Tulsa a part of new National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor

[patric]

A new rule by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees interstate electricity transmission, is the most significant attempt in years to upgrade and expand the country’s creaking electricity network. Experts have warned that there aren’t nearly enough high-voltage power lines being built today, putting the country at greater risk of blackouts from extreme weather while making it harder to shift to renewable sources of energy and cope with rising electricity demand.

A big reason for the slow pace of grid expansion is that operators rarely plan for the long term, the commission said.
A 2011 attempt by the commission to encourage transmission planning largely faltered, in part because many utilities were opposed to new long-distance lines that might undercut their monopolies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/13/climate/electric-grid-overhaul-ferc.html


The Federal Power Act authorizes the Secretary of Energy to designate any geographic area as a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) if the Secretary finds that consumers are harmed by a lack of transmission in the area and that the development of new transmission would advance important national interests in that area, such as increased reliability and reduced consumer costs.




Based on preliminary findings, transmission development in potential Delta-Plains NIETC could…
Maintain and improve reliability and resilience. Potential electricity shortfalls leave the regions vulnerable during extreme weather.
Alleviate congestion. Congestion in the area prevents cost-effective generation from being delivered to where it is needed, when it is needed.
Meet future generation and demand growth. There is a significant need for additional transfer capacity between the Delta and Plains regions to meet various future power sector scenarios. Analysis finds a 414% increase is needed by 2035 under moderate load and high clean energy growth scenarios.
Increase clean energy integration. Increased access to more diverse, clean energy generation is necessary to lower power sector greenhouse gas emissions.
https://www.energy.gov/gdo/national-interest-electric-transmission-corridor-designation-process

[Red Arrow]

A big reason for the slow pace of grid expansion is that operators rarely plan for the long term, the commission said.

That's been a problem with businesses in the USA for quite a while.  My dad always blamed the Harvard Business School.  I have no proof either way.

Maximize the 5 year plan (think USSR?) and don't worry if there is no business in 5-1/2 years.  Take the money and run.....

[AdamsHall]

There are better high-voltage line replacement options too.  This allows improvements upwards of 40% without impacting the existing towers and easements.  There are better use monitoring devices available now that also allow for increased throughput.  FERC recently recognized those items as well.

[Jeff P]

That's been a problem with businesses in the USA for quite a while.  My dad always blamed the Harvard Business School.  I have no proof either way.

Well - to be fair, there's a little bit of nuance here.

Individual public utilities DO plan for the future. They all file 10-year Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) that lay out their estimates for electricity demand in their area and how they plan to supply it (fuel mix) as well as their maintenance plans, expansion plans, etc.

What they are talking about here are high voltage long-range transmission lines that interconnect between individual utilities within a given grid (e.g. PJM or SPP) or how the grids interconnect.

There is less long-term planning on those because it's a lot more complicated, in terms who is footing the bill for it since it may have asymmetrical benefits to individual utilities.

So this new initiative is a good thing because the ability to quickly import and export power from utility to utility or grid to grid is going to be more and more important as more renewables are added and also behind-the-meter solar, which will change grid loads substantially over the next 10-15 years.