Transmission Task Force

 

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  Timetable

Policy Suggestions from the Transmission Summit

  • Address concerns about shifting costs from energy recipients to utility rate-payers.

  • Should a multi-state compact be formed to address transmission? What is the role of FERC in this? What are the roles of Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO)?

  • The interstate highway system was built with federal taxes. Should there be an equivalent of an interstate transmission system funded by a federal tax on all electrical transmission?

  • Consider the possibility of placing an excise tax (a severance tax?) on wind energy leaving the state. The state is currently moving to provide incentives rather than imposing taxes.

  • The two big issues are flowgates and wind potential. There are constraints currently on moving fossil fuel generated power (flowgates). Would a national tax fund both or just wind energy transmission?

  • An export tax could be used to fund transmission versus sending the taxes to the general fund. Such a tax would make Kansas less competitive economically, but it would provide an incentive (and the ability) for wind energy builders to move forward.

  • Evaluate the divestiture of transmission lines to a separate transmission company as carried out in other states and the applicability in Kansas.

Charge to the Task Force

The TTF is tasked to:

  • Identify capacities, needs, limitations, and opportunities in the Kansas electric transmission grid

  • Determine the reliability of the Kansas grid to disruption and outages

  • Recommend solutions to removing constraints, developing transmission capacity, and ensuring reliability of the transmission grid in Kansas

Among the questions are some that are specific to Kansas:

  1. What are the major intrastate transmission corridors (e.g., Wolf Creek to Wichita, Jeffries to Salina, Jeffries to Topeka, etc.), what is the existing capacity on those corridors, what is the peak intrastate generating/transmission demand on those lines, and where are the gates on those lines?

  2. What intrastate transmission corridors are needed which are currently missing or inadequate (e.g., Spearville to Wichita)? What capacity is required?

  3. What major interstate transmission corridors cross Kansas? Which intrastate corridors do they utilize? What is the peak net flux of power through the state on those corridors, and how does that impact our interstate transmission capacity?

  4. When can we expect that any of our intrastate corridors will be over-utilized due to either intrastate or interstate transmission demands?

  5. How is the siting of new generation in Kansas -- both fossil and renewable -- impacting the need for new intrastate transmission?

  6. Is Kansas at risk of what happened in the Northeast? If so, why and how soon? What are the effects of Kansas being a net exporter of electricity? What are the impacts of developing intrastate constraints?

Timetable

The TTF will set its own schedule and timetable as necessary to meet its charge. However, a progress report will be due for presentation to SERCC at the November 19, 2003 meeting.

Task                                                                     Completion Date

Initial Meeting                                                          October 3

  • Review charter, discuss technical, economic and political aspects;

  • Brainstorm sources of information and analysis techniques;

  • Determine a principal focus area for each member, assure at least two members for each area;

  • Agree on work to be performed before the next meeting;

  • Agree on protocols for communication, use of outside resources, interface with SERCC agree on next two meeting dates.

Second Meeting                                                        October 28 (proposed)

  • Summarize major findings from available information, presentation from each focus area

  • Identify areas of difficulty and share ideas

  • Agree on expected content of November 19 progress report to SERCC

Follow-up contacts with individual members                   Oct.29 – Nov. 7

Circulate draft progress report for SERCC                        November 11

Comments due on draft                                                     November 17

Chair reports to SERCC                                                    November 19

Third Meeting                                                                    Nov. 20 proposed

 


Membership and organization

TTF is tasked with developing and evaluating policy recommendations that are based on technical, economic, and political considerations. The Task Force should be composed largely of members who are knowledgeable of electricity transmission issues and who can review and interpret technical and economic information and formulate policy recommendations. The TTF is expected to establish subcommittees and draw on whatever outside expertise necessary to achieve their goals

 
 

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Last modified: 11/21/2003
URL: http://kec.kansas.gov/sercc/sercc_trans2.htm