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Articles on Transmission Projects in North America

NERC Interconnections	How the Grid Works	Simple diagram of electricity grids in North America.

• Meeting Load with a Resource Mix Beyond Business as Usual
  April 17, 2013
  
  A Regional Examination of the Hourly System Operations and Reliability Implications for the United States Electric Power System with Coal Phased Out and High Penetrations of Efficiency and Renewable Generating Resources.
  
  
• Georgia to launch two export power lines
  Jan 03, 2012 - RosBusinessConsulting - pro.energycentral.com
  
  Georgia intends to put into operation two high-voltage power lines to expand electricity exports to Turkey and Azerbaijan in 2012, the country's Energy and Natural Resources Ministry said.
  
  
• In Internal Canadian Documents, a Warning on Oil Sands
  Dec. 22, 2011 - IAN AUSTEN - green.blogs.nytimes.com
  
  Internal government documents show that Canada’s scientific and environmental bureaucracy does not share the Conservative government’s view that oil sands projects in Alberta have relatively little negative impact on the environment.
  
  
• Electricity tends to flow south in North America
  Dec. 12, 2011 - eia.gov
  
  The map above shows that electricity tends to flow south in North America. The numbers on the map reflect average net power flows—metered hourly—between electric systems aggregated by regions for the year 2010. Most electric power demand is served by local generators. Net interregional trade accounted for less than 1% of delivered power in 2010. However, excess, low-cost power—primarily from hydroelectric generators in the Pacific Northwest, Manitoba, and Quebec—supplied higher-cost markets to the south.
  
  
• Bipole III plan heads for public review
  Dec. 1, 2011 - Bruce Owen - winnipegfreepress.com
  
  Manitoba Hydro’s plan to build the $3.28-billion Bipole III high-voltage transmission line down the west side of the province has been filed to the province for public review.
  
  
• Underground lines can inspire sticker shock
  Sept. 3, 2011 - Martin B. Cassidy - ctpost.com
  
  STAMFORD -- There's an underground movement across much of the country to bury power and other utility lines to shield against widespread outages like that caused by Tropical Storm Irene last week.
  
  
• APNewsBreak: Obama to step up power line projects
  Oct. 5, 2011 - MATTHEW DALY - yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration moved Wednesday to speed up permitting and construction of seven proposed electric transmission lines in 12 states, saying the projects would create thousands of jobs and help modernize the nation's power grid.
  
  
• 20 clean energy transmission projects for Great Plains and Upper Midwest
  Sept. 26, 2011 - brighterenergy.org
  
  There are now 20 major transmission projects proposed to open up wind energy supplies in the Great Plains and Upper Midwest region.
  
  
• Systems Prepare for Renewables Integration
  Nov. 11, 2011 - Bill Opalka - renewablesbiz.com
  
  Increasing amounts of renewable energy are being integrated into the nation's power systems, but the impacts are not uniformly understood. So, the Department of Energy set out to identify best practices as it performed a worldwide survey of operators.
  
  
• Smart grid: worth it?
  Oct. 7, 2011 - Phil Carson - intelligentutility.com
  
  Costs and benefits weighed by leading utilities
  
  
• U.S., Seeking to Reshape Electric Grid, Adopts a Power Line Rule
  Oct. 7, 2011 - Matthew L. Wald - nytimes.com
  
  WASHINGTON — Federal regulators laid down principles on Thursday for planning and paying for new power lines, part of a long-term policy effort to help the nation's electricity grid grow enough to meet the demands of renewable energy and a competitive electricity market.
  
  
• Flywheels help NY power grid runs more smoothly
  Sept. 30, 2011 - news.yahoo.com
  
  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Some excess power on New York's electrical grid is being stored short-term in 200 flywheel batteries that can zap the power back into the system within seconds when needed.
  
  
• Siemens signs up for 3.5GW HVDC project to deliver US wind
  Sept. 30, 2011 - rechargenews.com
  
  Siemens has entered an exclusive agreement with Clean Line Energy Partners to provide high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) technology for its Rock Island project, which will deliver 3.5GW of wind power from the Northern Plains to Illinois and states to the east.
  
  
• Condemning Private Property to Build Transmission
  Sep 21, 2011 - Ken Silverstein - renewablesbiz.com
  
  A transmission case in Montana is getting ensnared in both the state capitol and in the local court house. It’s centered on “eminent domain” -- whether state law allows energy developers to take private property for public use.
  
  
• AeroVironment to light up I-5 with EV chargers, add 'Oregon Trail' to the Green Highway
  Sept. 16, 2011 - Sean Buckley - engadget.com
  
  Retire your oxen and sell your wagon, the Oregon Trail just went electric. Okay, not the real, historic Oregon Trail, but a respectable 150-mile stretch of Interstate Five. The Oregon Department of Transportation is teaming up with AeroVironment to dot an undisclosed number of 480-volt Level 3 chargers between the California / Oregon state border and the Willamette Valley area as part the West Coast Green Highway initiative. The project aims to cover the entire I-5 corridor with electric vehicle chargers, spanning from the tip toe of the Golden State, all the way up to Washington's hat. Oregon's leg of the project should be ready for drivers this fall, making roadtrips to the Beaver State accessible to EV owners -- dysentery free. Hit the break for dry, but factual press release.
  
  
• California's Grid Plan Ready for Renewable Power Influx
  Jun 10, 2011 - BUSINESS WIRE - energycentral.com
  
  The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) Board of Governors yesterday approved the 2010-2011 Transmission Plan that includes 33 grid upgrades for addressing future reliability and policy-driven needs worth $1.2 billion. The approval provides a timely decision that will aid renewable power projects seeking financing. The ISO accelerated its planning process by six months so that American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects could meet eligibility criteria.
  
  
• The Case for Underground Transmission
  June 5, 2011 - Ken Silverstein - energybiz.com
  
  The Knoxville Utilities Board has been hit hard by the storms ravaging the southeast. While the local distributor says that it usually spends about $2 million a year on similar events, this recent one will cost it at least $1.2 million fixing transmission-related items. Would underground lines help?
  
  
• Alstom Gets Contract for High Voltage DC at Tres Amigas
  May 14, 2011 - Michael Kanellos - greentechmedia.com
  
  Alstom Grid has won the contract, worth at least 150 million Euros, to deliver the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter to the Tres Amigas Superstation.
  
  
• Condemning Private Property to Build Transmission
  May 11, 2011 - Ken Silverstein - energybiz.com
  
  A transmission case in Montana is getting ensnared in both the state capitol and in the local court house. It’s centered on “eminent domain” -- whether state law allows energy developers to take private property for public use.
  
  
• No Grid, No Gain: Untangling the Transmission Tie-up
  May 08, 2011 - renewableenergyworld.com
  
  
  California, USA -- Great strides have been made in enacting state renewable energy standards (RES) in the United States, which significantly affect the urgency of developing new renewable energy facilities. Also called Renewable Portfolio Standards and Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards, over 30 states have adopted RES mandates. These initiatives are paving a path toward a more economically and environmentally sustainable and secure energy future for America.
  
  
• The Troubled Sunrise Powerlink: The Environment Versus Renewables
  May 08, 2011 - energybiz.com
  
  
  SUNRISE POWERLINK. THE NAME suggests the dawn of a new era of eco-friendly power, so why is the 112-mile-long high-voltage transmission line under construction by San Diego Gas & Electric, designed to bring power from the Imperial Valley to San Diego County, under fire from various environmental and civic groups? For exactly the same reasons that transmission lines come under fire whenever and wherever they're proposed: because no one wants lines and poles obstructing their view and because transmission lines don't generate anything but costs. They're hard to love and easy to oppose.
  
  
• BPA's New High-Voltage Power Line To Carry Wind Power
  Apr 16, 2011 - renewgridmag.com
  
  
  The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) says it plans to build a new power line across southeast Washington that will carry an additional 840 MW of wind energy and provide up to 170 jobs.
  
  
• Department of Energy Finalizes Loan Guarantee for New Transmission Project to Deliver Renewable Energy to Southwest
  Feb 27, 2011 - U.s. Dept. of Energy - energy.gov
  
  
  Nevada Project Expected to Create Over 400 Jobs and Improve Grid Reliability
  
  
• Department of Energy Finalizes Loan Guarantee for New Transmission Project to Deliver Renewable Energy to Southwest
  Feb 27, 2011 - U.s. Dept. of Energy - energy.gov
  
  
  Nevada Project Expected to Create Over 400 Jobs and Improve Grid Reliability
  
  
• The Transmission Imperative for Renewables
  Feb 19, 2011 - Martin Gross - renewableenergyworld.com
  
  
  It's an interesting time to be involved with electricity. The power industry is on the verge of the biggest changes since the days of Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. Recent breakthroughs around the world in power transmission systems have made it imperative for the U.S. to develop a more intelligent, flexible, long-haul transmission network that can carry renewable energy from remote locations to major population centers.
  
  
• Transmitting Canadian Hydroelectric Power to the USA via Submarine Cable
  February 18, 2011 - Harry Valentine - EnergyPulse.net
  
  Canada has for decades, exported hydroelectric power from Quebec and from Labrador into markets in the northeastern USA. A power transmission company based in Vancouver has proposed to install a submarine power cable along America's Pacific coast to carry electric power from British Columbia to California.
  
  
• Integrating transmission
  Oct 22, 2010 - Phil Johnson - intelligentutility.com
  
  AMONG ELECTRIC UTILITIES AND THEIR OWNERSHIP organizations, some serve extensive geographies and therefore become more involved in high-voltage transmission, moving large quantities of electricity from points of generation to load centers within their service areas, as well as transmitting electricity to other areas on a market basis.
  
  
• How to Move 57 Gigawatts
  Oct 22, 2010 - Bill Opalka - renewablesbiz.com
  

  A report for transmission needs in the Upper Midwest was recently released by the joint-venture company that wants to access tremendous wind resources.
  

• Plan Announced to Bring Canadian Hydropower to New England
  Oct 22, 2010 - renewableenergyworld.com
  
  A billion-dollar hydropower transmission project has been announced for New Hampshire, designed to bring 1,200 MW of hydroelectric power from Canada.
  
  
• Electric Transmission Policy Goal: Lowest Reasonable Consumer Cost
  Oct 18, 2010 - PRNewswire - USNewswire
  
  The Coalition for Fair Transmission Policy (CFTP) said new electric transmission facilities needed for reliability, economic savings, and satisfying public policy requirements must be developed both in a cost effective manner for consumers and consistent with wholesale market competition.
  
  
• Transmission: The New Green Energy?
  Oct. 14, 2010 - Christopher Perdue- intelligentutility.com
  
  Our increasingly technology-dependent society depends upon the transmission network itself as much as on the power plants that use and feed the network.
  
  
• Integrating Renewables, Optimizing Transmission
  Oct. 14, 2010 - Phil Carson - intelligentutility.com
  
  
  Economics have driven smarts into the transmission system, but challenges loom that require more smarts: siting new lines, integrating renewable energy and optimizing existing lines.
  
  
• Boosting Transmission Capacity, Redux
  Oct. 14, 2010 - Phil Carson - intelligentutility.com
  
  As the grid has grown larger and more complex, it needs new lines, existing lines must acquire flexibility to integrate new power generation and lines need to operate closer to capacity.
  
  
• Vermont and Quebec Reach New Energy Agreement
  Aug 18, 2010 - Marketwire
  
  Vermont's two largest utilities and HQ Energy Services (U.S.), a subsidiary of Hydro-Quebec, signed today a 26-year contract that will provide renewable low-emission energy.
  
• Boosting Transmission Capacity
  Jul 28, 2010 - Phil Carson - intelligentutility.com
  
  Building a smarter grid sometimes simply means optimizing existing assets, as our readers well know.
  
  
• GE & Partners Announce $200 Million Global Commitment to Accelerate Power Grid Technology Through Open Collaboration
  Jul 14, 2010 - Business Wire
  
  GE (NYSE: GE) announced today a $200 million open innovation challenge that seeks breakthrough ideas to create a smarter, cleaner, more efficient electric grid, and accelerate the adoption of more efficient grid technologies.
  
  
• Hydro-Quebec gets behind proposed transmission line to US
  Jul 12, 2010 - Sylvain Larocque - The Associated Press
  
  Hydro-Quebec is supporting the construction of a $2-billion cross-border transmission line that will run into the United States and help power New York City.
  
  
• U.S. eyes launching international entity for next-generation power grid
  Jul 12, 2010 - The Associated Press
  
  The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is planning to launch an international entity to be tasked with developing a smart grid, a next-generation power transmission network, U.S. government sources said Friday.
  
  
• Heat tests improved grid, and it appears to pass
  Jul 12, 2010 - Chris Kahn - The Associated Press
  
  Well before the brutal peak of this week's East Coast heat wave, utility managers watched as overwhelmed circuits in New York shut down one by one. Hundreds of homes in Queens went dark.
  
  
• California ISO Board Approves Two Ways to Green the Grid
  May 24, 2010 - Business Wire - Energy Central
  
  The California ISO Board of Governors today approved two key changes that will help integrate renewable generating resources like wind, solar and geothermal onto the power grid faster and more efficiently.
  
  
• Zephyr power line fully subscribed
  May 20, 2010 - Wyoming Business Report
  
  TransCanada has announced that its planned Zephyr Power Transmission line has had its full 3,000 megawatts spoken for by three wind energy developers in Wyoming.
  
  
• Texas power customers will save money with new transmission lines, study says
  May 20, 2010 - Jack Z. Smith - Star-Telegram
  
  A typical Texas electricity consumer will save $160 to $355 annually on residential electric bills once $5 billion in new transmission lines are completed to deliver West Texas and Panhandle wind power to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and other state population centers, according to a study released Thursday by The Perryman Group and funded by companies involved in the wind industry.
  
  
• NREL Study Shows Power Grid can Accommodate Large Increase in Wind and Solar Generation
  May 20, 2010 - NREL
  
  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today released an initial study assessing the operational impacts and economics of increased contributions from wind and solar energy producers on the power grid. The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study examines the benefits and challenges of integrating enough wind and solar energy capacity into the grid to produce 35 percent of its electricity by 2017. The study finds that this target is technically feasible and does not necessitate extensive additional infrastructure, but does require key changes to current operational practice. The results offer a first look at the issue of adding significant amount of variable renewable energy in the West and will help utilities across the region plan how to ramp up their production of renewable energy as they incorporate more wind and solar energy plants into the power grid.
  
  
• EPRI Collaborative Aims to Improve Efficiency of Transmission Grid
  May 17, 2010 - EPRI - energycentral.com
  
  The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) launched an industry-wide “transmission efficiency” demonstration collaborative with a group of utilities and transmission system operators that will compile and analyze performance data from transmission lines, substations and grid operations to assess the cost, benefit and technical criteria for implementing efficiency measures.
  
