PJM approves changes to transmission expansion plan
PJnterconnection on Dec. 8 said that its board has approved changes of nearly $260 million to the Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP) to incorporate baseline and network upgrade changes.
The approved facility upgrades were presented to the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee in November, PJM said, adding that all of the approved projects will be incorporated into the RTEP.
PJM said that the board authorized $259.34 million for:
· Construction of new baseline reliability upgrades totaling $158.11 million and associated cost allocations for the upgrades
· Changes to previously approved RTEP baseline upgrades for a net increase of $47.26 million
· Addition of facilities, network upgrades and withdrawal of cancelled facilities related to the interconnection queue for a net increase of $53.97 million
Among the projects that were approved were the:
· Reconductoring of the entire Dequine-Meadow Lake 345-kV circuit #2 in the AEP Transmission Zone, at an estimated cost of $6.6 million; the required in-service date is June 1, 2021
· Reconductoring of the entire Dequine-Eugene 345-kV circuit #1 in the AEP Transmission Zone, at an estimated cost of about $22.2 million; the required in-service date is June 1, 2021
· Addition of a second 345/138-kV transformer at the Chamberlin substation in the ATSI Transmission Zone, at an estimated cost of $3.8 million; the required in-service date is June 1, 2021
With the newest changes, PJM said that it has authorized more than $29 billion in transmission additions and upgrades since the first RTEP began in 2000.
PJM also said that its board has approved the 2016 Installed Reserve Margin (IRM) Study results of 16.6 percent for 2017-18.
