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Political, Operational and Technical Challenges in Establishing Cross-border Transmission Networks
Today, the US transmission system is electrically separated into three
Figure 1: North American Electric Reliability Corporation Interconnections
interconnections, each a culmination of facilities planned by RTOs,
Quebec
public power, co-operatives or investor-owned utilities that are
interconnection
responsible for planning regions within each interconnection
(see Figure 1). For example, the Eastern interconnection has five
RTOs and dozens of other planning entities responsible for
evaluating the transmission needs of each of their sub-regions. The
electrical boundaries between the RTOs are artificial, with
NPCC
co-ordinated planning stopping at the RTO border. Each RTO
5
region
MRO
applies different planning criteria within that region. While these
RFC
system and regional planning differences are manageable for
WECC
SPP
lower-voltage transmission, they provide an enormous challenge
SERC
for cross-border transmission projects and new EHV development.
The artificial boundaries between RTOs and planning regions were
FRCC
Western
designed to establish regional marketplaces. However, today they
Eastern
interconnection
TRE
interconnection
are preventing the development of a robust transmission grid in the
Ercot
US. RTO planning initiatives look inward from their borders rather interconnection
than looking to link the regions.
National Highway System
Outlook for Transmission Planning Championed by President Dwight D Eisenhower, the interstate highway
As climate change issues challenge the US electric industry, debate system revolutionised the speed and efficiency of travel in the US.
over the role of transmission has been at the forefront of discussions. Today, a network of limited-access highways serves as the backbone
Timely transformation of the transmission grid is now needed not only of the interstate system conceived and developed by Eisenhower.
to ensure the efficient and cost-effective delivery of energy, but also Approved by Congress, the national interstate system was intended to
to help revolutionise how power is generated and delivered. Like most serve as an integrated unit in which each component complements the
major challenges, the solution is neither complex nor impossible. It network. Today, in partnership with state and local agencies, the Federal
simply requires clear direction and leadership. Highway Administration carries out development programmes and
projects to meet the nation’s transportation needs. ‘Raising the bar’
While transmission is vital to the successful implementation of any with respect to the performance of the highway and transportation
climate change solution, its progress should not be stymied by its role system, ensuring financial accountability and anticipating and meeting
in the climate change debate. The climate change discussion has been national security needs are foundational objectives of the organisation.
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ongoing for several decades. We cannot wait for its conclusion to
determine our need for new infrastructure. EHV transmission in the Challenges of Cross-border Networks
US has repeatedly demonstrated its value to enable markets, As we consider the challenges associated with constructing facilities
provide enhanced reliability
6
and ensure ample system flexibility to between RTOs, it is important to apply lessons learned from other
accommodate significant changes in the generation mix. The challenge industries to an industry that has, in many ways, remained hindered by
is that transmission grids must be in place before substantial new its own complexity and technical challenges for nearly a century. The
generation can be brought online and older units can retire. However, US transmission system developed from a fragmented collection of
regions that depend on reliability-based transmission planning consider lower-voltage transmission lines to the establishment of a network
new transmission needs only in response to announced changes in of RTOs. Technology advances have enabled the high-speed
the generation portfolio, resulting in transmission lagging generation communication needed to operate a tightly integrated transmission
development and retirements and a system ill-equipped to be adaptive. grid and enable wholesale market development.
Historical lessons have made it evident that the establishment of clear Despite this progress, the evolutionary and individualist approach to
objectives can spur the development of systems with revolutionary transmission planning has created significant barriers to EHV transmission
effects. Successful examples abound representing the value of a uniform projects that would bridge planning regions. The MISO/PJM seam is one
approach to the deployment of large-scale infrastructure projects. such example. Here, different planning approaches in adjacent regions
have resulted in a stagnation of projects. Today, we have the ability to
Internet expand the planning footprint beyond the region boundaries to ensure
In the 1980s, the platform for communication in the US was firmly the development of a robust and efficient EHV grid and to eliminate
grounded in the US mail, two-way phone systems and one-way seams between the regions. If properly designed, the system will be able
communication in the form of radio and television signals. to provide maximum flexibility to bring on new-generation sources and
Commercialisation of the Internet in the 1990s and the subsequent meet new load and reliability demands, while complementing and
revolution in the speed at which information could be exchanged maximising the advantages of the underlying transmission resources.
was made possible through the adoption of the standard Internet
Protocol Suite (TCP/IP), which enables networks of local computer Planning for the Future – What Needs to Change
systems to be linked through a broad array of electronic and optical Adoption and consistent application of planning standards and criteria
networking technologies. to EHV transmission systems will provide the foundation to ensure that
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