PJM and MISO will make a joint filing with FERC later this year to eliminate the $20 million minimum for interregional market efficiency projects, PJM officials told the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee last week.

The two RTOs indicated their willingness to do so in response to a complaint by Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (EL13-88). NIPSCO, which filed the complaint in 2013 over its frustrations with MISO and PJM’s interregional planning process, says nothing much has changed since then. (See MISO-PJM Cross-Border Projects Still Languishing, NIPSCO Says.)

In an Aug. 14 filing, PJM and MISO said they would lower or eliminate the $20 million threshold. MISO also said it would inform FERC by the second quarter of 2016 on whether it will eliminate its 345-kV minimum on such projects.

PJM and MISO embarked this year on a search for “quick hit” transmission projects on which they might collaborate to relieve congestion.

In a Sept. 3 filing, PJM said the studies found that about three-quarters of the $400 million in cross-border congestion identified was expected to be relieved by regional transmission projects under the MISO and PJM tariffs and that congestion on lower voltage facilities could be eliminated by upgrades costing less than $5 million.

“Reduction or elimination of the $20 million threshold in the [joint operating agreement] and the [345-kV] voltage threshold in MISO’s regional process would enable quick-hit projects to qualify as an interregional project,” PJM said.

PJM officials said they and MISO officials will make a joint filing to remove the $20 million threshold from their Joint Operating Agreement. MISO would file alone if it decides to eliminate the 345-kV threshold from its Tariff.

AEP to Build Rockport Line as Supplemental Project

American Electric Power will build a 14-mile double-circuit line between its Rockport substation and MISO’s Duff-Coleman 345-kV line as a supplemental project in the PJM Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. The project, which is intended to solve stability problems at the substation, will piggyback on MISO’s planned Duff-Rockport-Coleman project. (See MISO Staff Recommends 3 Economic Projects.)

“We clearly should have gotten involved [in the project planning] much earlier,” said Steve Herling, vice president of planning. “MISO was great,” he added, noting that MISO delayed its process to allow PJM to conduct its own analyses.

“We’ve already had a number of conversations with MISO as to how we can be better synched up in the future,” Herling said. “We’re pretty happy it didn’t fall through the cracks. Next time we want to do it in a more formalized way.” (See related story, FERC Sets Nov. 12 Tech Conference on PJM Tx Planning Rules.)

Most AP South/AEP-DOM Proposals Clear Sensitivity Tests

All but one of 11 proposals that passed the initial benefit-cost ratio to address congestion in the AP South/AEP-DOM area also show positive benefits under 10 different sensitivity analyses, PJM planners told the TEAC.

The sensitivities included fuel prices (+/- $1/MMBtu), load forecasts (+/- 2%), interface ratings (changes in anticipated project impacts by 20%) and combinations of fuel price and load forecast sensitivities.

All but two of the projects cleared the 1.25 B-C ratio under all sensitivities and all but one showed congestion savings for the entire RTO. However, nine of the 11 worsened congestion on AEP-DOM alone (see chart).

Planners will continue their analysis by combining components of multiple projects as well as considering projects involving capacitors and reactive devices.

At September’s TEAC, planners focused on only six of the projects, which they labeled “finalists.” (See Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee Briefs.)

No Market Efficiency Projects to be Accelerated

Planners evaluated six planned market efficiency projects but determined that none of them should be accelerated because the projects are either too large to reschedule or their in-service dates are in the near future. An additional six projects expected to reduce congestion also were ineligible because they are being developed by MISO.

SVCs Recommended to Fix High Voltage in AEP, PSEG

Planners will recommend more than $51 million in upgrades to address high voltages in the AEP and PSEG transmission zones.

The AEP project would involve installation of a 450-MVAR static VAR compensator (SVC) at the Jacksons Ferry 765-kV substation and a 300-MVAR shunt line reactor on the Broadford end of the Broadford-Jacksons Ferry 765-kV line. It is expected to be in service in June 2018 at a cost of $51 million.

Planners also will recommend six shunt reactors on the PSEG system in addition to about 1,500 MVARs of approved reactors and SVCs planned to go in service by 2016. Three devices are required as soon as possible; the other three will be installed in coordination with the Bergen-Linden Corridor 345-kV project. No cost estimate was listed for these projects.

Planners Choose $25.8M AEP Proposal over Cheaper LS Power Option

PJM will recommend AEP’s proposed $25.8 million upgrade rather than a $7.4 million proposal by LS Power to address low voltage and overload problems in the AEP zone.

Paul McGlynn, general manager of system planning, said PJM determined that LS Power’s proposal to build a new Grassy Creek switching station would be insufficient to address expected load growth driven by shale gas production in the area. The AEP project, due in service by June 2020, is expected to prevent violations for at least 15 years, PJM said.

“We believe [the AEP project] is the better, more robust solution,” he said.

LS Power’s Sharon Segner questioned why AEP’s more expensive project was selected, saying PJM’s load growth assumptions are too high. “We want to make sure the right solution is picked, even if at the end of it, AEP takes the idea that we proposed,” she said.

Dominion to Spend $273M+ on End-of-Life Projects

Dominion Virginia Power will spend more than $273 million on nine projects to replace aging transmission lines in accordance with its “end of life” criteria, which sets the lifespans for wooden structures, conductors, connectors and porcelain insulators.

The rebuild of the Cunningham-Dooms 500-kV line is expected to cost more than $100 million, with an in-service date of June 2020. Eight other projects, expected to be completed between 2016 and 2019, will total about $173 million.

Exelon Retiring Perryman Unit in BGE

Exelon has decided to retire, rather than repair, its damaged 51-MW Perryman 2 generator in the BGE zone.

Exelon told FERC in April that the 43-year-old oil-fired unit experienced a “severe mechanical failure” in February that would take nine months to repair (ER15-1611).

Exelon said that a portion of a compressor shroud detached, damaging a number of the compressor’s components. “In addition to the compressor issue, electrical testing revealed that the unit’s generator field and stator windings are in a degraded condition,” Exelon said.

PJM planners are conducting a reliability analysis on the retirement request, which was filed Oct. 2. Exelon requested the retirement be effective Jan. 1.

— Rich Heidorn Jr.