1. EI-WECC Seams Study Needed
CIGRE GOTF
Chicago
October 12, 2015

3. Electric Interconnections / 8 NERC Regions
Who is SPP?
Order 1000 – Regional Planning Requirements
Order 1000 – Interregional Coordination
This NERC map shows the other NERC Regional Entities and the three electric interconnections. (Nebraska is not included as part of the SPP region on this map, because SPP’s Nebraska members are part of the MRO Regional Entity, not the SPP Regional Entity. Nebraska is part of the SPP Regional Transmission Organization.)

5. SPP has some of the best wind resources in the US
SPP has some of the best wind resources in the US. NREL ranking of states showed Texas #1, Kansas #2 and Nebraska #3 in terms of wind potential. Looks like Big 12 Football rankings from about 5 years ago. That no longer applies with Nebraska joining the Big 10 and Kansas can’t compete with OSU and others these days…

6. Renewables Status
SPP wind has provided peak capacity contribution of 8.3 GW with 9.2 GW of nameplate capability
Surge in recent GI queue requests with 8.5 GW of new wind under study
2 GW of wind under development with almost 17 GW of wind with signed IAs or under study
Solar developments are just starting
WAPA/Basin IS joining SPP market in Oct 2015 will bring significant resource and load diversity to SPP, in addition to existing and expected renewables which are not captured in SPP stats shown above.
Time for another national grid study given Clean Power Plan and other environmental regulations, as well as criticality of energy security and grid resilience, as part of QER recommendations.

7. Solar is the next frontier
Solar is the next frontier. SPP has the best solar resources in the Eastern Interconnection in eastern New Mexico and the western portion of the central and south plains. SPP has very little solar on its system or in its queue, but the future is very bright. SPP is seeing significant oil/gas development in NM, TX and some in OK and KS. The transmission needed to serve loads in NM/TX will provide a great collector system for solar development in the future.

8. SPP and the Integrated System (IS)

9. Operating Region
575,000 square miles of service territory with nearly 18 million people
825 generating plants
4,782 substations
Approximately 56,000 miles transmission
11 GW of wind in service and almost 17 GW of wind under development
Huge potential for solar
Direct control / influence of all B2B DC ties in the U.S.

10. All DC ties from EI to ERCOT and almost all from EI to WECC via the SPP/IS System

11. 10/1/15 Independent System Operator (ISO) / Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) Map

13. HVDC B2B Stations between EI and WECC
HVDC Station
Location
Vendor
Type kV
Power (MW)
Year
David A Hamel
Stegall, NE GE
LCC 50
100
1977
Eddy County
Artesia, NM 82
200
1983
Blackwater
Clovis, NM
ABB 60
1984
Miles City
Miles City, MT
1985
Virginia Smith
Sidney, NE
Siemens
1988
McNeill
McNeill, AB
Alstom 42
150
1989
Rapid City
Rapid City, SD
CCC 13
2003
Lamar
Lamar, CO
63.6
210
2005

14. Observations
Integrated Marketplace providing large benefits which will improve with WAPA/Basin IS
Environmental regulations and economics are resulting in increased renewable development for SPP needs, plus exports
WAPA/Basin IS integration into SPP warrants a long term reassessment of the existing seams given Clean Power Plan, as well as aging infrastructure, energy security and grid resilience
Future grid extends beyond wholesale, bulk power system to distribution networks, end use devices, and empowered prosumers

15. NREL-Led EI & WECC Seams Studies
2 part GMLC study for with DOE funding $1.5M+ for work at national labs including NREL, PNNL, ANL and ORNL, as well as Iowa State University
Optimal EI and WECC near-term seams study to address needs and quantify opportunities/costs associated with life extension and/or rightsizing and/or bypassing of existing B2B HVDC ties with direct EHV AC connections at Laramie River Station, etc
Long Term HVDC Overlay to expand MISO work to date
Support from SPP and MISO, as well as Basin/Tri-State, PNM, Xcel Energy, WAPA, WECC, and WestConnect

16. “The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation.” Einstein

17. Director – Research, Development & Special Studies
Jay Caspary
Director – Research, Development & Special Studies 17 17