  
• Southern California Edison - ProLogis Agreement to Advance Grid Integration of Renewable Generation
  May 17, 2010 - Edison International - renewablesbiz.com
  
  Southern California Edison (SCE) and ProLogis today announced they have reached agreement to place up to 40 percent of SCE’s massive 250 megawatt solar panel project on ProLogis distribution warehouse roofs.
  
  
  
• 'Green' or not, power-line plan opposed
  May 17, 2010 - Shelley Shelton - The Arizona Daily Star
  
  If a recent public-input session is any indication, power transmission lines are not welcome neighbors, even if the electricity they carry is generated by renewable resources.
  
  
• Greening the Grid
  May 14, 2010 - Ken Silverstein - intelligentutility.com
  
  Utilities and environmental groups are coming together to help modernize the transmission system. It's an arduous job that requires conciliation and patience.
  
  
• A Synchrophaser Boom
  May 11, 2010 - Katherine Tweed - greentechmedia.com
  
  It’s not just a cool word—synchrophasors are key to optimizing grid automation.
  
  
• Southern California Edison Celebrates Milestone for a Major Renewable Transmission Project
  May 10, 2010 - BUSINESS WIRE
  
  The first part of a major renewable transmission project capable of providing enough clean energy to serve about 3 million homes has been completed by Southern California Edison (SCE), an Edison International company, and will soon be providing power.
  
  
  
• Neighbors pan power-line proposal
  May 10, 2010 - Shelley Shelton - The Arizona Daily Star
  
  If a public-input session held last week is any indication, power transmission lines are not welcome neighbors, even if the electricity they carry is generated by renewable resources.
  
  
• CA gets new renewable energy transmission lines
  May 10, 2010 - John Antczak - Associated Press
  
  The first phase of a huge electrical transmission system to connect wind, solar and other renewable energy sources in the Mojave Desert to Los Angeles has been completed, Southern California Edison said Tuesday.
  
  
• War Against a Wind-Rich Super Grid
  May 6, 2010 - Matthew Wald - nytimes.com
  
  After several years of debate, a coalition has emerged around the idea of a strong national electric grid, centrally planned and broadly financed, that would promote renewable energy.
  
  
• Utilities adjust to use wind
  Mai 3, 2010 - Larisa Brasss - News Sentinel - energycentral.co
  
  Wind is becoming a more widespread resource for electricity generation, but utilities tapping the breezes for power also must learn how to manage an energy source with a mind of its own.
  
  
• SPP Approves Construction of New Electric Transmission Infrastructure
  Mai 3, 2010 - energycentral.com
  
  Today the Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) Board of Directors and Members Committee approved for construction a group of “priority” high voltage electric transmission projects estimated to bring benefits of at least $3.7 billion to the SPP region over 40 years.
  
  
• Niskayuna, NY, USA: GE to Study Impact of High Solar Energy Penetration on the Grid
  Mai 3, 2010 - solarbuzz.com
  
  GE researchers are working with Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest electric utility, to understand how large amounts of solar can best be integrated into today’s grid.
  
  
• Bringing Utility-Scale Solar Power to the Grid
  Mai 3, 2010 - Tucker Ruberti - PV Powered, Inc.
  
  Over time the electrical grid will transform into a more distributed configuration, incorporating many new energy resources, including solar.
  
  
• Power project called sensitive to environment
  Apr 30, 2010 - Dan Heath - Press-Republican
  
  Developers are touting the environmental advantages of a proposed project to bring renewable energy to New York City and Connecticut.
  
  
• $3.8B Canada-NYC Transmission Line Proposed for Renewable Power
  Apr 30, 2010 - SustainableBusiness.com News
  
  Transmission Developers Inc. (TDI) announced plans to develop a $3.8 billion power transmission line to bring renewable power to New York and New England from the U.S.-Canadian border.
  
  
• U.S. Electrical Grid Undergoes Massive Transition to Connect to Renewables
  Apr 28, 2010 - Jennifer Weeks - The Daily Climate
  
  The U.S. electrical grid is the largest interconnected machine on Earth: 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 5.5 million miles of local distribution lines, linking thousands of generating plants to factories, homes and businesses.
  
  
• SPP Proposes New Cost Sharing Method for Expanding the Regional Electric Transmission Grid
  Apr 20, 2010 - LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - energycentral.com
  
  Today the Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) Board of Directors and Regional State Committee, comprised of regulatory commissioners from seven states, filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a new "Highway/Byway" method of sharing costs for electric transmission in the SPP region, which includes all or parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
  
  
• Smart grid solutions
  Apr 20, 2010 - Christopher Bjorke - The Bismarck Tribune
  
  In the future, refrigerators will talk to utility meters, meters will talk to electric companies and energy supply and demand will be more efficient.
  
  
• What Impedes Transmission
  Apr 14, 2010 - Bill Opalka - renewablesbiz.com
  
  Talk about the difficulties of building transmission and just about everybody agrees the twin killers of any project can be siting and cost allocation.
• Al Gore: Super grid is critical to combating the climate crisis
  Apr 9, 2010 - Lisa Sibley - Cleantech Group
  
  An effective smart grid could help keep the United States competitive in the international marketplace, the former U.S. vice president says.
  
  
• Electric Transmission Texas Brings Largest Utility-Scale Battery in the United States to One of Oldest Cities in Texas
  April 8, 2010 /PRNewswire
  
  Electric Transmission Texas, LLC (ETT) dedicated the nation's largest, and Texas' first, utility-scale battery today during ceremonies in Presidio, one of the oldest cities in Texas.
  
  
• More transmission lines needed to realize wind-power visions
  Apr 4, 2010 - Chicago Tribune
  
  As regulators pave the way for wind-farm development with tax credits and loosened regulations, the key challenge facing developers is that existing transmission lines, substations and transformers are inadequate to handle the amount of energy expected to come from wind farms in various stages of development across the country. There's already a waiting list for wind-farm developers who want to hook into the existing grid.
  
  
• NREL to Help California Tackle Solar Energy Grid Integration
  Mar 30, 2010 - National Renewable-Energy Laboratory
  
  The California Public Utilities Commission has tapped experts at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to help the state stimulate solar energy research and build a sustainable solar industry. 
  
  
• Designate renewable energy zones across US, suggests think-tank
  Mar 30, 2010 - The Milken Institute - renewableenergyfocus.com
  
  A US think tank says creating ‘competitive renewable energy zones’ would be a solution to raise the private investment that is needed to update transmission infrastructure, increase capacity for renewable energy and move toward the ‘smart grid.’
  
  
• Putting wind-generated power where it’s needed
  Mar 28, 2010 - Julie Wernau - chicagotribune.com
  
  Wind energy is gaining interest and funding, but delivering the electricity it generates requires more transmission lines
  
  
• Grid operator thinking ahead
  Mar 26, 2010 - McClatchy-Tribune - Luther Turmelle - -New Haven Register
  
  Officials with New England's regional electric grid operator are projecting that it will have to spend billions of dollars to build the new transmission lines needed to bring enough renewable energy into the region if goals set by governors in the six states are to be achieved.
  
  
• US Power Grid Connection Wins First Approval; Texas Unresolved
  Mar 18, 2010 - Dow Jones
  
  A transmission project to link the nation's three major electric grids won an initial approval Thursday from federal regulators, but fell short on its bid to resolve a thorny jurisdiction issue.
  
  
• Quebec puts its power on the line
  Mar 16, 2010 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Larry Rulison - Albany Times Union, N.Y.
  
  Quebec is New York state's largest trading partner, but what it really wants to do is sell the Empire State lots of clean power.
  
  
• LA DWP pulls plug on `green' power line
  Mar 11, 2010 - The Associated Press
  
  The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says it has shelved plans to build an 85 mile-long "green" power transmission line across wilderness areas in the southeastern California desert.
  
  
• Manitoba, Saskatchewan governments commit to building bigger power grid
  Mar 9, 2010 - The Associated Press
  
  The Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments have agreed to more than double the capacity of the power grid that connects the two provinces.
  
  
• Toronto company proposes 2000 MW power line between Quebec and New York
  Mar 2, 2010 - Sylvain Larocque - The Associated Press
  
  A Toronto company financed by U.S. investment firm Blackstone hopes to build a 2,000-megawatt power line between Montreal's south shore and New York City for US$3.8-billion.
  
  
• Berkeley Lab Releases New Analysis of the Potential Renewable Energy Supply
  Feb 25, 2010 - Energy Central
  
  Berkeley Lab and Black & Veatch developed a new analytical tool to compare the economics of renewable resource areas for different load areas in the Western Interconnection and how different policies and uncertainties may affect resource selection and transmission expansion.
  
  
• NIMBY in Canada?
  Feb 24, 2010 - Puil Carson - intelligentutility.com
  
  I noticed with some relief - and the comfort of distance - a news item yesterday that made me realize that none of us is immune from NIMBY.
  
  
• Planning the 'smart grid'
  Feb 8, 2010 - Billings Gazette, Billings, renewablesbiz.com
  
  Borgquist doesn't build wind farms, rather he's got a plan for collecting and transmitting wind power. Ultimately, he hopes to gather enough wind-generated electricity to equal the output of Hoover Dam, or two coal-fired power plants at Colstrip.
  
  
• Transmission strains
  Feb 8, 2010 - Warren Causey - Energy biz insider
  
  The strains to our transmission system have been evident for some time.
  
  
• Proposal to Link the Nation's Grid Sparks a Debate
  Feb 3, 2010 - Peter Behr - The New York Times
  
  The Tres Amigas transmission project in New Mexico, which seeks to link the nation's three power grids to share wind power across the United States, has attracted both eager allies and some determined foes.
  
  
• Saskatchewan, Manitoba premiers talk electricity trade at joint cabinet meeting
  Feb 3, 2010 - The Associated Press
  
  Saskatchewan and Manitoba say an electricity system that joins the provinces could strengthen their economic ties, just as the railroad helped to unify Canada.
  
  
• Charles River Associates' SPP Wind Integration Study Identifies Challenges
  Jan 19, 2010 - LITTLE ROCK - ARKANSAS
  
  Wind Integration Task Force (WITF), found that enhanced electricity reserves and major transmission reinforcements are needed to integrate higher levels of wind generation into the SPP transmission system and energy markets.
  
  
• Fort Reliance calls for regional transmission system
  Jan 18, 2010 - Energy Central
  
  Fort Reliance today called for a regional transmission system in Eastern Canada to foster energy collaboration across political boundaries. A shared transmission system would lower energy costs, improve carbon emissions performance, lay the foundation for a smart grid, and facilitate economic development. To advance this cooperative approach to regional infrastructure and to jointly develop with interested partners new transmission projects in the range of $1-2 billion, the company has formed a new joint venture company: Portage Energy Limited.
  
  
• Major Investor Groups Urge Tougher Action On Climate Change
  Jan 14, 2010 - Naureen Malik - Dow Jones Newswires
  
  Investor groups representing $13 trillion in assets Thursday urged the U.S. and other governments to put in place stronger policies to curb climate change, warning political uncertainty surrounding the issue stunts development and exposes companies to considerable risk.
  
  
• Iberdrola Renewables Signs Its Largest PPA Ever with TVA, Power to Come from Illinois' Largest Wind Farm
  Jan 14, 2010 - Business Wire
  
  Iberdrola Renewables, the largest provider of wind power in the world, today announced its biggest power purchase agreement (PPA) ever with a new customer, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TVA will purchase 300 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy from Iberdrola Renewables' Streator Cayuga Ridge South Wind Power Project under construction near the villages of Odell and Emington, Illinois, south of Chicago.
  
  
• NV Energy and Great Basin Transmission bring Nevada transmission in line with renewables
  Jan 12, 2010 - NewNet
  
  NYSE-listed holding company NV Energy and Great Basin Transmission, an affiliate of LS Power, have signed an agreement to jointly own a 500KV transmission line, which will provide access to isolated renewable energy resources in parts of northern and eastern Nevada.
  
  
• High-voltage power lines like one in NH could help power the future
  Jan 4, 2010 - David Brooks - The Telegraph - McClatchy TRN
  
  The future of the nation's power grid -- perhaps the world's power grids -- depends on a technology that Nashua area commuters have been driving past for two decades without noticing: High-voltage DC transmission.
  
  
• Minnesota Power Reaches Milestone in Renewable Energy Efforts with Purchase of Interstate Transmission Line
  Jan 4, 2010 - Business Wire
  
  Minnesota Power, an ALLETE company (NYSE: ALE), has finalized the purchase of a 465-mile transmission line, signaling a new era of renewable energy transport and development for the Company.
  
  
• Cost and benefits of 2G Superconducting Wire for Transmission
  Dec 31, 2009 - nextbigfuture.com
  
  * Enhances Efficiency: Superconductor Electricity Pipelines are able to cut power losses by two to three times when compared with conventional transmission options.
  
  
• Renewable energy projects will get swift U.S. permitting
  Dec 30, 2009 - Matthew Preusch The Oregonia - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  The Bureau of Land Management has chosen 31 renewable energy and transmission projects, including one in Oregon, for expedited permitting in order to make them eligible for stimulus funding.
  
  
• Transmission efforts gain stimulus nod
  Dec 28, 2009 - Kate Rowland - Energy Central
  
  Last Friday, with very little hoopla and fanfare, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $60 million in stimulus funding to support transmission planning for the country's three interconnection transmission networks.
  
  
• Tomorrow's power grid being planned today
  Dec 23, 2009 - Dick Hagen - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  Be it new livestock facilities, wind turbines or electric transmission lines, the NIMBY syndrome ("not in my backyard") continues to surface from land owners, home owners and project detractors who aren't always excited about new economic development projects.
  
  
• Tangled Network: Transmission or Meter Investments
  Dec 23, 2009 - Kate Rowland - Energy Central
  
  It's as old a debate as the chicken and the egg, and as complicated as the Gordian knot. Should utilities tackle transmission or customers first when making investments in a smarter grid?
  
  
• Beacon Integrates Additional MW of Flywheel Storage on New England Grid
  Dec 21, 2009 - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
  
  Beacon Power Corporation has successfully connected and integrated an additional megawatt (MW) of flywheel energy storage on the New England power grid. This brings the company's total installed capacity to 3 MW, all of which are operation and earning revenue from frequency regulation services.
  
  
• Duke, State Grid May Build US Power Lines -Sources
  Dec 21, 2009 - Energy Central
  
  Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) is in talks with State Grid Corp., China's biggest electricity distributor, over a joint venture that may involve installing power transmission lines in the U.S., according to two people familiar with the situation.
  
  
• CPUC Approves Southern California Edison Tehachapi Transmission Project
  Dec 18, 2009 - Renew Grid
  
  The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved Southern California Edison's (SCE) application to build segments of its Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project (TRTP) - the first major transmission project in California designed specifically to access multiple renewable generation sources.
  
