[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 130 (Thursday, July 9, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32912-32913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16170]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD09-8-000]


Transmission Planning Processes Under Order No. 890; Notice of 
Technical Conferences

June 30, 2009.
    Take notice that Commission staff will convene technical 
conferences on the following dates in the following cities to examine 
the planning processes that are being conducted pursuant to Order No. 
890.\1\ Staff expects all transmission providers to participate in the 
technical conference for their particular region, although all 
interested persons, including transmission providers in other regions, 
regional representatives, transmission customers, developers of 
merchant transmission and distributed generation, and other resource 
developers are also invited to participate in each conference.
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    \1\ Preventing Undue Discrimination and Preference in 
Transmission Service, Order No. 890, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,241, 
order on reh'g, Order No. 890-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,261 
(2007), order on reh'g, Order No. 890-B, 123 FERC ] 61,299, (2008) 
order on reh'g, Order No. 890-C, 126 FERC ] 61,228 (2009).
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    In Order No. 890, the Commission directed all transmission 
providers to develop a transmission planning process that satisfies 
nine principles and to clearly describe that process in a new 
attachment to their open access transmission tariffs.\2\ On December 7, 
2007, pursuant to Order No. 890, most public utility transmission 
providers and several non-public utility transmission owners submitted 
their proposed transmission planning processes.\3\ The Commission 
subsequently addressed these filings in a series of orders that were 
issued throughout 2008. Generally, the Commission accepted each of the 
transmission planning processes to be effective December 7, 2007, 
subject to further compliance filings required to meet the nine 
planning principles (Initial Planning Orders). The Commission also 
noted that its staff would periodically monitor the implementation of 
these processes, and it stated its intent to convene regional technical 
conferences in 2009 to assess them.
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    \2\ Order No. 890, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,241 at P 418-602.
    \3\ A small number of transmission providers were granted 
extensions.
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    Recently, the Commission issued a series of orders addressing the 
further transmission planning process compliance filings (Compliance 
Filing Orders). In each of the Compliance Filing Orders, the Commission 
emphasized that it remains interested in the development of 
transmission planning processes and will continue to examine the 
adequacy of the processes accepted to date. The Commission reiterated 
the encouragement made in prior orders for further refinements and 
improvements to the planning processes as transmission providers, their 
customers, and other stakeholders gain more experience through actual 
implementation of the processes. The Commission also re-stated that, as 
part of its ongoing evaluation of the implementation of the planning 
processes, it intended to convene regional technical conferences this 
year to determine if further refinements to these processes are 
necessary.
    The conferences scheduled in this notice are intended to meet the 
Commission's commitment made in the Initial Planning Orders and 
Compliance Filing Orders that its staff would conduct an assessment of 
the Order No. 890 transmission planning processes. Consistent with 
these orders, 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.
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    \4\ Staff also requests that a representative of WECC's 
Transmission Expansion Planning Policy Committee attend this 
technical conference.

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                                                   Transmission provider
             Date                    Location           participants
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September 3, 2009.............  Phoenix Airport    Entities located
                                 Marriott, 1101     within the
                                 North 44th         ColumbiaGrid,
                                 Street, Phoenix,   Northern Tier
                                 AZ 85008.          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/whatsnew/registration/trans0903speakerform.asp.
September 10, 2009............  Sheraton Gateway   Entities located in
                                 Hotel Atlanta      the states
                                 Airport, 1900      represented in the
                                 Sullivan Road,     Southeastern
                                 Atlanta, GA        Association of
                                 30337.             Regulatory Utility
                                                    Commissioners 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/whatsnew/registration/trans0910speakerform.asp
September 21, 2009............  Marriott           Entities located
                                 Philadelphia       within the Midwest
                                 Airport, One       ISO, PJM, New York
                                 Arrivals Road,     ISO, and ISO New
                                 Philadelphia, PA   England footprints,
                                 19153.             MAPP/MAPP
                                                    Participants, and
                                                    adjacent areas.

[[Page 32913]]

 
                                                   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 trans 09 21 speaker
                                                    form.asp.
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    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.
    For further information about these conferences, please contact:

Zeny Magos (Technical Information), Office of Energy Markets and 
Reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8244, [email protected].
John Cohen (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel--Energy 
Markets, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8705, [email protected].

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-16170 Filed 7-8-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P