AP South and the Cleveland interface attracted the most attention in PJM’s inaugural window for proposed market efficiency upgrades.

PJM staff provided the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee last week with a summary of 17 proposals ranging from $200,000 to $64 million.

Merchant developer LS Power was the most ambitious, proposing four projects totaling $181 million in eight zones. Transource (American Electric Power and Great Plains Energy) was second, proposing three projects in the AEP and ATSI zones totaling $135.5 million.

The three incumbent utilities that took part — Commonwealth Edison, Dominion Virginia Power and FirstEnergy — all stayed at home, with proposals in their own transmission zones. Duke (with partner American Transmission Co.) did the same, proposing one project in the Duke Ohio-Kentucky zone.

AP South

AP South attracted seven congestion relief proposals.

Transource proposed two alternatives to address congestion at AP South and the AEP-Dominion interface. The cheaper option features a 500 kV substation with series capacitors at a cost of $39.3 million. A second builds on the first with additional series compensation at an extra $24 million.

Dominion proposed three projects incorporating Thyrister-controlled series capacitors at costs ranging from $20.1 million to $24.6 million (total cost $69.4 million).

FirstEnergy and LS Power made pitches for AP South and the Hunterstown 230/115 kV line with projects of $54.3 million and $61.7 million, respectively.

Separately, LS Power proposed a new Hunterstown-Cumberland 230 kV line and substation improvements for $63.9 million. FirstEnergy proposed spending $8 million to add a 230/115 kV transformer and reconductor the Hunterstown-Oxford 115 kV line.

Cleveland Interface

FirstEnergy, LS Power and Transource each proposed projects to relieve congestion at the Cleveland Interface.

The most expensive is FirstEnergy’s $61.7 million proposal to improve a 138 kV substation in the ATSI zone.

LS Power’s $44.9 million project, which includes the ATSI and PENELEC zones, would add a new Erie West–Ashtabula 345 kV line and a 345/138 kV transformer.

Transource offered the least costly project, a new 138 kV substation in the ATSI zone at a cost of $32.9 million.

Next Steps

PJM’s request for congestion relief proposals was its first under Order 1000, in which the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sought to increase competition by largely eliminating utilities’ monopoly over transmission development in their territories.

Proposals must clear a minimum 1.25 benefit-to-cost threshold to be considered by the Board of Managers for inclusion in the Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. PJM staff will review the projects through January and make recommendations to the Board in February.

PJM will conduct independent cost reviews on projects exceeding $50 million and on those below $50 million that have tight benefit-cost margins, said PJM’s Paul McGlynn.