  
• Stimulus money goes to states to study power transmission
  Dec 18, 2009 -McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Rocky Barker The Idaho Statesman, Boise
  
  The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the Western Governors' Association $12 million to help 11 states plan for new electric transmission.
  
  
• Tres Amigas Files with FERC for America's First Renewable Energy Transmission Hub
  Dec 9, 2009 - Business Wire
  
  Tres Amigas, LLC today announced that it has submitted filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requesting regulatory approvals needed to move forward with the Tres Amigas SuperStation, America's first renewable energy transmission hub.
  
  
• Report: New power lines key to Colo. CO2 goals - 2
  Dec 8, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  Colorado needs new, well-planned transmission lines to meet its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020, a state report says.
  
  
• Report: New power lines key to Colo. CO2 goals
  Dec 7, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  A new report says existing state policies will get Colorado to about only 40 percent of the way to its carbon-reduction goals and that new, well-planned transmission lines are key to success.
  
  
• Southern California Edison's Solar Transmission Line Approved
  Nov 30, 2009 - Wall Street Journal
  
  Southern California Edison (SCE) has received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for the construction of the 128-mile, 500 kV Devers Palo-Verde No. 2 line, which is designed to deliver solar power to demand centers in Southern California.
  
  
• Power struggle over towers
  Nov 24, 2009- Record - The Bergen County, - N.J.
  
  Combating global warming with a "green superhighway" of high- voltage power lines -- that large groups of consumers then have to pay for -- could be bad news for New Jersey, say state leaders, environmental activists and utility companies.
  
  
• Tom Konrad: We need transmission!
  Nov 22, 2009 - Marc Gunther - The Energy Collective
  
  Today’s guest post comes from Tom Konrad, Ph.D., an investment analyst specializing in clean energy.  Tom, who is 40, and calls himself a policy wonk, lives in Denver and writes about stock market investments in clean energy at his excellent blog, AltEnergyStocks.com. Tom wrote this article  in response to a column by John Farrell (which we published here) arguing that localized, distributed renewable energy sources are preferable to  massive transmission lines. Tom’s response  first appeared on his blog Clean Energy Wonk, where he writes about energy policy and economics.  John replied in the comments there if you want to dig deeper into this controversy.
  
  
• ABB celebrates landmark power technology
  Nov 19, 2009 - Energy Central
  
  ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, today celebrates the 10th anniversary of the world's first commercial HVDC Light installation, a technological innovation that has opened up new possibilities in power transmission.
  
  
• Can Flywheels Help Balance Electricity Supply and Demand?
  Nov 19, 2009 - Michael Burnham - Scientific American
  
  Beacon Power Corp. broke ground today on a 20-megawatt, energy-storage facility in southeastern New York.
  
  
• Making Renewables Reliable
  Nov 18, 2009 - Matthew L. Wald - Teh New York Times
  
  TECHNOLOGY and policy are coming together to promise electricity as abundant as sunshine and as freely available as the breeze — and about as fickle.
  
  
• Always on call: Oncor's secret North Texas grid management center
  Nov 14, 2009 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jack Z. Smith Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
  
  People take electricity for granted -- until the lights fail to come on in the morning or there's no air conditioning on a scorching July afternoon.
  
  
• EPRI Unveils Initiative to Improve Transmission System Efficiency
  Nov 4, 2009 - Business Wire
  
  The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) disclosed plans today for an industry-wide "transmission efficiency" demonstration collaborative that will identify technologies leading to greater efficiency in the bulk power system, an increase in system utilization and a reduction in line and equipment losses.
  
  
• Hydro-Quebec buying energy transmission assets
  Oct 30, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  North America's largest utility company Hydro-Quebec has announced it will pay 4.7 billion Canadian dollars ($4.4 billion) for transmission lines of New Brunswick Power, a deal that would help the company secure greater access to electricity markets in the U.S.
  
  
• Hawaii plans undersea power cable
  Oct 30, 2009 - Mark Niesse - The Associated Press
  
  Hawaii is moving forward with plans to build an undersea cable to carry wind-generated electricity from Maui County to power-hungry Honolulu.
  
  
• Nine Federal Agencies Agree to Expedite Permitting  of Power Transmission Construction on Federal Lands
  Oct 28, 2009 - U.S. Department of the Interior
  
  Obama Administration officials today released a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by nine Federal Departments and Agencies to make it faster and simpler to build transmission lines on Federal lands. The goal of the agreement is to speed approval of new transmission lines, reduce expense and uncertainty in the process, generate cost savings, increase accessibility to renewable energy and jumpstart job creation.
  
  
• Obama to Announce Plan to Modernize Nation's Electric Power System
  Oct 26, 2009 - Chicago Tribune
  
  President Barack Obama and administration officials on Tuesday will announce $3.4 billion in spending projects to modernize the nation's electric power system.
  
  
• NY helps put flywheel battery plan in motion
  Oct 15, 2009 - The Assoiated Press
  
  A plan to build an array of 200 flywheel batteries to store spare power from New York's electrical grid and transmit it back when needed has been approved by state regulators.
  
  
• Plan connects U.S. grids to transport solar, wind
  Oct 13, 2009 - Martin LaMonica - cnet.com
  
  A proposal to use superconducting cables to transport renewable energy across the United States will be unveiled Tuesday.
  
  
• Supergrid for renewables: coloring the US grid green
  Oct 6, 2009 - Elisa Wood - Renewable Energy World.Com
  
  Renegades, some may call them, but people have lived off-grid for decades by relying exclusively on solar panels for electricity. Disconnected from their local utility, they have no central back-up and no reliability. Most solar electric users are less extreme. They remain connected to the utility and use a combination of solar and grid power.
  
  
• Conference Tackles Interstate Transmission
  October 5, 2009 - NREL
  
  More than 50% of the best class 5 - 7 winds in the Western U.S. occur in southern Wyoming. Southern California's population is expected to grow by 74% by 2030 to 23 million residents, and will need all the low-cost renewable power it can get. How do you build a transmission line to carry that clean electricity across mountain ranges, sensitive wildlife habitat and 1,000 miles of public and private property in as many as five states?
  
  
• Izzo Calls for Transmission Policy That Gives Equal Access for all Renewables and Minimizes Transmission Costs
  Sep 30, 2009 - PR Newswire
  
  Ralph Izzo, chairman, president and CEO of PSEG, today called for transmission policy that gives equal access to all renewable projects and minimizes cost. He also warned that the proposal for a subsidized national build out of a transmission superhighway to move renewable energy from the center of the country to the coasts is economically unjustified and environmentally self-defeating.
  
  
• Hydro One plans major power line expansion
  Sep 29, 2009 - Hydro Review
  
  State-owned Hydro One said it will invest C$2.3 billion over three years on new power line projects in hopes of delivering more hydropower to homes and businesses across Ontario.
  
  
• Department of Energy Announces Start of Western Area Power Administration Recovery Act Project
  Sep 16, 2009 - U.S. Department of Energy
  
  WASHINGTON, DC – With the goal of bringing new jobs and green power to the West, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today a large-scale transmission project to be financed using funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Western Area Power Administration will use borrowing authority under the Recovery Act to help build the $213 million Montana-Alberta Tie Limited (MATL) transmission project between Great Falls, Montana, and Lethbridge, Alberta. Almost two-thirds of the 214-mile transmission line will be located on U.S. soil, creating American jobs and allowing for the continued expansion of renewable energy production.
  
  
• Panel urges $3 billion on transmission lines in NV
  Sept 6, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  A state committee is recommending that power companies spend about $3 billion on transmission lines to connect possible renewable energy sites in rural Nevada to existing lines.
  
  
• P.E.I. seeks federal help in plans for power transmission line to New Brunswick
  Sept 3, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  Prince Edward Island has requested federal stimulus funding for a new energy transmission line to New Brunswick so the Island can export more wind power to New England.
  
  
• Electric Transmission Texas Signs Contract for Largest Utility- Scale Battery in the U.S.
  Sept 1, 2009 - PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  Electric Transmission Texas LLC (ETT) has completed a contract with NGK- Locke, Inc. for a state-of-the-art, sodium-sulfur 4-megawatt NAS((R)) battery system, which will be installed in Presidio, Texas. ETT is a joint venture between American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (MidAmerican).
  
  
• No access to N.B. transmission lines could hamper P.E.I. wind power export plans
  Aug 25, 2009 - Teresa Wright - Charlottetown Guardian - The Associated Press
  
  A P.E.I. plan to export wind energy to New England may be in jeopardy now that New Brunswick says it has no room for Island power on its transmission lines.
  
  
• ABB SVC solution to help strengthen Mexican power grid
  Aug 21, 2009 - Energy Central
  
  ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order from Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to provide a Static VAr Compensator (SVC) solution to help strengthen the transmission grid in southern Mexico. The unit will be installed at the La Ventosa substation, close to the city of Ixtepec in the state of Oaxaca.
  
  
• AEP, MidAmerican Transmission Joint Venture Sponsors Study of Transmission Options to Transport Renewable Energy Across Upper Midwest
  Aug 18, 2009 - PRNewswire
  
  Electric Transmission America (ETA), a transmission joint venture of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, has joined with American Transmission Company, Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), NorthWestern Energy (NYSE: NWE) and MidAmerican Energy Company, a subsidiary of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, to sponsor a comprehensive study of the transmission needed in the Upper Midwest to support renewable energy development and to transport that energy to consumers in markets to the east.
  
  
• Phase 2A Final Report-Conceptual Transmission Plan for Access to Renewable Energy Announced
  Aug 13, 2009 - Energy Central
  
  The Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) today announced the availability of its Phase 2A Report -- a conceptual transmission plan that evaluates the usefulness of potential transmission lines in accessing and delivering renewable energy. The plan is intended to help enable development and approval of renewable energy infrastructure in ways that minimize the economic cost, environmental impacts, and number of new transmission facilities.
  
  
• Northwestern Transmission Line to Carry 575 Megawatts of Wind Power
  Aug 12, 2009 - NREL
  
  DOE announced on Monday that construction is underway for the McNary-John Day transmission project in Oregon and Washington, funded by $343 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project, part of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) transmission system, is expected to deliver more than 575 megawatts (MW) of wind-generated power across the West by early 2012. The 79-mile McNary-John Day line will run from the McNary Substation in Oregon, across the Columbia River into Washington, and back into Oregon, where it will end at the John Day Substation. It is one of four proposed transmission lines that together would add 225 miles of high-voltage power transmission to the Pacific Northwest, delivering about 2,800 MW of renewable energy to the region. See the DOE press release and the BPA fact sheet on the proposed projects (PDF 109 KB).
  
  
  
• Sen Reid: FERC Needs Ability to Condemn Land, Site Power Lines
  Aug 10, 2009 - Dow Jones
  
  U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Monday offered his strongest call yet in favor of empowering federal regulators to decide where to build new power lines, saying that the authority was necessary to overcome roadblocks.
  
  
• Tests loom for nation's power grid
  Aug 8, 2009 - Christopher Martin and Mario Parker - New Jersey Business News
  
  President Obama's push for wind and solar energy to wean the United States from foreign oil carries a hidden cost: overburdening the nation's electrical grid and increasing the threat of blackouts.
  
  
• The Transmission Question
  Jul 31, 2009 - Kate Rowland - Energybiz insider
  
  There will be no magic involved in adding new renewable energy to the electricity mix. It will involve long-distance transmission lines -- lines that, in some instances, have yet to be built.
  
  
• U.S electric grid needs major overhaul-utility
  Jul 23, 2009 - Tom Doggett - Reuters
  
  The U.S. electric grid is outdated and needs a major overhaul if it is to carry electricity generated by renewable energy sources, a senior official with Southern California Edison told Congress on Thursday.
  
  
• High-Powered wires 
  Jul 22, 2009 - Ken Silverstein - Michigan Green
  
  Not long ago, the notion of adding reliability and intelligence to utility operations seemed arcane and dull. Now it has become vogue. The latest such advance is in the area of reducing transmission line losses and thereby increasing reliability.
  
  
• MDU Resources Intends to Help Develop Green Power Express Transmission Project
  Jul 7, 2009 - Business Wire
  
  MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) announced today that it intends to participate with ITC Holdings Corp. in developing the Green Power Express transmission project, which would transport renewable energy from wind-rich Plains states to major metropolitan markets.
  
  
• Upgraded Power Grid is Vital for Alternative Energy in Kansas
  Jul 5, 2009 - The Wichita Eagle
  
  Behind every graceful wind farm generating power stands the decidedly less-glamorous high-voltage lines transporting it.
  
  
• Alberta announces $8.1 billion energy plan
  Jun 8, 2009 - Richard Gilbert - Journal of Commerce
  
  Billions of dollars worth of electricity transmission projects may soon start construction in Alberta.
  
  
• NRG poll finds transmission constraints a barrier for US wind
  Jun 3, 2009 - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
  
  Transmission/interconnection constraints have been identified as the greatest barrier to wind energy development, according to a poll conducted by NRG Systems at the recent Windpower 2009 Conference.
  
  
• BLM hearings seek transmission line project input
  Jun 3, 2009 - Julie Carter - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  A public scoping process has begun to identify issues involved in a proposal to construct a high-voltage 500 kilovolt (KV) power transmission line across southern New Mexico and Arizona.
  
  
• How to send electricity across the continent, virtually for free
  May 22, 2009 - Michael Lemonick - Newsweek
  
  Remember the Woodstock of Physics? Probably not. Back in the spring of 1987, though, headlines were trumpeting it as the most exciting scientific meeting in history. Three thousand physicists crammed into a ballroom at the New York Hilton to talk about superconductivity-the transmission of electricity with literally zero resistance. The technology was suddenly within reach of being economical.
  
  
• SoCal Edison Cuts Arizona From Transmission Plans
  MAY 15, 2009 - Cassandra Sweet - Wall Street Journal ( online.wsj.com)
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)--Edison International (EIX) unit Southern California Edison said Friday it's scrapping plans to build a high-voltage transmission line to Arizona, while keeping plans to build a new line in California.
  
  
• Senate Transmission Bill Will Help Modernize Grid
  May 14, 2009 - PRNewswire
  
  ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ITC) praises U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) today for completing action on legislation that would take needed steps to modernize America's aging energy infrastructure. The proposal calls for reforms to the primary roadblocks the nation faces in developing a truly modern energy grid including how it plans, pays for and sites needed transmission projects. Specifically, the bill enables the development of an interconnection-wide transmission plan, calls for federal backstop to existing state siting authority and delegates cost-allocation authority to FERC through a rulemaking process.
  
  
• Utilities team up to build transmission lines
  May 14, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  DENVER - Two utilities are seeking approval to build transmission lines across southern Colorado to serve a growing population and carry more electricity from renewable energy.
  
