posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 10:18 AM
by
Tracy Davis
Southeastern Group Undertakes Regional Transmission Planning
A group of utilities in the southeast ― where utilities have to date resisted forming regional transmission organizations ― have announced a proposal to develop an interregional transmission planning process. Under the plan to be released September 14, the utilities will work jointly to collect data, coordinate planning assumptions, and address stakeholder study requests. The coordinated efforts will provide a centralized information source for transmission users, who will no longer have to consult each transmission owner separately. The effort answers FERC's Order No. 890, which mandated broader regional coordination of transmission planning.
Involved in the efforts are several major utilities, including Duke Energy Carolinas, Entergy, Progress Energy Carolinas, South Carolina Electric & Gas, Southern Company, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, as well as a number of municipal transmission providers and electric coops. The effort will build upon a few small regional planning groups that already exist in areas of the southeast, such as the North Carolina Transmission Planning Cooperative, but will allow broader information sharing and cooperation across the entire region.