CARMEL, Ind. — MISO planners approved an expedited project request in northeast Arkansas and are evaluating three others in Michigan, officials told the Planning Advisory Committee last week.
The $3 million Hickman Central project, submitted by Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. in October, will include a new substation, a quarter-mile line to connect it to the Dell-Blytheville North 161-kV line and two 161/345-kV transformers, said Edin Habibovic, manager of expansion planning in MISO South.
The Little Rock-based cooperative said the improvements are needed by October 2017 to accommodate about 35 MW of new industrial load. It said getting approval under the 2017 Transmission Expansion Plan in December 2017 would be too late.
MISO recommended that AECC begin work on the project “as needed” to meet the in-service date in less than 10 months and said the project would be formally included in MTEP 17.
The RTO also received three expedited review requests from ITC Holdings’ Michigan Electric Transmission Co. on Nov. 30:
- A new 120-kV substation and 2 miles of double circuit 120-kV lines to handle an added 6 to 10 MVA in northern Michigan;
- A new 120-kV substation and 0.1 miles of underground cable to serve 5 MW of new DTE Energy load in Detroit; and
- A new 138-kV substation to serve 35 MW of new Consumers Energy load near Grand Rapids, Mich.
MISO said it is performing an independent reliability analysis “to determine that the projects [do] not cause any harm to the system.” The RTO plans to schedule a Technical Studies Task Force meeting in January to discuss results, said Senior Manager of Transmission Expansion Planning Thompson Adu.
After 7 Years, Game Over for MISO’s ‘PAC Man’
After seven years in the PAC chair, American Transmission Co.’s Bob McKee has announced he will not seek re-election.
MISO PAC Liaison Jeff Webb called him the “PAC Man” and presented him with a Pac-Man themed blanket. “It is in fact, sadly, game over,” Webb joked.
During his tenure, McKee oversaw MTEPs from 2010 to 2016. In parting words, he encouraged stakeholders to “take stock” and be actively involved in MISO’s planning process.
ITC’s Cynthia Crane will take over next year as chair.
— Amanda Durish Cook