  
• Transmission for wind power eyed in South Dakota
  May 9 - Scott Waltman - The Associated Press
  
  ABERDEEN, S.D. - As the number of wind turbines scattered along the South Dakota skyline continues to grow, moving the energy they provide out of the state requires a fundamental change.
  
  
• FERC chairman wants electric grid spending
  May 5, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  The country's top energy regulator says the federal government needs to spend much more money on improving the country's electrical grid.
  
  
• New Grid May Be Needed, But So Is Smarter Use (Part 10)
  May 1, 2009 - Richard Harris - npr.org
  
  Power companies are planning to beef up the nation's electricity transmission grid. At the same time, conservationists are trying to reduce the vast amount of power wasted in Americans' homes and offices. That raises a question: If we simply used energy more efficiently, would we need to spend billions of dollars on a new grid?
  
  
• Could Energy Innovation Create A 'Green Bubble'? (Part 9)
  May 1, 2009 - Jeff Brady - npr.org
  
  One argument for a major overhaul of the U.S. electricity grid is to encourage the development of more renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar. President Obama certainly has gotten behind green energy, and his administration is part of a concerted effort to help the industry grow.
  
  
• Young Workers Find Opportunity In Power Industry (Part 8)
  Apr 30, 2009 - Larry Abramson - npr.org
  
  Many in the utility industry worry that the most vulnerable part of the power system is its work force, as a wave of retirements is depleting the supply of linemen and other craftsmen who keep the lights on.
  
  
• Power Industry Sees New Phase In Energy Use (Part 7)
  Apr 30, 2009 - Jeff Brady - npr.org
  
  The U.S. electricity grid is in the midst of a revolution. It has a track record of 99.97 percent reliability, but there are plans for a massive overhaul of the grid to accommodate increasing demand and more renewable forms of energy, like wind and solar.
  
  
• Portfolio of New EHV Transmission Projects Approved
  April 29, 2009 - Little Rock, Arkansas
  
  The Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) Regional State Committee and Board of Directors/Members Committee approved a long-awaited group of extra high voltage economic transmission expansion upgrade projects totaling over $700 million, to be funded by the application of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-approved “postage stamp” rates to SPP’s transmission-owning members across the region. The benefits of this group of transmission upgrades have been demonstrated by model analysis to outweigh the costs, thus achieving a “balanced portfolio” of projects. The overall cost of generation to serve SPP’s load should be reduced by an amount exceeding investment in the grid. This portfolio of projects will also reduce congestion on the SPP transmission system, and may provide other benefits such as increased reliability and lower end-use consumer costs.
  
  
• The Grid May Be Smart, But Will It Also Be Green? (Part 6)
  Apr 29, 2009 - Richard Harris - npr.org
  
  The push is on to make the nation's aging electricity grid smarter, so it can handle growing demand for electricity. Many assume that a smart grid will also be a green grid — delivering clean electricity and helping to address climate change. But that's not necessarily so.
  
  
• The Challenge: Constant Current From Fickle Winds (Part 5)
  Apr 29, 2009 - Elizabeth Shogren - npr.org
  
  Like lots of other farmers and ranchers in the northern Plains, Joel Keierleber has been flirting with wind power developers for years.
  
  
• Smart Meter Saves Big Bucks For Pa. Family (Part 4)
  Apr 28, 2009 - Elizabeth Shogren - npr.org
  
  Tammy Yeakel had an unusual request for her 44th birthday present: a storm door. This stay-at-home mom from Allentown, Pa., got the idea from the Web site of her electric company, PPL Corp.
  
  
• Building Power Lines Creates A Web Of Problems (Part 3)
  Apr 28, 2009 - Christopher Joyce - npr.org
  
  To create a new energy economy using much more solar and wind power, the Obama administration needs to build thousands of miles of new transmission lines. Despite the promise that these are needed to get more green energy from solar and wind generators, the proposal faces a host of obstacles.
  
  
• A Green Challenge: Make Renewables Reliable (Part 2)
  Apr 27, 2009 - Christopher Joyce - npr.org
  
  The Obama administration wants to rebuild the national electric grid that delivers power to everyone's toasters and televisions. One reason is that the grid can't handle all the new solar and wind power the president wants to build to create a greener energy economy.
  
  
• An Aged Electric Grid Looks To A Brighter Future (Part 1)
  Apr 27, 2009 - Jeff Brady - npr.org
  
  The nation's electricity grid is facing some huge challenges — it's outdated and unprepared for increasing demand and a future that includes more renewable sources of energy. In a weeklong series, NPR is examining the state of the nation's electricity infrastructure.
  
  
• Transmission's Time in Congress
  Apr 24, 2009 - Chris Madison - RenewableEnergyWorld
  
  In spite of the associated complex issues that must be confronted, legislation is in the works.
  
  
• PUC asked to reopen power line debate
  Apr 16, 2009 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Leslie Brooks Suzukamo Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
  
  A $1.7 billion plan by eight regional utilities to build three high-voltage power lines across Minnesota has been slogging through the regulatory process for year
  
  
• FERC grants incentives for Midwest "Green" transmission superhighway
  Apr 13, 2009 - FERC
  
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved transmission infrastructure investment rate incentives for a proposed 3,000-mile regional “green power superhighway” designed to deliver wind-powered renewable energy from the upper Midwest to consumers in and around Chicago, Minneapolis and other load centers.
  
  
• Avista part of high-voltage line study
  Apr 5, 2009 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Becky Kramer The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
  
  Avista Corp. and three other utilities are exploring the possibility of building a high-voltage transmission line that would stretch roughly 1,000 miles from southern British Columbia to the San Francisco area.
  
  
• Firm Suspends 190-Mile New York Power Line Project
  Apr 3, 2009 - Dow Jones & Company, Inc
  
  The New York Regional Interconnect said Friday it is suspending plans to build a 190-mile power line in the state, saying a recent decision by federal regulators makes the $2.1 billion project too risky.
  
  
• N.L. signs historic deal to sell Churchill Falls power to U.S.
  Apr 2, 2009 - The Associated Press
  
  Newfoundland and Labrador has reached a deal to transmit hydroelectricity through Quebec and sell it to lucrative North American markets, giving the province a new foothold in power-hungry jurisdictions, Premier Danny Williams said Thursday.
  
  
• National Grid signs $500-million transmission-line upgrade contract
  Apr 1, 2009 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - C. Eugene Emery Jr. The Providence Journal, R.I.
  
  National Grid, the state's primary electricity utility, signed a five-year deal with two companies Tuesday to help build new transmission lines and upgrade existing lines, while providing jobs for about 200 Rhode Islanders over the life of the accord.
  
  
• Power to the People: 7 Ways to Fix the Grid, Now
  Mar 23, 2009 - Brendan I. Koerner - Wired Magazine
  
  A mish-mash of 9,200 generators streams vital electrons along 300,000 miles of aging, inefficient transmission lines and one untrimmed tree in the wrong place could plunge a quarter of the country into darkness. This is our electric grid. A whopping 40 percent of all the energy used in the US—be it oil, gas, wind, or solar—is converted into electrons that travel over these wires. Any attempt at energy reform must begin here.
  
  
• TRANSMISSION: Obama admin faces 21st-century grid vs. public lands conundrum
  Mar 12, 2009 - Scott Streater, special to E&E
  
  By any standard, the planned Navajo Transmission Project ranks as one of the nation's most ambitious power grid expansions, the kind government and industry experts say is essential to shoring up electricity reliability across the power-hungry West.
  
  
• Transmission 2.0
  Mar 10, 2009 - Peter Dupey - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
  
  Clean Power and the Political, Economic and Environmental Imperative for a New Energy Infrastructure by Peter Dupey, CEO, Acciona Energy North America
  The United States is already one of the world's most attractive wind energy markets and despite signs of a slow down, the sector could achieve far, far more. With a new administration in the White House comes an opportunity to address some of the key barriers to continued wind sector growth. Obama has already more than hinted at a programme of accerated grid development and more renewables, and here, Peter Duprey explains, the development of a new type of transmission system must indeed be a priority.
  
  
• Feds reconsider Navajo power line decision
  Mar 7, 2009 - Felicia Fonseca - The Associated Press
  
  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is reconsidering a decision on a right-of-way easement for an electrical transmission line that is expected to carry energy from the Navajo Nation to areas across the Southwest.
  
  
• High-voltage electrical lines win judge's recommendation
  Mar 3, 2009 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Leslie Brooks Suzukamo Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
  
  An administrative law judge is recommending that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approve three high-voltage transmission lines that would crisscross the state and connect near the Twin Cities.
  
  
• Transmission Brains
  Feb 27, 2009 - energycentral.com
  
  Transmission wires have always been the transportation workhorses of the electric grid. Directing electrical current from generation to substation, these aging electricity highways have traditionally lacked intelligence.
  
  
• FERC Approves New Transmission Development Approach
  Feb 26, 2009 - SustainableBusiness.com
  
  Two transmission companies owned by TransCanada (NYSE: TRP) have proposed a new model for developing much needed electricity transmission in the U.S.
  
  
• US Interior Secretary Says Department Will Play Large Role in Transmission
  Feb 24, 2009 - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
  
  Washington, D.C. - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar participated in a roundtable with many of the nation's top leaders at a summit examining how development of renewable energy in conjunction with a "National Clean Energy Smart Grid" is an economic, environmental and national security imperative.
  
  
• FERC OKs Rates For 2 TransCanada Transmission Lines In US
  Feb 19, 2009 - Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
  
  Federal regulators approved power shipping rates Thursday for two high-voltage electric transmission lines that TransCanada Corp. (TRP) plans to build in the western U.S.
  
  
• Hurdles (Not Financial Ones) Await Electric Grid Update
  Feb 6, 2009 - Matthew L. Wald - The New York Times
  
  WASHINGTON — Environmentalists dream of a bigger and “smarter” electric grid that could move vast amounts of clean electricity from windswept plains and sunny deserts to distant cities.
  
  
• Mexico to export green electricity to L.A.
  Feb 4, 2009 - Associated Press
  
  The Federal Electricity Commission, or CFE, has signed an agreement with Los Angeles that opens the way for the Mexican state-owned power company to sell electricity generated from renewable energy sources to the Southern California city.
  
  
• Transmission Agency of Northern California Transmission Project Will Improve Reliability and Provide Needed Access to In-State Renewable Power
  Feb 02, 2009 -- BUSINESS WIRE
  
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Transmission Agency of Northern California (TANC) announced today that it has completed a year-long collaborative effort to examine the regional transmission impacts of its planned TANC Transmission Project (TTP). The final analysis of the Sub-Regional Planning Group (SRPG) concluded that the addition of the TTP would benefit the reliability of the Northern California transmission grid and could allow for the integration of at least 1600 MW of new renewable generation.
  
  
• Buzz Grows For Modernizing Energy Grid; Electricity Industry On High-tech Cusp
  Feb 1, 2009 - Paul Davidson - theautochannel.com -Chase Edition
  
  Alternative energy is taking it on the chin this recession, with solar and wind developers canceling projects and laying off workers. But a far more obscure slice of the energy sector is hotter than ever: the electricity grid.
  
  
• Texas Approves $5B Worth of Transmission Line Projects
  Jan 29, 2009 - Ucilia Wang - greentechmedia.com
  
  The state needs to improve its electric grid in order to manage the huge growth in wind energy generation. by: Ucilia Wang Bullet Arro In a move to boost its inadequate electric transmission network, Texas awarded $5 billion worth of transmission projects to nearly a dozen companies.
  
  
• Nat'l Grid Plans $1.7B for Electric Transmissions in New York, New England
  Jan 27, 2009 - Ucilia Wang - greentechnmedia.com
  
  The company expects to sign contracts with two companies to build transmission lines and substations in the next five years.
  
  
• Getting Benefits from Smart Grid
  Jan 23, 2009 - Carol Ray - UtiliPoint International, Inc.
  
  We are all, with few exceptions, being asked to operate in a new economic environment where nothing is consistent but change. Economic models are rewritten and financial plans revised but the future is more uncertain. As our country and most of the world await an economic recovery, those of us in the utility industry press forward, striving not only to keep the lights on but to also help pave the way for a better future ushered in via a two-way digital smart grid network that promises operational efficiencies and environmental improvements compared to the existing system that our fathers and grandfathers engineered some fifty years ago. But are the benefits realistic given the economic change of the past quarter?
  
  
• The Smart Grid: An Introduction (pdf) 4.4MB
  Jan 9, 2009 - U.S. Department of Energy
  
  This report (PDF) explains what a smart grid is, the benefits of a smarter electrical grid and what the Department of Energy is doing to put a smart grid in place. "The Smart Grid" overviews the status of the U.S.'s electrical guild, why it needs to be improved and what technologies (both available today or in the future) comprise a smarter, safer, more-efficient grid.
  
  
• GridWise Alliance Releases Smart Grid Jobs Report
  Jan 6, 2009 - /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
  
  WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a Smart Grid Jobs Report released today by the GridWise Alliance, it is estimated that up to 280,000 new jobs can be created directly from the deployment of smart grid technologies. The report explains that Federal investment in a smart grid could act as a catalyst for these planned and immediate direct jobs as well as spawn many indirect jobs.
  
  
• ERCOT Report Proposes $3 Billion in Transmission Improvements
  Jan 7, 2009 - POWERnews
  
  The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is reviewing proposed transmission projects for the next five years totaling $3 billion, the state’s main grid operator said in a report filed with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
  
  
• Texas power grid redesign may save $5.6 bln-study
  Dec 19, 2008 - Reuters
  
  HOUSTON - A delayed redesign of Texas' system for setting the cost of electricity on its power grid could save consumers more than $5.6 billion over 10 years, according to a study filed with Texas regulators on Thursday.
  
  
• Calif Regulators OK Sempra Utility $2 Billion Transmission Line
  Dec 18, 2008 - Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
  
  Sempra Energy (SRE) unit San Diego Gas & Electric Co. won approval Thursday to build, at customers' expense, a $2 billion transmission line in California's Sonoran Desert, which the company said it would use primarily to transport renewable power.
  
  
• AESO To File for Transmission Development to Connect Wind in Southern Alberta
  Dec. 16, 2008 - Marketwire
  
  Calgary - The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), as planner of Alberta's electric transmission system (or "grid"), will recommend the construction of a 240 kilovolt (kV) Loop system to connect up to 2,700 megawatts (MW) of wind power proposed throughout southern Alberta over the next ten years. The AESO will file its assessment and recommendation with the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) by the end of this year.
  
  
• High-Voltage Transmission for Wind Moving Forward in Kansas, Oklahoma
  Dec 15, 2008 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  Two high-voltage transmission lines that could integrate up to 5,800 MW of wind power took a significant step forward recently with approval of the projects’ transmission rate incentives by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
  
  
• Lawmakers Seek Bigger, Greener Power Grid
  Dec 14, 2008 - McClatchy Washington Bureau
  
  WASHINGTON - Seventy-five years ago, during the height of the Great Depression, one of the largest public works projects of the New Deal began to take shape on the banks of the Columbia River in eastern Washington.
  
