Tag – Transmission

Over the course of two meetings in May, Council members and Power Division staff continued discussions on options for the Ninth Power Plan’s cost-effective resource strategy. The Council could potentially approve a draft of the Ninth Plan at its July 14-15 meeting in Portland, which would commence a public comment period and hearing process. The goal is to approve the final plan by the end of the year.

At March’s Council meeting in Portland, representatives from the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition presented key findings from their new 10-year study examining an expansion of the transmission system in the Western Interconnection, including the Pacific Northwest.

Electric cooperatives serving rural communities in the Northwest are grappling with projected future gaps between forecasted load growth and resources to meet those energy needs. Experts with Idaho National Laboratory and Idaho Power shared about their work to expand the capacity of transmission systems through grid-enhancing technologies.

During its November meeting in Portland, the Council heard briefings on new regional, West-wide, and national planning efforts underway that aim to get new transmission line projects built faster and help states and utilities meet upcoming clean energy goals in the 2030s and 2040s.

The Northwest and Intermountain Power Producers Coalition has a new whitepaper exploring the need for new transmission in the region and the Bonneville Power Administration’s ability to provide transmission to customers.