VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — PJM and Dominion Resources are conducting an end-of-life review to prioritize upgrades on the utility’s system, a project that could result in the creation of proposal windows.
Of the 106 facilities being studied, about half are at the 230-kV level, with most of the rest split between 115-kV and 500-kV lines. In total, the review is considering 2,350 miles of transmission.
PJM already has verified the need for upgrades to two 500-kV facilities: the 82-mile Mt. Storm-Valley line and the 23-mile Valley-Dooms span. The RTO said the loss of either facility could cause thermal and voltage problems.
Although some transmission owners have criteria for end-of-life facilities, others do not, treating them as supplemental projects.
The Markets and Reliability Committee agreed last month to form a task force to develop RTO-wide criteria for end-of-life transmission facilities. Proponents said uniform guidelines would help planners prioritize equipment replacement. Just two of 12 Transmission Owners voted in favor of the proposal. (See PJM TOs Oppose Proposal to Develop End-of-Life Criteria.)
According to industry guidelines, wood structures can last 35 to 55 years, conductors and connectors 40 to 60 years and porcelain insulators 50 years.
Planners Select Dominion-Transource Project to Address APSouth Congestion
PJM planners have selected a $292 million project by Dominion High Voltage Holdings and Transource Energy to reduce congestion in the APSouth interface.
Pending reliability and sensitivity analyses, PJM planners intend to recommend the market efficiency project to the Board of Managers in April.
It would tap the Conemaugh-Hunterstown 500-kV line and build a new 230-kV double circuit line between Rice and Ringgold. The plan also calls for building a new 230-kV double circuit line between Furnace Run and Conastone and rebuilding the Conastone-Northwest 230-kV line.
Planners added $10 million to the proposed $282 million cost, saying additional upgrades were required at the Ringgold transformers. The projected in-service date is 2020.
The project was selected from among a dozen projects culled from responses to a proposal window last year.
Planners said that the benefits of most competing projects were hurt by the need for optimal capacitors, and that several projects that passed the 1.25:1 benefit-cost test have minimal impacts on APSouth or increase congestion elsewhere in the RTO.
PJM said the Dominion/Transource proposal (project 9A) “consistently ranked highest in most categories,” with a 2.66 B/C ratio and $31 million savings in annual production costs.
In a WebEx session Thursday, planners expect to release the results of the reliability analysis on the project as well as the sensitivity analysis on several combination projects. They also will identify designated entities.
— Suzanne Herel