  
• PHI's MAPP Transmission Line Continues to Add Benefits
  Dec 04, 2008 - BUSINESS WIRE
  
  WASHINGTO - Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POM) continues to make progress in expanding the benefits for its Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP) high-voltage transmission line by increasing the line's reliability to carry electricity and providing greater access to broadband Internet for the Delmarva Peninsula.
  
  
• AEP to Pursue Development of Transmission Superhighway to Transport Renewable Energy Across the Upper Midwest
  Dec. 2, 2008 - /PRNewswire-FirstCal
  
  American Electric Power is evaluating the feasibility of building a multi-state, extra-high voltage transmission project across the Upper Midwest to support the development of renewable energy.
  
  
• ERCOT is 100 percent over budget on revamp of Texas electric grid
  Nov 27, 2008 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jim Fuquay Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
  
  The operator of the state's largest electricity grid said it is more than 100 percent over budget and two years behind schedule on its ongoing program to modernize the transmission system.
  
  
• Pickens continues push for 'electric superhighway'
  Nov 10 - James MacPherson - The Associated Press
  
  BISMARCK, N.D. Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens says he's picking up support in North Dakota and elsewhere for a nationwide "electric transmission superhighway" to help develop more power from the wind and sun.
  
  
• Ten Year Outlook for Electric Reliability Highlights Environmental Initiatives, Transmission among Key Concerns
  October 23, 2008 - North American Electric Reliability Corporations (NERC)
  
  The impact of environmental initiatives and the need for transmission infrastructure are among the most important issues facing electric reliability in North America over the coming ten years, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) announced today in its 2008 Long-Term Reliability Assessment. While the total miles of transmission additions have increased slightly over the 2007 report, generation additions are projected to significantly outpace new transmission development.
  
  
• Drumbeat Grows for National Transmission Grid
  Oct 21, 2008 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  Suggesting an increasingly loud drumbeat for a model urged by wind advocates, several panelists voiced the need for a national electric grid at an October 14 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission technical conference.
  
  
• Power transmission grid in line for major overhaul: Minnesota utilities say upgrades are needed to get energy to their customers
  Oct 18, 2008 - H.J. Cummins -Star Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  Minneapolis- Every morning, when Minnesotans hit the brew button on their coffee makers, tune their radios to the news and turn down their thermostats, they are using bits of electricity that reach them through a giant circulation system of energy: the state's power grid.
  
  
• National Grid: Dream or Reality?
  Oct 16, 2008 - Ucilia Wang - greentechmedia.com
  
  U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell told a solar conference crowd that she will tackle the complex issue of regulating utilities and building new transmission lines at a time when money is tough to come by.
  
  
• South Dakota Wind Farm Begins Operations, Allowing First Two Midwest Universities to Be 100% Powered By Renewable Energy
  Oct 15, 2008 - PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  Babcock & Brown and Heartland Consumers Power District announced today that South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds dedicated the Wessington Springs Wind farm, located just south of Wessington Springs, South Dakota. The 51-megawatt (MW) Wessington Springs Wind Farm will provide clean and renewable energy to the University of South Dakota (USD) and South Dakota State University (SDSU), which become the first universities in the Midwest to be powered with 100% renewable energy.
  
  
• Political Momentum Grows For US National Transmission Grid
  Oct 14, 2008 - Dow Jones - Newswires
  
  WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Momentum is growing in Washington for a federal high- voltage power grid to spark growth of U.S. renewable energy supplies and decrease the country's dependence on energy imports.
  
  
• PJM Auction Awards First Long-Term Financial Transmission Rights
  Oct 10, 2008 - PRNewswire
  
  PJM Interconnection's first auction for long-term financial transmission rights (FTRs) cleared 23,348 megawatts of transmission rights for periods up to four years in the future.
  
  
• Austin Energy Launches One of the First Smart Grid Deployments in the Nation
  Sep 23, 2008- Business Wire
  
  Texas utility Austin Energy is embarking on the first phase of its smart grid deployment, which is also one of the first in the nation. This phase-one deployment will help Austin Energy to better manage its assets using GE Energy's smart grid software solutions. The software will improve Austin Energy's ability to prevent outages and quickly restore power if outages do occur.
  
  
• Google, GE combine powers to bolster energy grid
  Sep 17, 2008 - The Associated Press
  
  NEW YORK - Google Inc. and General Electric Co. said Wednesday they will work together to improve the nation's energy network, including the development of a "smart grid."
  
  
• Four Colstrip Transmission System Partners Announce Agreement to Evaluate Potential Upgrade to 500kV Lines to Accommodate Renewables
  Sep 2, 2008 - PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  NorthWestern Energy today announced that it and three other ownership partners in the Colstrip Transmission System (CTS) have agreed to proceed with a study of potential upgrades to the existing 500-kilovolt (kV) system in Montana. NorthWestern Energy, Puget Sound Energy , PacifiCorp, and Portland General Electric will work together to identify and evaluate one or more potential system upgrades that may accommodate the transmission of wind and other renewable generation.
  
  
• Kansas Utilities to Cooperate on Major High-Voltage Transmission Project
  Sep 2, 2008 - /PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  Hays, Kan. - Mid-Kansas Electric Company (Mid-Kansas) and Sunflower Electric Power Corporation (Sunflower) have reached an agreement with ITC Great Plains LLC (ITC Great Plains) designating ITC Great Plains to build two of the three sections that will comprise the proposed Kansas V-Plan transmission project.
  
  
• Trans Bay Cable Project Receives Final Approval
  Aug 16, 2008 - /PRNewswire/
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - International Investment and advisory firm Babcock & Brown announced today that it has received approval from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) in San Francisco for its proposed High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission line. This key decision is the final approval required for the Project. Contractual arrangements for the project are presently being finalised and construction of the approximately US$450 million project is expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2007 with completion expected in 2010.
  
  
• AEP and Duke to Form Joint Venture to Build Transmission
  Aug 11, 2008 - /PRNewswire/
  
  Columbus, Ohio - American Electric Power has formed a joint venture company with Duke Energy to build and own new electric transmission assets.
  
  
• FERC Okays California ISO's First Step in Clearing Backlog of Power Plant Requests to Hook Up to Grid
  Jul 15, 2008 - Business Wire
  
  In an important step toward streamlining the process of interconnecting renewable resources to the power grid, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order yesterday granting the California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) the ability to launch the first part of a two-step process to clear a logjam that has hindered renewable projects attempting to connect to the California grid.
  
  
• Cleaning the Transmission Process
  Jul 14, 2008 - Ken Silverstein - RenewableEnergyWorld.com
  
  Things are adrift in places around the country. In the Northeast, for example, the states all have renewable portfolio standards while they also participate in a regional greenhouse gas initiative, all of which is meant to cleanse the air and cut global warming pollutants. The dilemma there and elsewhere is that the transmission line permitting process is tumultuous and impedes those goals.
  
  
• The urgent need to upgrade the grid
  Jul 11, 2008 - Jim Jelter - MarketWatch
  
  SAN FRANCISCO - Flip on the lights, zap the coffee, check the charge on the cell phone -- all part of an increasingly energized morning routine in millions of homes. Electricity demand is growing at about 1% a year, according to the U.S. Energy Department, and is likely to hold that pace despite a sluggish economy. That's because of demographic growth -- more people -- and the explosion in the numbers and types of electronic devices now considered essential. Meeting that demand focuses inevitably on power generation. But power is useless without the vast transmission networks that carry it to end-users. Those networks draw on 100-year-old technology and high-voltage lines, most of which were installed in the 1950s and '60s
  
  
• Power firms grasp new tech for aging grid
  Jul 11, 2008 - Steve Gelsi - MarketWatch
  
  BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. - On the ground beneath a forest of power transmission towers in suburban Long Island, experimental wires cooled by liquid nitrogen carried 138,000 volts in flat strands about the size of linguini.
  
  
• Environmental Policy Expert to Illinois: Investing in Smart Grids = Greener Economy
  Jul 9, 2008 - PRNewswire-USNewswire
  
  How can Illinoisans curb global warming and invigorate a sagging economy? According to national climate change policy expert Bracken Hendricks, the state should add smart technology to the electricity grid.
  
  
• Commissioning of First Superconductor Power Transmission Cable System Celebrated
  Jun 25, 2008 - Transmission & Distribution World
  
  American Superconductor Corp., Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) celebrated the commissioning of the world's first high temperature superconductor (HTS) power transmission cable system in a commercial power grid. The 138,000-V (138-kV) system, which consists of three individual HTS power cable phases running in parallel, was energized on April 22, 2008, and is operating successfully in LIPA's Holbrook transmission right of way. A ceremony was being held on June 25 to commemorate the completion of the first phase and kick off the second phase of the project.
  
  
• Key barrier seen to 'green' power - Need for power lines seen in remote areas
  Jun 18,2008 - Steve Tetreault - Stephens Washington Bureau
  
  WASHINGTON -- The dearth of power lines in remote areas where the wind blows hardest and the sun shines brightest stands as a major barrier to the nation's use of renewable energy, a Senate committee was told on Tuesday.
  
  
• Utility finds foes to renewable energy line plan
  Jun 16, 2008 - Elliot Spagat - The Associated Press
  
  It seems like an idea any environmentalist would embrace: Build one of the world's largest solar power operations in the Southern California desert and surround it with plants that run on wind and underground heat.
  
  
• DOE To Invest Up To $2.3 Million To Identify Renewable Energy Zones In Western States
  May 29 ,2008 - The Associated Press
  
  U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Kevin Kolevar today announced the Department's plans to contribute up to $2.3 million over three years, subject to annual appropriations, to identify areas in the Western United States with vast renewable energy resources, and expedite the development and delivery of those resources to meet regional energy needs. The Western Renewable Energy Zones (WREZ) project, launched by the Western Governors' Association in cooperation with DOE, furthers the Department's ongoing efforts to address generation and transmission challenges through a regional approach.
  
  
• A national electric superhighway
  Apr, 2008 - Edward N Krapels - Anbaric Holding
  
  How Extra-high Voltage Transmission Can Enable National Energy Security and Environmental Goals.
  
  
• Superconductor cable gets energized on Long Island
  Apr 30, 2008 - Cleantech Group
  
  American Superconductor said it's the longest high temperature superconductor cable that's ever been installed. A piece of Long Island, N.Y.'s power grid has received an upgrade, with Devens, Mass.-based American Superconductor (Nasdaq: AMSC) announcing today that a section of high temperature superconductor cable was installed at a major interconnection point in the system.
  
  
• NY's LIPA Throws Switch On Nation's 1st Superconducting Cable
  Apr 30, 2008 - Dow Jones & Company, INc.
  
  With concerns over the decaying energy infrastructure in the U.S. mounting and new renewable-energy capacity coming online in remote locations, a new technology is emerging to relieve stress on the overtaxed grid.
  
  
• DOE Selects Projects for up to $50 Million of Federal Funding to Modernize the Nation's Electricity Grid
  Apr 22, 2008 - Energy Department Documents and Publications
  
  U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Kevin Kolevar today announced the Department's plans to invest up to $50 million over five years (Fiscal Years 2008 - 2012), subject to appropriations from Congress, in nine demonstration projects competitively selected to increase efficiency in the nation's electricity grid. The Renewable and Distributed Systems Integration (RDSI) technologies demonstrated in these projects aim to reduce peak load electricity demand by at least 15 percent at distribution feeders-the power lines delivering electricity to consumers-and are part of the Bush Administration's ongoing efforts to enhance the efficiency and reliability of our nation's energy infrastructure to ensure a reliable supply of energy to all Americans.
  
  
• Juneau utility costs to soar; avalanches cut cheap power
  Apr 18, 2008 - The Associated Press
  
  Massive avalanches destroyed transmission lines and support towers to a dam that supplies 85 percent of the city's electricity, and utility rates could quintuple for months until repairs are made, officials said.
  
  
• Corridors of power are finding resistance
  Mar 24, 2008 - Los Angeles Times
  
  WASHINGTON -- There is wide agreement that the nation needs to upgrade the aging system that delivers electricity from power plants to consumers -- a grid that is already overtaxed and facing a 43% increase in demand over the next two decades.
  
  
• Xcel Energy Announces First Smart Grid City in the Nation
  Mar 12, 2008 - Business Wire
  
  Xcel Energy announced today it will put in motion its vision to make Boulder, Colo., the nation's first fully integrated Smart Grid City.
  
  
• Hearing held for power line that would link Montana, Alberta
  Mar 12, 2008 - The Associated Press
  
  State and environmental leaders held the first of three public hearings Tuesday to discuss a proposed power line that would connect Montana's power grid to Canada.
  
  
• Feds push forward with power line plan for mid-Atlantic, Southwest states
  Mar 6,2008 - Devlin Barrett - The Associated Press
  
  New power line construction is more likely in the mid-Atlantic states and the Southwest after the government on Thursday said it was pushing ahead with a plan to expand and modernize the electric grid in those areas.
  
  
• Proposals Sought for Renewable Resources
  Feb 27, 2008 - New Haven Register
  
  New England's power grid operator will get its first glimpse by year's end of proposals for long-distance transmission lines designed to bring wind and hydropower from northern New England and Canada's Maritime provinces. ISO-New England will receive the proposals at a meeting in December, said Stephen Whitley, president and chief operating officer of the Holyoke, Mass., grid operator.
  
  
• Texas power grid operators narrowly avoid rolling blackouts
  Feb 27 - R.A. Dyer - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas
  
  Operators of the Texas power grid scrambled Tuesday night to keep the lights on after a sudden drop in wind power threatened to cause rolling blackouts, officials confirmed Wednesday.
  
  
• California Approves Feed-In Tariffs, Rewards Energy Efficiency
  FEb 6, 2008 - EERE Network News
  
  The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) has approved long-term prices for the state's utilities to buy renewable energy from their customers. For seven of the state's utilities, the so-called "feed-in tariff," approved on January 31, applies to renewable energy systems located at public water and wastewater facilities, but for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Southern California Edison (SCE), a separate feed-in tariff applies to any customer-located renewable energy system up to 1.5 megawatts in capacity. The tariff requires signing a long-term contract for 5, 10, or 15 years, but the price is adjusted based on the time of day of the power generation. For instance, for a system producing power throughout the day, a 15-year contract signed with SCE in 2008 would earn about 15 cents per kilowatt-hour on a summer weekday, while a system generating power from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (such as a solar power system), would earn about 22 cents per kilowatt-hour under the same circumstances. Overall, the tariffs range from 8 to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour. Facilities earning the tariff cannot be participating in other state incentive programs.
  
