FERC staff is hesitant to entertain consideration of a regional cost allocation methodology for seams projects approved outside of an Order 1000 process, SPP staff told the Seams Steering Committee last week.

In recent discussions, said Brett Hooton, SPP’s senior interregional coordinator, FERC staff seemed concerned about ensuring Order 1000 will be the only process “under which a planning region will include a regional cost allocation in [its] tariff for seams projects.”

The discussions with FERC staff followed the commission’s rejection of the RTO’s proposed regional cost allocation for seams projects. (See FERC Rejects SPP Proposal for Seams Transmission Projects.)

Some SPP stakeholders expressed concern with FERC’s position, saying it hurts the RTO’s ability to approve a large number of potential projects not eligible under Order 1000.

SPP staff noted that no interregional projects have been approved anywhere in the country under Order 1000.

Meetings This Week

The committee also previewed two meetings with MISO this week related to the joint operating agreement and interregional planning.

The JOA stakeholder meeting Tuesday will focus on ongoing operational issues between the regions and potential improvements to the market-to-market process.

At the March 9 Interregional Planning Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting, stakeholders will discuss high-value M2M flowgates, the results of the RTOs’ Clean Power Plan studies and whether the RTOs should conduct a joint transmission study this year.

— Tom Kleckner