By Suzanne Herel

Dominion Resources is asking FERC to rehear two related February decisions in which the commission reversed a previous order and ruled that transmission projects that solely address a transmission owner’s local planning criteria are not eligible for regional cost allocation (ER15-1387).

In its first application of the rule, FERC said Dominion was solely responsible for the cost of its $160 million, 500-kV Cunningham-Elmont rebuild (ER15-1344). (See FERC Does 180 on Local Tx Cost Allocation in PJM.)

Dominion also has filed a protest of PJM’s compliance filing, which FERC required in its February determination.

The company requested that FERC rule on the rehearing request at the same time it decides on PJM’s compliance filing.

Also asking for rehearing are Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, LSP Transmission Holdings and ITC Mid-Atlantic Development.

Meanwhile, PJM requested a clarification on how it should apply the new methodology to certain projects in its Regional Transmission Expansion Plan.

In its rehearing request, Dominion argued that its proposal has regional benefits and is unlike 98% of Form 715 projects whose costs are designated to the local TO because they deliver only local benefits.

“The other 2% have had their costs allocated at least 50% regionally because they belong to a cost allocation class previously determined to have regional benefits,” it said. “Nothing about the 98% statistic explains why such projects no longer have regional benefits.”