  
• Lines for Transmitting Alternative Energy Urged
  Jan 28, 2008 - Las Vegas Review - Journal
  
  Gov. Jim Gibbons on Thursday accepted a report that calls for developing transmission lines so that geothermal, wind and solar energy can be shipped from remote areas of the state to cities.
  
  
• BC Transmission Corp plans $5.1 billion investment in electricity system upgrades
  Jan 10, 2008 - Canada NewsWire
  
  BC Transmission Corporation (BCTC) has filed its Ten Year Capital Plan with the BC Utilities Commission, outlining $5.1 billion in expenditures designed to meet the increased clean electricity demands of British Columbia's growing economy.
  
  
• Groups To Sue US DOE Over Power Corridors
  Jan 9, 2008 - Dow Jones & Company Inc.
  
  Nearly a dozen environmental groups will sue the U.S. Department of Energy next week to stop development of national transmission corridors, an official at one of the organizations said Wednesday.
  
  
  
• Report: States Falling Short on Interconnection and Net Metering
  Dec 19, 2007 - EERE Network News
  
  A new report concludes that all 50 states are failing to provide easy access to the electrical grid for home-grown renewable energy systems, while only four states are doing their best to assure that the owners of such systems earn credit for power fed into the grid. Regarding "interconnection," or the connection of customer-owned power systems to the grid, many states set an arbitrary maximum size of the system that can be connected to the grid, or they set a cap on the total combined capacity of the systems connected to the grid. In many states, utility customers must pay high fees for interconnection, while also having to meet unreasonable requirements for safety features, liability insurance, and approval paperwork. Regarding "net metering," which provides a utility bill credit for customers who feed power into the grid, some states allow utilities to credit the power at a rate that's lower than the retail rate, to limit the amount of credit earned, or to limit the credit that can be carried over from month to month. Net metering often excludes commercial and industrial partners and sometimes requires the installation of an extra meter. And of course, many states don't have a policy for interconnection or net metering at all.
  
  
• TransCanada urges Alberta link to U.S. power grid
  Dec 18, 2007 - Norval Scott - globeinvestor.com
  
  CALGARY — TransCanada Corp. wants Alberta's electricity grid connected to the western United States, allowing producers to export electricity from the power plants they want to build in Alberta.
  
  
• California ISO Board Approves New Transmission Planning Approach
  Dec 13, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) Board of Governors today approved filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a proposal that would give the California ISO the explicit authority to proactively identify and propose transmission projects to reduce congestion and provide economic benefits, ensuring the not-for-profit public-benefit corporation is compliant with FERC Order 890.
  
  
• Continental Grid Vision Needed
  Dec 11, 2007 - Martin Rosenberg - EnergyBiz Magazine
  
  Imagine no electricity existed in the United States. Suddenly, a lab discovers the utility of coursing electrons, and the age of electricity is launched. Assume we immediately learned everything we now know about how to generate electricity using the sun, wind, nuclear power, hydropower, natural gas, geothermal resources and coal.
  
  
• Transmission, Renewables: Arranged Marriage, But at What Cost?
  Dec 4, 2007 - NGI's Power Market Today
  
  While technically and administratively California's grid can absorb renewable generation sources at the 20% level by 2010, according to a recently completed report by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), how much the transformation will cost and who pays for it are still unknown, CAISO CEO Yakout Mansour said Monday during a news media briefing on the grid operator's new demand response lab.
  
  
• Texas regulators OK transmission line
  Nov 29, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  Texas public utility regulators have approved plans for a $60 million transmission-line project in South Texas, a victory for two proposed wind farms that have placed two of the nation's biggest ranches at odds.
  
  
• Final tests under way for New Brunswick-Maine power line
  Nov 26, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  Final testing is under way for a new 345-megawatt power transmission line between Maine and New Brunswick, which will link the electrical systems of the state and the Canadian Maritimes Provinces.
  
  
• Groups Criticize Energy Corridors
  Nov 19, 2007 - Las Vegas Review
  
  A federal plan for energy corridors running through Nevada and other Western states drew fire from environmental groups Thursday.
  
  
• California ISO is First to Allocate Ten-Year Transmission Rights in Accordance With Energy Policy Act
  Nov 13, 2007 - Business Wire
  The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) has posted the results of its allocation process for long-term transmission rights--making it the first grid operator to issue a ten-year financial hedge for transmission users. Called Congestion Revenue Rights (CRRS) by the California ISO, the hedges provide Load Serving Entities (LSEs) and other holders with a more stable cost structure by offsetting the congestion costs incurred for use of the high-voltage power grid. The provision of long-term financial commitments is in accordance with the directives of the Energy Policy Act (EPAct).
  
  
• Wind farm supporters say coal-plant decision dooms their projects
  Nov 12, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  As many as 13 potential wind-farm projects in western Kansas could be in danger because of the state's decision to reject two coal-fired generating plants near Holcomb, proponents of the wind farms said.
  
  
• Creating a 21st Century Grid
  Nov 9, 2007 - Stephen Lacey - RenewableEnergyAccess.com
  
  Peterborough, New Hampshire [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] In 1957, as Eisenhower began his second term as U.S. President, the first satellite launched into orbit and the first commercial nuclear reactor came online, electrical workers all over the country were installing the world's most advanced transmission and distribution (T&D) system. Today, much of that T&D system installed 50 years ago remains in place, holding together a patchwork grid for ever-expanding electricity markets.
  
  
• Giant power line planned: Interstate electric pathway unveiled for peninsula
  Nov 7 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Kate House-Layton Delaware State News, Dover
  
  Delmarva Power on Tuesday unveiled a plan for a proposed interstate electric transmission line.
  
  
• Lawmakers file bill that would help connect clean energy to the power grid
  Nov 1, 2007 - Media Release - www.house.gov
  
  Two members of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), today introduced legislation in the House that would make renewable electricity produced in rural areas available to urban energy users.
  
  
• Progress Energy Carolinas Plans Plant Addition, New Transmission Line
  Oct 29, 2007 - /PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  As population and energy usage in southern and eastern North Carolina continue to grow, Progress Energy Carolinas plans to invest an estimated $700 million to $750 million in building new electric generation capability at its energy complex in Richmond County and new transmission capacity to move electricity to where it's needed.
  
  
• Californian water utility commits to transmission for renewables
  Oct 26, 2007 - Renewable Energy Focus
  
  A water utility in southern California will construct a transmission line to tap into 1,600 MW of geothermal and solar capacity.
  
  
• Neptune Underwater HVDC Project Saves LIPA $20 Million
  Oct 25, 2007 - Transmission & Distribution World
  
  The 65-mile undersea and underground transmission link connecting Long Island with New Jersey saved the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) an estimated $20 million this summer during the first 100 days of operation, LIPA announced today during the dedication of the Neptune Regional Transmission Project. The Project is expected to result in more than $1 billion in net benefits over 20 years to LIPA and its customers.
  
  
• UHV – international standards to be set
  Oct 24, 2007 - Engineer Live
  
  Ultra high voltage (UHV) transmission is one of the most promising ways of helping electricity suppliers meet their ever-growing demand. A new set of international standards should help to speed this development
  
  
• Historic HVDC tie connects U.S. and Mexico power grids
  Oct 24, 2007 - ABB Press Release
  
  An historic step towards the integration of the Texas and Mexico power grids was taken on October 10 with the official opening of the Sharyland high voltage direct current interconnection.
  
  
• Allegheny: More lines, cleaner energy
  Oct 22, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - J. Miles Layton - The Dominion Post
  
  The watchdog that oversees North America's power grid says the full promise of renewable fuels cannot be harnessed without first building more power lines that can carry this cleaner energy to consumers.
  
  
• Alternative to Powerlink is Proposed
  Oct 19 - The San Diego Union-Tribune
  
  Opponents of the Sunrise Powerlink yesterday unveiled a detailed alternative plan for a vast expansion of solar power and other measures that they say would cost no more than the proposed power line and provide greater energy security and environmental benefits.
  
  
• PJM Board Approves PHI's Proposed Interstate Transmission Line
  Oct 17, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  PJM Interconnection, operator of the Mid-Atlantic power grid, today approved Pepco Holdings, Inc.'s (NYSE:POM) proposal to build a 230-mile interstate power line to enhance electric reliability and improve transmission capacity in one of most heavily congested regions of the country.
  
  
• Neptune Cable Provides Mid-Atlantic Power, $20M Savings, LIPA Says
  Oct 11, 2007 - NGI's Power Market Today
  
  The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) said Thursday its use of the 65-mile long Neptune Regional Transmission System, an underground, high-voltage direct current cable running from Sayreville, NJ, to New Cassel, NY, saved the company more than $20 million and brought nearly 1.2 million MWh of low-cost power to Long Island during July, August and September.
  
  
• Western power network studied: Transmission lines could span four states to allow better sharing of energy
  Oct 11 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jack King Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
  
  At least 10 private and governmental entities are studying the possibility of major new transmission lines that would connect Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona in what could be a blueprint for regional energy interconnection lines.
  
  
• Sharyland Utilities Commissions 150 Megawatt 'DC Tie' Between Texas and Mexico
  Oct 10, 2007 - /PRNewswire
  
  Sharyland Utilities, L.P. announced that a ceremonial commissioning event was held today at the Sharyland Plantation in Mission, Texas, for its new $40 million, 150 megawatt High Voltage Direct Current Tie ("DC Tie") project
  
  
• Internet-like energy system becoming reality
  Oct 9, 2007 - Paul Hanley - The StarPhoenix
  
  Several years ago, the futurist Jeremy Rifkin predicted the world would build an energy system that would resemble the Internet. The Internet is, of course, the worldwide, publicly-accessible series of interconnected computer networks that consist of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business and government information networks. People everywhere can link to the Internet, put information in and take it out.
  
  
• Interstate Transmission Vision for Wind Integration
  Oct 9, 2007 - American Electric Power
  
  American Electric Power, working at the request of, and in partnership with, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), presents a high-level, conceptual interstate transmission plan that could provide a basis for discussion to expand industry infrastructure needs in the future. AEP believes that expansion of Extra High Voltage (EHV) interstate transmission systems provides increased reliability, market efficiency, environmental optimization and national security for the benefit of electric customers across the United States.
  
  
• Summit Reflects Collaborative Spirit on Transmission in West
  Oct 8, 2007 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  In an event underscoring the growing understanding of transmission’s importance, Governors Dave Freudenthal (D-Wyo.) and Bill Ritter (D-Colo.) headlined a regional summit in Fort Collins, Colo., aimed at increasing access to the Western electric grid for wind and other renewable energy sources.
  
  
• Texas CREZ Plan Could Become National Model
  Oct 8, 2007 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on October 2 issued an interim final order in its high-profile “CREZ” case, designating five “Competitive Renewable Energy Zones” in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle and authorizing development of transmission lines needed to deliver electricity produced in those windy areas to customers throughout Texas.
  
  
• Texas Decision Could Double Wind Power Capacity in the U.S.
  Oct 4, 2007 - RenewableEnergyAccess.com
  
  CREZ Plan could become national model. The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) issued an Interim Final Order yesterday that could enable construction of up to 22,806 Megawatts (MW) of new wind power in Texas. A final order, transmission plan, and budget are still pending before the Commission but are expected to be finalized in early 2008.
  
  
• Feds Announce Power Line Areas in Mid-Atlantic States, Southwest
  Oct 2, 2007 - Associated Press
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thinking of life without the threat of power blackouts? So is the government, and it moved Tuesday to ensure a nonstop flow of electricity by designating large corridors of the Southwest and mid-Atlantic as critical to the nation's energy grid.
  
  
• New Reports Show ISOs and RTOs Provide Tangible Benefits
  Oct 1, 2007 - energycentral.com
  
  Three reports were released today by the ISO/RTO Council (IRC) highlighting the value North America’s 10 Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) bring to the electricity markets they administer. The three reports focus on the progress of competitive markets, as well as how ISOs and RTOs help foster development of demand response and renewable energy resources. The reports were unveiled during a media briefing in Washington, D.C., hosted by IRC-member CEOs and senior executives.
  
  
• Reliable and Sustainable Power Supply for Urban Demand Centers Such As San Francisco
  Sep 26, 2007 - New Release - Siemens
  
  Trans Bay Cable, LLC has awarded Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution, Inc. (SPT&D) a contract worth more than US $150 million to construct a 53-mile undersea high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link between San Francisco’s City Center electrical power grid and a Pacific Gas & Electric substation near Pittsburg, California. The HVDC PLUS system will transmit up to 400 megawatts at a direct current (DC) voltage of 200 kilovolts and is the first order for Siemens using its innovative HVDC PLUS technology. The main advantages of the new HVDC PLUS link are the increased network security and reliability due to network upgrades and reduced system losses.
  
  
• Consortium to Spearhead Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative
  Sep 25, 2007 - energycentral.com
  
  Imagine solar mirrors shimmering in the sun and wind turbines harnessing the wind by generating thousands of megawatts of clean, green power from remote California deserts and hillsides.
  
  
• State office advocates building power lines
  Sep 23, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  The Schweitzer administration has a new ally in its effort to develop energy in Montana: a state office promoting power lines and other energy infrastructure.
  
  
• Portrait of a Mature Grid Operator
  Sep 21, 2007 - William Sweet - IEEE Spectrum Online
  
  With electricity deregulation, independent authorities have been established to manage regional power systems. But not all are created equal
  
  
• Bringing Remote Renewable Energy to Market
  Sep 19, 2007 - RenewableEnergyAccess.com
  
  California consortium to spearhead renewable energy transmission initiative. Although California is blessed with some of the best geothermal, wind and solar resources in the U.S. -- as well as the policies and legislation in place to do take advantage of those resources -- a number of the renewable energy-rich areas are too far from the electric transmission grid to render them useful.
  
  
• AEP, ITC Complete Extra-High Voltage Transmission Study
  Sep 19, 2007 - American electric Power - energycentral.com
  
  Companies recommend 700 miles of new, extra-high voltage transmission linking Ohio to Michigan to enhance reliability, and support a more efficient generation market, including making better use of existing generation
  
  
• Southwest Power Pool Transmission Plan Caught in Catch-22
  Sep 18, 2007 - Journal Record - Oklahoma City
  
  Planning for the future of electricity generation in Oklahoma is kind of like debating over which came first: the chicken or the egg.
  
  
• Consortium to Spearhead Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative
  Sept 17, 2007 - New Release - California Energy Commission
  
  Sacramento - Imagine solar mirrors shimmering in the sun and wind turbines harnessing the wind by generating thousands of megawatts of clean, green power from remote California deserts and hillsides.
  
