By Tom Kleckner

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — SPP’s engineering staff updated members on the RTO’s current regional and interregional transmission planning studies during an engineering summit last week.

In return, the engineers asked for stakeholders’ input.

“It was very important that we are able to get in the feedback at the front end of the process,” SPP Director of Transmission Planning Antoine Lucas told members, who spent much of the day delving deep into the 2017 Integrated Transmission Planning’s 10-Year Assessment (ITP10). “Most of you will be pleased with” the process.

“As soon as you guys can provide feedback, please do it,” requested SPP’s Juliano Freitas, manager of economic planning.

ITP10

SPP plans to present its final 2017 ITP10 to the Markets and Operations Policy Committee in December.

Staff is using three futures for the study: regional compliance with EPA’s Clean Power Plan; state-level CPP compliance; and a reference case that assumes the CPP will not be implemented.

The two CPP studies will eventually be combined into a single portfolio, with the reference case also moving forward for additional benefit calculations, using multiple model years and costs derived from the RTO’s annual transmission revenue requirement formulas.

Transmission projects would be deemed to satisfy economic needs by meeting up to 25 constraints with greater than $50,000 in annual congestion costs.

SPP will also produce a near-term reliability assessment early next year. Staff is currently working on a needs assessment but doesn’t expect to produce a final portfolio recommendation and report until March.

Interregional Studies

Adam Bell, SPP’s interregional coordinator, updated members on the status of SPP’s work with three of its interregional partners: MISO, Associated Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AECI) and Southeastern Regional Transmission Planning (SERTP).

SPP and MISO have both voted to pursue a joint study this year, using their regional planning as a starting point. Bell told members they would be able to propose solutions for the final set of needs, currently being developed.

The RTOs are scheduled to meet again Sept. 7. “We want to get this scope approved so we can get this study done,” Bell said.

SPP and AECI are determining the scope of a study of five target areas: potential overloads and voltage issues in northeast Oklahoma and Brookline, Kan.; potential low voltage issues in mid-Missouri and east of Kansas City; and potential upgrades in Wheaton, Kan. They expect to produce a final report and recommendations in January.

Bell said SPP had its annual meeting with SERTP representatives in June. The staffs reviewed their regional plans to “see if anything made sense,” Bell said, adding later, “it’s more coordination than joint planning or joint study.”

“There could be potential here as we move forward,” he said.