FERC will hold a series of technical conferences to examine transmission planning processes under Order No. 890

(June 30, 2009)

Commission Staff will convene technical conferences to examine the planning processes that are being conducted pursuant to Order No. 890.

The focus of the 2009 regional technical conferences will be: (1) to determine the progress and benefits realized by each transmission provider’s transmission planning process, obtain customer and other stakeholder input, and discuss any areas that may need improvement; (2) to examine whether existing transmission planning processes adequately consider needs and solutions on a regional or interconnection-wide basis to ensure adequate and reliable supplies at just and reasonable rates; and (3) to explore whether existing processes are sufficient to meet emerging challenges to the transmission system, such as the development of interregional transmission facilities, the integration of large amounts of location-constrained generation, and the interconnection of distributed energy resources.


Date Location
September 3, 2009 Phoenix Airport Marriott

Entities located within the ColumbiaGrid, Northern Tier Transmission Group, WestConnect, and CAISO footprints, and other entities in the WECC region that are not a part of any of these subregional groups.4
Those wishing to participate as a panelist and provide feedback on the planning issues described above should submit a request form by close of business on August 13, 2009, located at: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/trans-09-03-speaker-form.asp

September 10, 2009 Sheraton Gateway Hotel Atlanta Airport

Entities located in the states represented in the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (SEARUC) and entities located in the Southwest Power Pool footprint.
Those wishing to participate as a panelist and provide feedback on the planning issues described above should submit a request form by close of business on August 20, 2009 located at: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/trans-09-10-speaker-form.asp


September 21, 2009 Marriott Philadelphia Airport

Entities located within the Midwest ISO, PJM, New York ISO, and ISO New England footprints, MAPP/MAPP Participants, and adjacent areas.
Those wishing to participate as a panelist and provide feedback on the planning issues described above should submit a request form by close of business on August 31, 2009, located at: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/trans-09-21-speaker-form.asp
A further notice with a detailed agenda for each conference will be issued in advance of the conferences. In the event a transmission provider is uncertain as to which technical conference is the appropriate forum for discussion of its planning process, such transmission providers should contact Commission staff in advance to discuss the matter. Lastly, a comment date will be set at a later date allowing for the filing of post-conference comments.

FERC Demand Response Study

FERC staff presented the report entitled A National Assessment of Demand Response Potential at the June 18th Commission meeting. The report details the extent to which US power demand could potentially be reduced based on a no demand response scenario, a business as usual model, an expanded business as usual model, an achievable participation model, and a full participation model. The report models 10 years of load growth -- from 2009 to 2019.

The business as usual model projects a 38 GW peak demand reduction by 2019, while the expanded business as usual model increases the projected demand reduction to 82 GW by 2019. The expanded model expands demand response projections to all states, and also includes smart meter deployment and a 5% dynamic pricing participation assumption.

The achievable model increased demand response even more, relying on a 6 to 75 percent dynamic pricing participation as well as other more aggressive assumptions. The peak demand reduction by 2019 under this scenario is 138 GW. Finally the full participation model projects a 188 GW demand reduction.