  
• Southeastern Transmission Owners Announce Inter-Regional Transmission Planning Process
  Sep 10, 2007 - PRNewwswire-First Call
  
  In response to recent initiatives by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to expand regional coordination of electric transmission systems, several Southeastern transmission owners today proposed a plan to expand the existing processes for regional transmission planning. The plan outlines an inter-regional process among the following transmission owners: Alabama Electric Cooperative, Dalton Utilities, Duke Energy Carolinas, Entergy Operating Companies, Georgia Transmission Corporation, Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, Progress Energy Carolinas, Santee Cooper, South Carolina Electric and Gas, South Mississippi Electric Power Association, Southern Company, and Tennessee Valley Authority. The process proposed today will be incorporated into each participating transmission owner's planning process.
  
  
• Lack of lines limit solar energy sales
  Sep 1, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Matt Hildner The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
  
  If the large-scale production of solar energy is going to take off in the San Luis Valley, it will need some help getting to urban markets.
  
  
• Department of Energy Official Touts Bush Administration's Efforts to Modernize our Nation's Electric Grid
  Aug 29, 2007 - energycentral
  
  The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) newly confirmed Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Kevin M. Kolevar today highlighted the Bush Administration's efforts to increase the use of advanced technologies in the Nation's power delivery system equipment, as well as DOE's recent announcement to invest up to $51.8 million to modernize and secure our nation's electric grid. Mr. Kolevar visited the Entergy Louisiana Operations Center in Gretna, LA. The Entergy Corporation, DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and nkt cables of Germany joined the Southwire Company's team, which was selected by the DOE in June to receive up to $13.3 million to install a high-temperature superconducting cable to solve real-world electrical congestion near downtown New Orleans.
  
  
• Four Entities Team Up on Transmission Development Work
  Aug 14, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  With the common goal of bringing new transmission to the Rocky Mountain and Desert Southwest regions, Arizona Public Service Company, PacifiCorp, National Grid and the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority today announced they have entered into an agreement to work together on preliminary development of new high-voltage transmission lines for the West.
  
  
• Canadian premiers air energy grid; greenhouse gas curbs asked
  Aug 9, 2007 - Chris Morris - Canadian Press (AP)

  MONCTON, New Brunswick --Canada's premiers are encouraging the concept of a national transmission grid to make sure Canadians benefit fully from the country's energy resources.

• New transmission lines: Worth the high cost?
  Aug 6, 2007 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
  
  The state is in a headlong rush to extend its electric transmission system. But with an estimated cost of more than $10 billion -- at least $500 for every man, woman and child served by the Texas power grid -- some are questioning how much is too much.
  
  
• PG&E Signs Agreement With Solel for 553 Megawatts of Solar Power
  Jul 25, 2007 - PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  Pacific Gas and Electric Company announced today that it has entered into a landmark renewable energy agreement with Solel-MSP-1 to purchase renewable energy from the Mojave Solar Park, to be constructed in California's Mojave Desert. The project will deliver 553 megawatts of solar power, the equivalent of powering 400,000 homes, to PG&E's customers in northern and central California. The Mojave Solar Park project is now the world's largest single solar commitment.
  
  
• IREC Publishes Updated "Connecting to the Grid" Guide
  Jul 13, 2007 - Interstate Rnewable Energy Council
  
  The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) has published a new edition of its Connecting to the Grid guide. The fifth edition of this guide, published in July 2007, addresses new and lingering interconnection issues relevant to all distributed generation (DG) technologies, including renewables, fuel cells, microturbines and reciprocating engines. Because interconnection issues remain largely in the domain of the states, the guide has been designed for state regulators and other policymakers, utilities, industry representatives and consumers interested in the development of state-level interconnection standards.
  
  
• Ford and Southern California Edison Partner on PHEV Research
  Jul 13, 2007 - Clean Edge News
  
  Ford and Southern California Edison are combining resources to explore ways to make plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles more accessible to consumers, reduce petroleum-related emissions and improve the cost-effectiveness of the nation’s electricity grid
  
  http://www.cleanedge.com/story.php?nID=4822
  
  
• New battery packs powerful punch
  Jul 5, 2007 - Paul Davidson - USA Today
  
  A new type of a room-size battery, however, may be poised to store energy for the nation's vast electric grid almost as easily as a reservoir stockpiles water, transforming the way power is delivered to homes and businesses. Compared with other utility-scale batteries plagued by limited life spans or unwieldy bulk, the sodium-sulfur battery is compact, long-lasting and efficient.
  
  http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/environment/2007-07-04-sodium-battery_N.htm?POE=click-refer
  
  
• PG&E Teams With Google to Demonstrate Vehicle-To-Grid Technology at the Company's Mountain View Campus
  Jun 19, 2007 - PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  San Francisco - Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced it has teamed with Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) to demonstrate Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology at the search leader's Mountain View campus as part of the company's philanthropic initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming through Google.org. The two companies also celebrated the completion of Google's 1.6 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic system at the campus, for which PG&E will award the company approximately $4.5 million in incentives -- one of the largest commercial solar rebates ever for the utility.
  
  
• PacifiCorp investing $4 billion in transmission lines
  May 30, 2007 - bizjournals.com
  
  PacifiCorp will spend more than $4 billion to build high-voltage transmission lines connecting Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and the Southwest. The 1,200-mile network will carry 500 kilovolts of power in Wyoming connecting to 1.7 million customers in the West served by Pacific Power and its sibling, Rocky Mountain Power.
  
  http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?Feed=ACBJ&Date=20070530&ID=6974748
  
  
• National Grid Invests More Than $600 Million in Electric System Enhancements During the Last 12 Months
  May 9, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  Westborough, Mass. - National Grid made a record investment of more than $600 million in enhancements to its electricity networks in New York and New England during the first year of a five-year plan to enhance reliable electric service for its customers. During the five-year period between March 2006 and 2011, the company projects that capital expenditure on enhancements to its existing U.S. electricity and gas networks will total more than $3 billion.
  
  
• FEDS OFFER NEW HEARINGS ON POWER LINE EXPANSIONS
  May 9 - Devlin Barrett - The Associated Press
  
  Federal officials said Wednesday they will expand their public hearings on two proposed electricity "transmission corridors" - designations that could spur the building of major new power lines in many states regardless of local opposition.
  
  
• NSTAR Energizes Major Underground Transmission Line
  May 3, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  BOSTON: NSTAR has officially flipped the switch on its massive underground transmission project, easing congestion in the regional power grid and adding much-needed capacity to the existing system. The 18-mile high-voltage transmission line is one of the largest electric infrastructure upgrades in the history of the United States utility industry. It will help ensure the region can meet steadily growing energy demand in time for the all-important summer peak.
  
  
• Russia Plans World's Longest Tunnel, a Link to Alaska (Update4)
  Apr 18, 2007 - Bloomberg - Yuriy Humber and Bradley Cook
  
  Russia plans to build the world's longest tunnel, a transport and pipeline link under the Bering Strait to Alaska, as part of a $65 billion project to supply the U.S. with oil, natural gas and electricity from Siberia.
  
  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a5OJJzlp0xwM
  
  
• Senate OKs Renewable Energy Power Line Bill
  Apr 13, 2007 - The Pueblo Chieftain
  
  After more than two months of debate, compromise, rewriting and more rewriting, a measure to help erect power transmission lines in rural Colorado from renewable energy plants won preliminary approval in the Senate on Thursday.
  
  
• Canadian government gives first permit to cross-border power line
  Apr 6, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  A proposed cross-border power transmission line connecting electric systems in Alberta and Montana has cleared a major regulatory hurdle in Canada.
  
  
• Expanding the Grid
  Mar 30, 2007 - Ken Silverstein - EnergyBiz Insider - Editor-in-Chief

  Western states want to expand their grid to improve regional electrical reliability and make room for renewable energy resources. Altogether, eight transmission owners and operators have come together to provide a high voltage backbone transmission system between Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.

• Stakeholders Convene to Discuss Wyoming-West, TOT-3 Transmission Projects
  Mar 21, 2007 - Wind Energy Week
  
  At a meeting that included the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA), Trans-Elect, LLC, and National Grid, PLC, to address the Wyoming-West and TOT-3 transmission projects, participants clearly spoke of the initiatives as “wind first” transmission lines with respect to their use.
  
  
• Now on Governor's Desk, Colorado's SB100 Would Create Transmission Resource Zones
  Mar 19, 2007 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  A bill aimed at getting the transmission built that’s crucial to connecting renewable energy resources with load centers in Colorado cleared the state legislature and at press time was sitting on Governor Bill Ritter’s (D) desk, awaiting his signature. The governor is expected to sign the legislation.
  
  
• Southern Company and DOE Show New Technology to Enhance Reliability of Electric Transmission System
  Mar 16, 2007 - PRNewswire-FirstCall
  
  Southern Company today demonstrated a new technology at its Power Coordination Center in Birmingham, Ala., as a top Department of Energy (DOE) official attended the dedication ceremony. The technology, trade-named GenVARR(TM), provides new, real-time calculations of generator reactive power reserves to operators of electric transmission systems, allowing them to increase the reliability of electricity delivered from power plants to customers across large geographic regions.
  
  
• Alternative-Energy Bill Heads to Ritter; Plan Would Make It Easier to Transmit Solar, Wind Power
  Mar 5, 2007 - The Gazette, Colorado
  
  A key component of Gov. Bill Ritter's renewable-energy agenda moved closer to approval Friday, with the House voting to ease obstacles to building transmission lines needed to bring wind and solar power to market.
  
  
• House tentatively approves plan to build electric lines
  Mar 2, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  The House gave initial approval Friday to a plan to allow electric companies recover the cost of building new transmission lines after lawmakers said the state needs a way to deliver on its promise to promote renewable energy.
  
  
• Utilities Seek to End Isolation of Northern Maine's Power Grid
  Mar 1, 2007 - NGI's Power Market Today
  
  In an effort to create a more competitive electricity market in Maine, officials at Maine & Maritimes Corp. confirmed Thursday that its subsidiary Maine Public Service Co. (MPS), and Central Maine Power (CMP) have agreed to study the feasibility of a new power transmission line that would directly connect the Aroostook County power grid to the rest of the state.
  
  
• First Segment of SCE's Renewable Energy Transmission Project Approved
  Mar 1, 2007 - Businesswire
  
  The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved Southern California Edison's (SCE) application to build segment one of the Tehachapi renewable transmission project.
  
  http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070301005980&newsLang=en
  
  
• AEP, MidAmerican Joint Venture Floats $4.2B Transmission Plan for Texas
  Feb 27, 2007 - NGI's Power Market Today
  
  Electric Transmission Texas LLC (ETT), a joint venture of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings, wasted no time in coming up with a massive new transmission plan for Texas to support renewable energy development and load growth. The plan includes more than $4.2 billion in new transmission, including a 1,000-mile project that would support development of Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) and a 900-mile, high-voltage, high-capacity backbone transmission system that would support reliability and growth.
  
  
• Power agency discussed proposed 1,000-mile transmission line
  Feb 20, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  Developers who want to build three coal-fired plants near Holcomb are gathering comments from landowners whose property would be used to construct a 1,000-mile power transmission line from Colorado to Finney County to help power the plants.
  
  
• Undersea cable could bring 'green' power to Hub
  Feb 14, 2007 - Tribune Business News
  
  As two companies press ahead on projects bringing natural gas to Boston through offshore terminals, a third group is also looking to the sea for a new source of energy -- a 140-mile underwater electric cable from Maine to South Boston.
  
  
• Maine, New Brunswick ink accord to cooperate on electricity links
  Feb 9, 2007 - The Associated Press
  
  The leaders of Maine and New Brunswick agreed Friday to explore ways to enhance cooperative efforts to expand their electrical interconnections.
  
  
• California ISO Enters New Era of Transmission Planning
  Jan 24, 2007 - Business Wire
  
  The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) has entered a new era of transmission planning with a comprehensive plan that examines what California's power grid will need one to three years from now to ease bottlenecks and enhance reliability and what will be needed in five to 15 years to keep up with the expected growth in energy supply and demand.
  
  
• AEP and MidAmerican Move Forward with Texas Transmission Joint Venture
  Jan 23, 2007 - American Electric Power
  
  American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP - News) and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company are moving forward with formation of Electric Transmission Texas LLC (ETT) as a joint venture to build transmission facilities in Texas. ETT filed with the Public Utility Commission of Texas yesterday for approval to operate as an electric transmission utility in Texas. The filing also seeks to establish initial rates for ETT.
  
  http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070123/cltu037.html?.v=84
  
  
• Maine finds no insurmountable obstacles to leaving regional grid
  Jan 22, 2007 - David Sharp - The Associated Press
  
  Maine ratepayers don't get enough in return for participating in the regional power grid and there are "no insurmountable legal, economic or technical barriers" to leaving it, according to a preliminary report by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
  
  http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2007/01/19/maine_finds_no_insurmountable_obstacles_to_leaving_regional_grid/
  
  
• Black & Veatch receives safety award from PG&Efor major power transmission project
  Jan 9, 2007 - Overland Park, Kan
  
  Black & Veatch was recently awarded the 2006 Supplier Safety Award by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) in connection with engineering, procurement and construction work on one of the longest 230-Kilovolt (kV) underground transmission projects in the United States. PG&E’s Jefferson-Martin project in the San Francisco Peninsula logged more than 1.3 million safe work hours on the project. The project comprised 24 miles of underground and 3.5 miles of overhead transmission line construction
  
  
• The Potential for Residential Demand Response on Transmission and Distribution Assets
  Dec 29, 2006 - Energy Pulse
  
  The power grid has evolved over the last century to meet the demands of many different customers. From REA’s and co-ops to industrials, grid connections have been engineered to deliver during peak consumption periods over their projected lifespan. Designing for the lifespan of transmission and distribution decades ago would have used a percentage estimate for increase in annual demand, as no other options were possible. Without load shedding, shifting and demand response (DR) technologies of the last decade, design would have been an open-ended exercise – the engineers would have chosen a number they thought appropriate and designed accordingly. And this still may have been design practice today.
  
  http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1395
  
  
• National Transmission Corridors
  Dec 27,2006 - Energy Bizz Insider
  
  Can new federal laws succeed in helping the nation build a modern grid in tune with a digital society? The Energy Policy Act of 2005 is now being put to the test.
  
  
• Groundbreaking Minnesota Wind Integration Study find up to 25% Wind can be Incorporated Reliably into Electric Power System
  Dec 13, 2006 - Awea
  
  Results of a new study show that, under the right policies, utilities can incorporate wind power into their resource portfolio, comprising up to one-fourth of their delivered energy, without sacrificing reliability and with minor costs for absorbing the wind.
  
  http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/Groundbreaking_Minnesota_Wind_Integration_Study_121306.html
  
  
• Cracking the bottlenecks
  Dec 12, 2006 - Ken Silverstein - Energy Biz Insider
  
  Federal regulators are revving up. They’re preparing to take steps to begin building new transmission lines, particularly lines that are considered vital to the national interest. It’s all part of the objectives of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which include constructing a grid that is in tune with a modern economy and a digital society. Transmission planning has long been an onerous process.
  
