The Southwest Power Pool updated its efforts this week promoting more than $1 billion in transmission projects that in some cases are opposed by landowners and residents.
Southwest Power Pool, of which Oklahoma is a member, issued a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, as part of its selection to create a large transmission project to help provide new electrical power across the nation. Five transmission projects were chosen as part of the Joint Targeted Interconnection Queue process. Who will pay for it? Customers and$4 64.5 million in potential Department of Energy funding.
Utility Dive reported the Midcontinent Independent System Operator joined SPP in asking FERC to approve changes to tariffs and joint operating agreement. SPP made the same request.
“SPP requests an effective date of November 14, 2024, for the proposed Tariff revisions,” stated the grid operator in its FERC filing.
Both grid operators informed FERC that they have been besieged with requests to join their systems.
“SPP and MISO’s respective generator interconnection queues continue to experience unprecedented levels of interconnection requests. Both SPP and MISO have undertaken numerous efforts to address queue backlogs, including through reforms to their respective generator interconnection study and affected system study processes. Nonetheless, the massive amounts of proposed generation that continue to seek interconnection to the SPP and MISO transmission systems complicate the regional transmission organizations’ (“RTOs”) efforts to streamline and increase
efficiency in their processes,” they stated in their recent filing.
Despite the claim that both grid operators are dealing with a growing number of requests to join their grids, there is also opposition to the proposed extended transmission lines or corridors promoted by the Biden administration.
In Oklahoma’s case, the line would extend the entire state from the Panhandle to the state line with Arkansas.
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