Stakeholders on Dec. 12 said they are inching closer to developing the scenarios that will inform the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition’s (WestTEC) transmission planning study.
John Muhs, a senior consultant with Energy Strategies and member of the WestTEC Scenario Planning Subcommittee, said during a webinar that the group has decided on a set of drivers that will underpin the development of the scenarios in the study. The drivers include changes in the regulatory landscape, technology costs and supply chains.
“The general idea is that we view these drivers as a lens through which to develop, you know, key points of a future scenario narrative,” Muhs said.
The WestTEC study, jointly facilitated by Western Power Pool and WECC, will address long-term interregional transmission needs across the Western Interconnection. The WestTEC Steering Committee unanimously approved the project’s study plan in September. (See WestTEC Committee OKs Plan for ‘Actionable’ Tx Study.)
The study is expected to take place over the next two years. The goal is to produce transmission portfolios for 10- and 20-year planning horizons. In addition to enhancing Western reliability, the portfolios will also factor in economic efficiencies and state policy goals.
The study will include a reference case that considers current trends, policies and projections in transmission planning. In addition, the scenario planning subcommittee will develop two separate cases to reflect alternative potential future developments, according to the study plan.
Being able to compare and understand transmission needs across the three scenarios “will be a key outcome of the WestTEC study,” Muhs said.
Members of the subcommittee will develop scenarios over the holidays. The committee will refine those ideas through March 2025, when approval of the planning scenarios and completion of the 20-year resource plan is expected. The 10-year horizon transmission assessment and report should be done in August 2025, according to the presentation.
