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Information about transmission (high voltage movement of electricity). In the US, transmission accounts for about 8% of the total cost of delivering electricity.

See Energy - Reliability Page for information about Transmission Reliability.

Additional Resources

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Companies

American Transmission Co. - started business on Jan. 1, 2001, as the first multi-state, transmission-only utility in the United States. Unlike most other utilities, we have a single focus: transmission. Our transmission system allows energy producers to transport electric power from where it's generated to where it's needed. It's similar to the interstate highway system with high-voltage electricity traveling on the transmission system wires like vehicles on the highway. Website.

Arteche - Energy - Distribution Page.

Transmission Applications: http://www.arteche.com/web/frontoffice/verRsdoBusquedaGeneral.aspx?idioma=2&sector=2

Columbia Grid - is a non-profit membership corporation formed in 2006 to improve the operational efficiency, reliability, and planned expansion of the Pacific Northwest transmission grid. The corporation itself does not own transmission, but its members and the parties to its agreements own and operate an extensive network of transmission facilities. Columbia Grid has substantive responsibilities for transmission planning, reliability, Open-Access Same-Time Information System (OASIS), and other development services. These tasks are defined and funded through a series of “Functional Agreements” with members and other participants. Development of these agreements is carried out in a public process with broad participation.

Locations: Portland, Oregon.

Website: http://www.columbiagrid.org

Exacter - Energy - Distribution Page. Locations: Columbus, Ohio. Also, does Transmission monitoring.

ITC Transmission - is in the business of delivering your energy. Our objective is to facilitate the marketplace, deliver energy and improve customer value by making investments in transmission infrastructure in order to improve reliability of our system and reduce congestion and system losses, ultimately resulting in an overall reduced cost of delivered energy. Website.

(The) Northern Tier Transmission Group (NTTG) - is a group of transmission providers and customers that are actively involved in the sale and purchase of transmission capacity of the power grid that delivers electricity to customers in the Northwest and Mountain States. Transmission owners serving this territory work in conjunction with state governments, customers, and other stakeholders to improve the operations of and chart the future for the grid that links all of these service territories. NTTG coordinates individual transmission systems operation, products, business practices, and planning of their high-voltage transmission network to meet and improve transmission services that deliver power to consumers.

Website: http://nttg.biz

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) - a Regional Transmission Organization, mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure, and competitive wholesale prices of electricity. As a Regional Entity, SPP oversees compliance enforcement and reliability standards development. SPP has members in 8 Southwestern states.

People: http://www.spp.org/spp_staff.asp

Website: http://www.spp.org

WestConnect - is composed of utility companies providing transmission of electricity in the southwestern United States. The members work collaboratively to assess stakeholder and market needs and to develop cost-effective enhancements to the western wholesale electricity market. WestConnect is committed to coordinating its work with other regional industry efforts to achieve as much consistency as possible in the Western Interconnection. (Pre-RTO).

Website: http://www.westconnect.com

Western Area Power Administration - markets and delivers reliable, cost-based hydroelectric power and related services within a 15-state region of the central and western U.S. We're one of four power marketing administrations within the U.S. Department of Energy whose role is to market and transmit electricity from multi-use water projects. Our transmission system carries electricity from 57 power plants operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the International Boundary and Water Commission. Together, these plants have an installed capacity of 10,395 megawatts. Website.

Orders

Order 888 - Established open access in transmission, requires functional unbundling of wholesale transmission and generation by utilities.

Order 889 - Required public utilities to participate in an electric system (Open Access Same-time Information System) for posting available transfer capacity (ATC).

Order 2000 - Provides for, but does not require, RTOs.

Reports

Commissioner Primer: Transmission Investment - This primer offers an overview of the issues related to transmission investment and provides information relevant to public utility commissioners on upcoming challenges in facilitating a reliable, functional, and affordable transmission system. The primer highlights recent trends in transmission investment. It summarizes the division of jurisdictional authority over transmission and presents four alternative models for transmission ownership. The report explores the basic regulatory issues that affect transmission investment including alternative funding and pricing mechanisms, as well as state and regional planning efforts. (PDF).

Resources

(The) Galvin Electricity Initiative - is leading a campaign to create a perfect power system. A perfect power system cannot fail the consumer. It is environmentally sound and fuel-efficient. It is robust and resilient; able to withstand natural and weather-related disasters and mitigate the potential damage caused by terrorist attack. The perfect power system provides affordable electricity to all consumers and allows consumers to control their own energy use to the extent they choose. The Galvin Electricity Initiative was officially launched in 2005, but its genesis dates back to the massive East Coast blackout of August 2003, which left nearly 50 million people without power and inspired former Motorola chief Robert W. Galvin to take action. Website.

North American SynchroPhasor Initiative - NASPI embodies a vision for the overall project in two stages. In the near term, the project team seeks to use expertise and equipment developed under auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy to deliver immediate value to project participants. Most of this existing expertise involves off-line analysis and is supportive of planning activities. In the long term, the vision calls for delivering value within the operations environment using new inter-regional information and measurement systems. Both stages require buy-in and participation from industry participants.

Website: http://www.naspi.org/

Transmission & Distribution World - is edited for engineers and operating professionals in the electric power industry. Feature articles are written primarily by technical editors and industry professionals in the user and manufacturer groups. Survey reports by the editors deal with industry practices and trends in specific areas. Yearly editorial content includes feature articles on electrical transmission & distribution, substations, construction, operation and maintenance, automation, and other articles pertinent to the electric power industry. Nonfeature editorial covers new product reviews and industry news. Website.

(The) Western Grid Group (WGG) - (formerly known as West Wind Wires) works in the Western Interconnection to expand transmission access for wind, solar geothermal and other clean, renewable energy technologies, and to help utilities understand the value of these technologies as generating resources.

Website: http://www.interwest.org/transmission/index.html

Terms

Contingency Reserves - spinning reserves and supplemental reserves provides by resources available to the transmission provider to use in the event of a system contingency.

ITCs (Independent Transmission Companies) - are for-profit transmission-only private entities. They control their own assets and may belong to an RTO. In these companies there is no incentive to discriminate amongst generators, but regulation is still required to ensure just and reasonable rates.

Operating Reserves - consist of regulating reserves and contingency reserves. Wikipedia

Regulating Reserves - provided through the capacity of frequency responsive generation resources or certain demand response resources, held in reserve for the purpose of providing regulating reserve deployment in both the up and down direction.

Transmission Plans

Southwest Power Pool - has released its 10-year expansion plan that identifies $2.2 billion of needed network transmission upgrades. About half the recommended expenditures are for new 345-kV lines. SNL Article. See Southwest Power Pool (SPP) - Energy - RTOs-ISOs Page.

Additional Resources

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Paul J. Feldman