SPP said last week it is seeking industry experts to serve on a second independent panel to review Order 1000 transmission proposals in 2017.

The panel will review and score proposals for competitive projects approved for construction by SPP’s Board of Directors. The RTO’s first independent expert panel earlier this year awarded a 22.6-mile transmission project to Mid-Kansas Electric. (See SPP Awards First Order 1000 Project — But it May Not be Needed.)

“We are proud of our initial [industry expert panel] process, having now seen it all the way through for the first time,” said Paul Suskie, SPP’s executive vice president of regulatory policy and general counsel. He said the process will be refined based on lessons learned and stakeholder feedback.

SPP said interested candidates must have expertise in at least one of five areas “as it relates to electric transmission”: engineering design, project management and construction, operations, rate design and analysis, and finance.

Applications will be accepted through Sept. 1. Panelists will be selected based on a recommendation by the RTO’s Oversight Committee and approved by the board later this year. Those serving on the panel will be considered contractors and will be compensated through a monthly retainer and hourly rate.

More information on the panel’s application process can be found here.

─ Tom Kleckner