection have come to value and use in their own planning activities. The proposed schedule
for creating and updating these databases and tools is as follows:
Database/Tool
Creation/Update Schedule
Databases

Created at the start of each study cycle based on
new power flow, transmission, loads and resources

Updated continually as better data becomes
available until new Common Case is created

Dependent on 10-Year Common Case as a starting
point

Created biennially at the start of each study cycle

Updated continually as better data becomes
available
Wind and Solar Profiles

Created and updated as needed per Study Program
Resource and Transmission Capital Costs

Updated each study cycle as needed
Preferred Environmental Data

Updated continually during each study cycle based
on responses from Open Season requests and other
available data
Advanced Model Development

Updated as needed
Climate Change Data Affecting Reliability
Risks

Created as part of scenario development process

Updated periodically as better data becomes
avaialble

Procured in 2014

No current plans for updates

Created in 2012
10-Year Common Case
20-Year Reference Case
Tools
Production Cost Model
Long-Term Planning Tool
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Database/Tool
Creation/Update Schedule

Updated periodically to include new and improved
functionality

Created in 2013

Updated periodically to include new and improved
functionality

Created in 2011

Updated periodically to include new and improved
functionality

Created in 2011

Updated continually as needed
Capital Cost Calculator

Updated during each study cycle
Steady-State and Dynamic Models (GE
PSLF)

Updated periodically as revisions and improvements
become avaialable
Supporting Models

Updated periodically as revisions and improvements
become avaialable
Environmental Data Viewer
Environmental Risk Classification System
WECC Project Information Portal
Section 2: Interconnection-Wide Transmission Expansion Reliability Assessment
Process
WECC recognizes that collaborating continually with stakeholders in the Western Interconnection is
critical to effective planning and will continue to facilitate an Interconnection-wide transmission
expansion planning process. Several groups and activities comprise this function with the following
primary elements:
1. TEPPC Committees, Subcommittees, Task Forces and Work Groups. As of the beginning of 2015,
several stakeholder-led groups contribute regularly and significantly to the success of planning
activities in the Western Interconnection. These include TEPPC, TAS, DWG, MWG, SWG, SPSG,
EDTF and MDTF, all of which will continue for the foreseeable future. Each of these groups is
charged with focusing on one or more specific perspectives within the transmission planning
function and will continue to report to other stakeholders on their activities through in-person
meetings, webinars and written reports.
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2. In-Person and Remote Meetings. TEPPC, the SPSG and TAS currently meet in-person quarterly
to review ongoing activities, make decisions on current planning functions and conduct
technical sessions to advance knowledge on timely planning issues. In addition, these and other
stakeholder groups hold periodic informational sessions to share information among their
members and with stakeholders generally. These information-sharing vehicles will continue as
part of TEPPC.
3. Regional Planning Groups. Within the Western Interconnection, Regional Planning Groups
coordinate planning activities within their portion of the Western Interconnection. WECC will
continue to facilitate discussion, decision-making and information-sharing among Regional
Planning Groups within the Western Interconnection.
4. Designated Stakeholder Working Groups. Transmission planning in the Western
Interconnection is a dynamic activity and collaboration needs may arise and change over the
course of a year. WECC will create designated stakeholder working groups as needed to address
significant planning needs. As an example, in 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
proposed the Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon emissions. Such an effort may justify creating
a stakeholder working group to facilitate collaboration on the impacts of state implementation
plans.
Section 3: Technical, Reliability and Economic Analyses of the Western
Interconnection
In preparing the 2013 WECC Interconnection-wide Transmission Plan, TEP staff created reports on
individual short-term and long-term study cases and held them for publication as parts of the
comprehensive transmission plan. During 2015, TEP would instead release study case results and
reports as they are available, thus reducing the burden on staff and stakeholders of creating and
reviewing a very large body of information as a single event.
The following is a starting point for defining and prioritizing reports on technical and economic
analyses within the Western Interconnection.
Report
Format
Timing
Annual Open Season

Email request to TEPPC
stakeholders


Stakeholders can request
specific studies or study
themes
Open season runs from
January 1 through January 31
of each year.

Study and theme requests

February 1 through March
Annual Study Case Request
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Report
Format
Prioritization
Timing
prioritized by TEP staff and
approved by TAS and TEPPC
31 of each year
Work Prioritization

Review and, as necessary,
reprioritization of TEP
planning activities

Quarterly review by TEPPC or
designated task force
10-Year (PCM) Study Case
Reports

Power Point slide decks
and/or written reports

As studies are completed
20-Year (LTPT) Study Case
Reports

Power Point slide decks
and/or written reports

As studies are completed
Issue-Based Reports

Written reports with length
appropriate to subject

As needed


WECC report on topics
not covered by study
cases
Consultant Reports
Section 4: Interconnection-Wide Reliability Assurance Report
Stakeholders were clear in 2014 that a comprehensive transmission report similar to the 2013 WECC
Interconnection-wide Transmission Plan is not the most useful way to present the information.
Stakeholders were equally clear, however, on their desire for WECC to present an easier-tocomprehend/review report that presents an Interconnection-wide perspective on planning issues and
unanimously supported the hybrid approach that includes the option of preparing a plan.
While there is much room to create the most effective structure for an Interconnection-wide report
and plan, TEP staff offers the following outline as a starting point for discussion:
Section
Description
1. Overview
1.1. Executive Summary
Condensed version of major findings of the report.
2. Introduction
2.1. Introduction
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Alignment of the report with WECC’s strategic
objectives and IRAM.
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Section
Description
3. Context
3.1. 2014—The Current World
Brief description of the current context with a
reference to the State of the Interconnection
report for more detail.
3.2. 2024—The Expected Future
Description of the 10-year expected future
(expected transmission built in next 10 years,
resource availability, loads, use of Common Case)
3.3. 2034—Plausible Futures
Description of four WECC scenarios; use of
Reference Case.
4. Analyses
4.1. 2024 Common Case and 10-year
Production Cost Model (PCM) studies
Regional study results:





