Upper Midwest Transmission Workshop II
March 12-13,
2002
Radisson City Center Hotel
St. Paul, MN
Overall Theme:
Enhancing Electrical Transmission Planning for the Upper Midwest
Principal Issue:
All stakeholder sectors want
comprehensive, rational planning for transmission needs in the region. Key
elements of transmission-planning infrastructure exist and are well
established, but a forum for inclusive, constructive and binding consensus
development among all relevant stakeholders does not appear to exist yet.
NWCC Aim:
Assist in the development of a forum
and process for consideration of transmission options that strives for
equitable allocation of benefits and impacts among all affected parties.
This process would be beneficial to all stakeholder sectors, as well as to
wind power.
Key Assumption:
NWCC can help in guiding and strengthening the process, for example by
complementing reliability-based planning through expanded stakeholder
involvement. But follow-up work – the lion’s share of the overall effort
over a period of months and perhaps years – needs to be carried out by
regional stakeholders. NWCC can facilitate the process and catalyze
complementary planning, but can’t, and shouldn’t, be the driver. NWCC can
provide initial focus for the effort, and can then assist as requested by
the regional community.
Primary Product:
The beginnings of an enhanced, inclusive process for transmission planning
with participation of and acceptance by all affected stakeholder sectors.
Workshop Objectives:
- Facilitate participation of all relevant
stakeholder sectors in long-range (up to ten years), comprehensive
transmission planning for the region that builds on and complements
reliability planning.
- Improve understanding of
transmission-capability requirements over the next ten years; including
criteria and scenarios based on reliability, market and environmental
considerations. Scenarios should consider such factors as (a) load growth;
(b) efficiency and demand-side response; (c) new power plant additions in
general; (d) likely additions of wind power; and (e) development of a
large, regional market for transmission services.
- Refine the regional process for evaluating
proposed transmission improvements and seek approval from public and
private sector decision-makers and from the broad community.
- Explore selected transmission-operation
alternatives that might be helpful to wind in the short run, that might
reduce the need for new wind-related transmission facilities, and that are
part of a wholesale power market evolution scenario.
Information
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