Southwest Power Pool Expands Electric Grid Management to 14 States
Southwest Power Pool, a regional power grid operator that ensures access to reliable sources of electricity at competitive rates, has expanded its management of electric reliability coordination to include the Integrated System transmission system, adding more than 5,000 megawatts of peak demand and 9,500 miles of transmission infrastructure.
The Western Area Power Administration – Upper Great Plains in Billings, Mont.; the Basin Electric Power Cooperative in Bismarck, N.D.; and the Heartland Consumers Power District in Madison, S.D., comprise the Integrated System. Additionally, the Western Area Power Administration will become the first federal agency to join a regional transmission organization.
“The Integrated System will be a strong partner as SPP expands its grid oversight from all or part of eight states to 14 states, which will enhance our ability to deliver value through transmission,” said Nick Brown, SPP President and CEO. “The Integrated System’s footprint is well connected to SPP’s existing service territory and provides a logical expansion from a network configuration standpoint. It also is consistent with the principles that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission outlined in its Order 2000.”
“Coordinating the flow of power requires hard work and collaborative planning. We appreciate the efforts of everyone at the Integrated System to successfully achieve this milestone, and we look forward to completing the Integrated System’s full membership in SPP this fall, which will provide increased options for buying and selling power,” said Carl Monroe, SPP Chief Operating Officer.
SPP began providing reliability coordination to the Integrated System on June 1. Reliability coordination is one of several services provided by SPP to members and consumers. SPP monitors the power flow throughout its footprint and takes action to manage congestion and coordinate a regional response in emergency situations. The Integrated System will fully integrate its markets in SPP in October 2015.