4.2. 20-year capital expansion studies
Regional study results:





4.3. Cost Analyses
4.4. Round Trip Analysis
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Identified themes
Information learned
Reliability/congestion/utilization concerns
across all studies
Theme analyses/studies that would be
helpful in the future
Use of visualizations wherever possible
Costs for providing a reliable transmission system:



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Identified themes
Information learned
Reliability/congestion/utilization concerns
across all studies
Theme analyses/studies that would be
helpful in the future
Use of visualizations wherever possible
L E C T R I C I T Y
Capital costs
Production costs
Levelized cost of energy (LCOE)
Establish consistency between power flow and
production cost model (PCM) analyses:
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Section
Description






4.5. Current Regional Planning Efforts





Import network definition from AC power
flow into PCM
Solve in PCM
Establish common assumptions
Assess flexibility concerns
Significant activities undertaken by RPGs
Trends/issues that WECC can assist with or
be engaged in
Additional studies that might be useful
How RPGs are using WECC’s data (e.g.,
Common Case)
Review of the regional plans and analysis
of findings
Development and critique of integrated
Interconnection-wide plan that emerges
from consolidating regional plans
Identification of seams issues and
recommended solutions
5. Reliability Issues (possible issues shown below—recommended issues to be solicited from TEPPC)
5.1. Flexibility needed to integrate
intermittent resources
Assess reliability issues associated with:



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Flexibility issues related to integrating
higher levels of renewable resources
Summary of results from the E3 study;
Reliability concerns associated with the
evolving world of new forms of generation
and load in main planning timeframes
(current, 2024 and 2034).
5.2. Gas-electric interface
Concerns regarding gas transmission capacity, gas
scheduling or other gas-related issues as they
affect electric reliability
5.3. Energy-water-climate change nexus
Reliability issues and risks identified related to the
nexus between energy, water and climate change
5.4. Integrated Reliability Assurance Model
(IRAM) Reliability Issues
Short (1/2 – 1 page) summary of progress made on
IRAM Reliability Issues over the past 6-12 months.
5.5. Aging assets and retirement of major
Concerns regarding the retirement of aging base
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Section
Description
base load resources
load resources and their replacements in main
timeframes (2024 and 2034)
5.6. Planning for uncertainty
Findings from the Johns Hopkins University study
and how stakeholders can apply them to
transmission planning
5.7. Unifying Planning Efforts and Tools
Lessons learned about unifying the tools used and
the planning efforts going on in the Western
Interconnection
Examples: Reconciling resources internally and
externally to WECC, round-trip between PCM and
PF, round-trip between LTPT and PCM, and
examples of coordination with other entities
(soliciting RPG activities for inclusion in TEPPC
Work Plan).
6. Recommended Actions

6.1. Priorities for infrastructure


Areas of the Interconnection that should be
the focus of enhancements to the
infrastructure in the immediate future
Possible solutions to identified issues
Recommended priorities for addressing
infrastructure issues
6.2. Priorities for policy
Policy issues that federal/state/regional policy
makers should consider over the next two, five, 10
or 20 years, based on results from transmission
planning studies
6.3. Integrated Reliability Assurance Model
WECC’s priorities over the next two, five, 10 and 20
years to be able to implement the IRAM and how it
plans to track progress
Timeline
The following is a suggested timeline for how the activities that comprise the TEPPC Work Plan could
be completed in the next two years.
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Figure 1: TEPPC 2015 Work Plan Timeline 2015-2016
2015
ID
Task Name
Start
Jan
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Complete and Report on 2024 Common
Case
Complete and Report on 2034 Reference
Case
Complete and Report on 10-Year (PCM)
Study Cases
Complete and Report on 20-Year (LTPT)
Study Case
Publish Issue-Based Reports
Prepare and Review 2015 Transmission
Plan
Review and Approve 2015 Transmission
Plan
Conduct 2016 Open Season
Review and Approve 2016 TEPPC Study
Program
Create 2026 Common Case and 2036
Reference Case
Review Resource and Transmission Capital
Costs
Complete and Report on 10-Year and 20Year Study Cases
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11/3/2014
3/30/2015
2/2/2015
4/27/2015
2/2/2015
6/30/2015
3/2/2015
6/30/2015
3/2/2015
9/30/2015
7/1/2015
9/30/2015
10/1/2015
11/30/2015
1/1/2016
1/29/2016
2/1/2016
3/31/2016
1/1/2016
3/31/2016
3/1/2016
6/30/2016
7/1/2016
12/30/2016
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2016
Finish
E
Feb
Mar
L E C T R I C I T Y
Apr
May
C
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
O O R D I N A T I N G
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
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O U N C I L
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec