Regional and economic planning update
ATC continues to participate in a variety of efforts to address regional and inter‑regional planning initiatives designed to maintain a reliable grid and capture economic benefits in a dynamic energy marketplace. Policy initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions and expand renewable energy usage continue to evolve, and we work closely with our customers to plan for a system that will meet their needs well into the future.
Midcontinent Independent System Operator Transmission Expansion Planning
MISO planning studies address long and short‑term issues as well as targeted needs. Long‑term studies primarily look at value‑based options that provide economic benefits in the 10‑ to 20‑year horizon. Short‑term planning is primarily driven by transmission owners’ reliability and North American Electric Reliability Corp. compliance needs in a five‑ to 10‑year period.
MTEP 15
Our staff participates in the short‑term reliability and economic studies in a variety of ways: ensuring accurate project information is included in the MISO database, building and reviewing models, correlating needs identified by MISO analyses with specific ATC projects and participating in various studies and stakeholder forums.
ATC has developed a guideline for placing projects into MTEP appendices based on project status and in‑service date. The guideline is based on typical lead times for projects, which can be affected by regulatory filings or time to procure equipment.
Market constraints
Two of the five narrowly constrained areas identified in the MISO region are associated with ATC, and we continue to track these as well as other constraints. Such tracking assists in planning projects that alleviate congestion within the MISO market. The Badger Coulee project should help alleviate congestion on the Minnesota to Wisconsin Exports Interface, which has been one of the most significant constraints for ATC over the last several years.
Other MISO planning activities
Our planning staff participates in various technical and policy discussions and provides future direction for MTEP activities. We also are involved in joint planning studies with neighboring regional transmission organizations, including PJM and SPP. MISO and PJM coordinated, conducted and analyzed several market efficiency project studies. This analysis is reviewed by an inter‑regional planning stakeholder advisory committee and typically examines economic projects that could benefit both RTOs and qualify for cross‑border cost‑sharing.