By Michael Kuser

FERC on Friday approved NYISO’s proposed Tariff revisions “to clarify, streamline and enhance” its public policy transmission planning process.

The commission’s Feb. 8 order accepted changes that include a provision to hold a technical conference prior to issuing a solicitation on a public policy transmission need (PPTN). Another provision removes a requirement that the ISO wait to evaluate and select a project until the New York Public Service Commission issues an order confirming a PPTN (ER19-528).

FERC noted that the ISO’s related planning report, issued following project evaluation, “will identify the information and sources relied upon” in addition to describing “assumptions, inputs, methodologies and results, which will allow developers to see how NYISO applied all of the metrics in selecting the more efficient or cost-effective solution” to any PPTN.

The commission found the Tariff changes additionally ensure transparency by requiring that a related project description in an interconnection application or request contain “the same electrical characteristics, related modeling information and contingency information to perform all analyses, including thermal, voltage, stability, short circuit and transfer limit analysis” as the project information submitted in the planning process.

The changes also call for NYISO to post a brief description of project proposals on its website within five business days after the close of the solicitation window. It must also make available, at least 30 calendar days prior to the viability and sufficiency assessment, project proposals with confidential information redacted.

Under the new rules, developers must provide a major milestone schedule and an expected in-service date for proposals, and also provide a transmission and substation routing study and demonstrate that they have or will have the property rights necessary to implement the project.

The new rules became effective Feb. 10.

NYISO’s Board of Directors in December issued a mixed decision on the ISO Management Committee’s selections for a major PPTN — the AC Public Policy Transmission Project — accepting the committee’s recommendation for one segment, but switching the other to a competing proposal by National Grid and New York Transco. (See NYISO Board Partially Reverses AC Tx Project Selection.)