The Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies (WATT Coalition) submitted comments to FERC on its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generator Interconnection.
The comments are available for download.
The WATT Coalition expressed support for the reform of electric regional transmission planning and cost allocation and generator interconnection, based on both increasing congestion and renewable curtailment across the country and ballooning interconnection queues and timelines.
The WATT Coalition shared recommendations for the transmission planning process:
- Use an ‘Optimize, Rebuild, Expand’ framework for transmission planning
- Require evaluation of GETs in transmission planning
- Use performance-based ratemaking to incentivize GETs
- Include GETs in operational planning to minimize reliability and economic impacts of transmission outages
The WATT Coalition recommended that the Optimize, Rebuild, Expand Framework be applied in generator interconnection upgrades as well.
The WATT Coalition also asked that the Commission require grid utilization reporting for the top 25% most constrained transmission lines. Increased transparency on transmission constraints would help improve solution development to reduce ratepayer costs.
Media with questions about the comments should reach out to Julia Selker at jselker@gridstrategiesllc.com or 541-908-5792.