  
• Major Eastern Transmission Lines Promise NE Supply Diversity
  Dec 11, 2006 - NGI's Power Market Today
  
  Whether fully recognized or not, electric transmission has become an ever-more valuable strategic resource, and the only key remaining question is who develops and pays for it, according to a preview provided Power Market Today Thursday of the Massachusetts-based consulting firm Energy Security Analysis Inc.'s (ESAI) study focused on the East, "The New Transmission Vision." The full report will be published in January.
  
  http://intelligencepress.com/features/top_power/last_week.emb
  
  
• Utilities back plan for Wyoming-to-Calif. power lines
  Dec 7, 2006 - Market Watch
  
  San Francisco - Seven western U.S. electric utilities are backing the plans of four
  western governors to build huge power lines from northeast Wyoming to southern California, a project that
  could bring down electricity bills and add additional supplies to a tight power market.
  
  http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?siteid=mktw&guid={D075217F-DEC7-4D3F-965B-BFD72B81C42E}
  
  
• Western Governors Urge FERC to Adopt Conditional Firm Service
  Dec 5, 2006 - energycentral.com
  
  Western governors urged FERC to adopt transmission reforms that would promote more flexible use of the existing transmission system and provide greater access for generators of variable energy such as wind so they can get their product to market.
  
  http://pro.energycentral.com/professional/nes/power/news
  
  
• Macro Trends Point to Microgrids
  Nov. 28, 2006 - SmartGridNews.com
  
  The macro trends point inescapably to microgrids as the Next Big Thing, predicts Jesse Berst. Utilities must quickly decide when and how to cope. Vendors must quickly figure out when and how to profit.
  
  http://www.smartgridnews.com/
  
  
• FERC confirms, clarifies its order on transmission rights
  Nov 28, 2006 - Public Power Weekly
  
  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission declined to revise any holdings in its final rule on long-term firm transmission rights, but a clarification on one key issue addressed in part a concern raised by APPA. In a Nov. 16 order on rehearing, FERC clarified that it expects regional transmission organizations to give priority to load-serving entities with long-term power supply arrangements in allocating long-term transmission rights when there's a shortage of such rights.
  
  
• FERC Makes Progress on Transmission Corridors
  Nov 20, 2006 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  The lengthy process of setting federal transmission corridors took a couple of steps forward late this week.
  
  http://vwec.cisat.jmu.edu/documents/AWEA_Publications/Wind%20Energy%20Weekly%20(No%201217).pdf
  
  
• Quebec and Ontario sign an historic agreement for construction of a new transmission
  interconnection
  Nov 14, 2006 - Canada NewsWire
  
  Pierre Corbeil, Quebec's Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, and the Honourable Dwight Duncan, Ontario's Minister of Energy, held a teleconference earlier today to announce the signing of an agreement between Hydro-Quebec TransEnergie and Hydro One Networks for the construction of a new 1,250 MW Quebec-Ontario interconnection.
  
  
• "DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENT PERIOD ON NATIONAL INTEREST ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION CORRIDORS"
  Nov 9, 2006 - Energy Department Documents and Publications/Content Works
  
  DOE announces lengthening of the comment period on the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors section on the report based on the Department's August 8 Congestion Study.
  
  http://www.oe.energy.gov/
  
  
• Power crunch could lead to lots more lines
  Nov 9, 2006 - Paul Davidson - USA Today
  
  To meet the nation's fast-growing demand for electricity, utilities are planning to string thousands of miles of high-voltage power lines across the USA in a building frenzy that could mar some of the country's most precious open spaces.
  
  http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-11-09-power-lines-usat_x.htm
  
  
• Examining the Impact of Renewable Energy on the Electric Power Grid
  Nov 8, 2006 - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  
  $1.23 million from NYSTAR will allow Rensselaer to create renewable energy test-bed
  With a $1.23 million grant, researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will be creating a distributed power “test-bed” to study how the electricity distribution grid might be affected by the widespread adoption of clean, renewable energy sources.
  
  http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=1826&setappvar=page(1)
  
  
• AEP, ITC Transmission to perform technical study on expanding 765-kV transmission into Michigan
  Nov 6, 2006 - American Electric Power - PRNewswire
  
  American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ITC Transmission, a subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp. (ITC), to perform a technical study to evaluate the feasibility of extending AEP’s 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission infrastructure through Michigan to enhance reliability and support a competitive market of generation supply.
  
  http://www.aep.com/newsroom/newsreleases/default.asp?dbcommand=DisplayRelease&ID=1320
  
  
• Fitch: U.S. Electric Transmission System Shows Its Age
  Nov 2, 2006 - Business Wire
  
  Strains on the U.S. power delivery system are beginning to show with the current system characterized by aging infrastructure, significant underinvestment and outdated technologies, according to a Fitch Ratings report. Market participants and regulators are placing new functions on the system, such as facilitating competitive regional markets for which it was not designed.
  
  http://tdworld.com/news/fitch-electric-transmission-report/
  
  
• Symposium Session ToAddress Transmission And Interconnection
  Oct 25, 2006 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  With change being a dominant part of the wires landscape these days, AWEA’s Fall
  Symposium is coming at an opportune time to shine the spotlight on the topic of transmission and
  interconnection. In fact, change is a common theme among the various areas that define this
  complex arena, including technology, federal policy, and transmission planning. Transmission
  expansion and optimizing use of the current grid, of course, are imperative to the industry
  achieving its goal of reaching 20% of the nation’s electricity needs—the theme of the
  Symposium.
  
  http://www.awea.org/events/symposium06/Interconnection%20Article.pdf
  
  
• Power line would help wind farm development
  Oct 25, 2006 - Dale Wetzel - The Associated Press

  A company that is planning a wind power project across the North Dakota-South Dakota border wants to construct a 10-mile power line to connect the turbines to North Dakota's electrical grid, state regulators say.
  
  http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/15847955.htm

• Montana governor announces multibillion dollar transmission line
  Oct 24, 2006 - Matt Gourass - The Associated Press
  
  Gov. Brian Schweitzer, joined by industry executives, announced plans Monday to build one of the longest electricity transmission lines seen in the West in 40 years -- a line that would carry "green" energy to big energy markets thousands of miles away
  
  http://www.trib.com/articles/2006/10/24/news/regional/06357609b123622487257210006f7deb.txt

• USD study: High-tech power grid beneficial
  Oct 19, 2006 - Craig D. Rose - Union Tribune
  
  Utility customers and San Diego Gas & Electric could reap billions of dollars in benefits over the next
  two decades by modernizing the regional electricity grid, a University of San Diego study has concluded.
  
  http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20061019-9999-e1b19grid.html
  
  
• California Utilities Again Cite Lack of Transmission in Latest RPS Filing
  Oct 4, 2006 - California Energy Markets
  
  California's investor-owned utilities say that while they have been busy contracting for renewable energy,
  it is uncertain whether those contracts will result in actual green power delivered to customers by the
  state's renewables portfolio standard deadline of 2010.
  
  http://pro.energycentral.com/professional/news/power/news_article.cfm?id=7235093
  
  
• Coalition voices views as FERC tackles grid access for first time in a decade
  Sep 25, 2006 - Wind Energy Weekly
  
  AWEA joined a coalition of energy industry organizations—noteworthy in its diversity alone—to file reply
  comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the use of “redispatch” in a
  transparent and non-discriminatory way to improve access to the transmission grid.
  
  http://pro.energycentral.com/professional/news/power/news_article.cfm?id=7196918
  
  
• U.S. Electric Grid Is Reaching the End Game
  Sep 22, 2006 - Marsha Freeman - Executive Intelligence Review
  
  This Summer, three decades of underinvestment and looting of the U.S. electrical industry grid system came home to roost. A week-long blackout in New York City, calls for "voluntary" conservation, the shutting off of power to large industrial enterprises, and lowering of voltages across the nation, were all evidence of the wreckage that has been made of this most critical infrastructure.

  http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2006/3338electric_grid.html
  

• Feds Says Transformer Sharing Pact Will Boost Power Grid Security
  Sep 21, 2006 - NGI's Power Market Today
  
  FERC on Thursday approved an agreement among electric utilities on electric transformer sharing that the
  federal agency said will maintain the integrity of the nation's transmission system in the event of a future
  terrorist strike.
  
  http://pro.energycentral.com/professional/news/power/news_article.cfm?id=7183186
  
  
• National Grid: New Transmission Policies Are Needed to Realize Renewable Generation's Potential in the U.S.
  Sep 21, 2006 - Business Wire
  
  In a white paper published yesterday, National Grid (Westborough, Massachusetts) urged federal and state policymakers to address current inadequacies in U.S. transmission policies that create obstacles for wind and other renewable generators in accessing the country's electric grid.
  
  http://tdworld.com/news/national-grid-calls-for-transmission-policy/
  
  
• New power grid would tie Kansas, Colorado: Public views sought on estimated $8 million to $1 billion project
  Sep 15, 2006 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News (Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News ) -
  Anthony A. Mestas - The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
  
  Officials from two power suppliers wanting to construct 1,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and
  new substations in Colorado and Kansas met with residents Wednesday to discuss the proposed project.
  
  http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/658691/new_power_grid_would_tie_kansas_colorado_public_views_sought/index.html
  
  
• Canada's National Energy Board approves International Power Line
  Sep 7, 2006 - National Energy Board - Canadian News Wire
  
  Canada's National Energy Board has approved Sea Breeze Converter Corporation's application to
  construct and operate a 150-kV HVDC international power line (IPL) between Vancouver Island and
  Washington State.
  
  http://tdworld.com/news/canada-neb-international-line/
  
  
• Increased cooperation may help curb massive blackouts
  Aug 21, 2006 - David Templeto -, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  
  Three years after 50 million people were left in the dark, Pennsylvania's power grid operator, which prevented
  outages from affecting most of Pennsylvania in August 2003, has taken action to prevent future electricity
  blackouts. PJM Interconnection, the Valley Forge, Montgomery County, company that operates the power
  grid in 13 states including most of Pennsylvania, has signed agreements to share information with neighboring
  grid operators, including the Midwest Independent Service Operator, to help reduce the chance of blackouts.
  
  http://pro.energycentral.com/professional/news/power/news_article.cfm?id=7063140
  

• The Electric Grid: Society's emerging supercritical infrastructure
  Aug 18, 2006 - Alberto Ramirez Orquin - Energy Pulse - Energy Central
  
  This century brings about new elements, which constantly modify well-established paradigms. A good
  example can be found on the notions of society’s critical infrastructures. The electric grid has been
  increasingly regarded as very important, typically at the same hierarchy as communications, roadways,
  water supply, etc. But its emerging critical dimension has only recently been revealed, where life is simply
  inconceivable or unviable without the essential commodity/service this grid provides, more primary in nature
  than the rest.
  
  http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=1319

• Investments in Global Electric Transmission Are Increasing, Report Says
  Aug 10, 2006 - Electric Energy Online.com
  
  Investment in electric transmission assets is on the rise globally and these new outlays could have
  implications for credit quality, according to a report published today by Standard and Poor’s Ratings
  Services titled "Capital Spending on Electric Transmission is on the Upswing Around the World."
  
  http://www.electricenergyonline.com/IndustryNews.asp?m=1&id=54470
  
  
• NEMA Calls on DOE to Identify Electrical Transmission Bottlenecks 
  Aug 10, 2006 - NEMA _- National electrical Manufacturers Association
  
  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) should move soon to designate certain electrical transmission
  corridors as bottlenecks so they can be considered for federal siting permits by the Federal Energy
  Regulatory Commission, said officials of NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association,
  shortly after release of a study by DOE.
  
  http://www.nema.org/media/pr/20060810a.cfm
  

• DOE Marks First Anniversary of EPAct & Releases National Electric Transmission Congestion
  Study
  Aug 8, 2006 - U. S. Dept of Energy
  
  U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today marked the one-year anniversary
  of President Bush’s signing of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), highlighting its progress in delivering
  clean energy alternatives and spurring investment in renewable and nuclear energy.  DOE also released
  the National Electric Transmission Congestion Study authorized under the Energy Policy Act, which provides
  analysis of generation and transmission capacity across the U.S. and identifies critical areas that need
  attention to meet growing demand.
  
  http://www.energy.gov/news/3903.htm

• Energy Department singles out areas of power grid congestion
  Aug 7, 2006 - H. Josef Hebert - The Associated Press
  
  WASHINGTON --Southern California and the urban centers from Northern Virginia to New York face the
  most critical power grid problems, but such remote areas as Montana and the Dakotas may need new
  transmission lines in the near future, an Energy Department report warns.
  
  http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/08/07/energy_department_singles_out_areas_of_power_grid_congestion/
  
  
• California ISO Board Approves Sunrise/Greenpath Transmission Project
  Aug 3, 2006 - Press Release - California ISO
  
  The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) Board of Governors today
  unanimously approved the Sunrise/Greenpath transmission project proposed jointly by San Diego Gas
  and Electric (SDG&E), Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and Citizens Energy. The project will provide a vital
  "electricity on ramp" from the southeastern corner of the state to San Diego and the rest of the California
  grid. The combination 500-thousand/230-thousand volt transmission link will also provide access to
  hundreds of megawatts in renewable generation, bringing much-needed green power onto the grid.
  
  http://www.stirlingenergy.com/news/2006_08_03%20-%20CAL-ISO%20Release.pdf
  

• GCC electricity grid by 2010
  Jul 29, 2006 - CNN
  
  A GCC-wide electricity grid will be ready by 2010, according to a report by the GCC Interconnection
  Authority cited by the Peninsula. Contracts worth $1.1bn have been awarded for the first stage. The first
  section will link Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait by 2008. It will link by 2010 to a second section
  being built between the UAE and Oman.
  
  http://www.ameinfo.com/92615.html
  
  
• Congestion Might Clog Nation’s Power Grid
  Jul 27, 2006 - UPI
  
  Scientists say inadequate investment in the power transmission network remains the Achilles heel of the
  U.S. electric grid system.
  
  http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Congestion_Might_Clog_National_Power_Grid_999.html
  

• MidAmerican Energy Company Energizes 124-Mile, High Voltage Electric Transmission Line
  Jul 6, 2006 - MidAmerica Energy Company
  
  MidAmerican Energy Company’s electric transmission grid now has increased capability to handle higher
  electric demand when summer temperatures heat up.
  
  http://www.electricnet.com/content/news/article.asp?DocID=%7B8FB88F29-88DE-44A0-B9BF-8A633AA9B7AE%7D&Bucket=Current+Headlines&VNETCOOKIE=NO
  
  
• Tonbridge Power Inc.'s Subsidiary-Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. Sells Out Remaining Long Term
  Capacity
  Jul 6, 2006
  
  Tonbridge Power Inc. (TSX VENTURE:TBZ - News; "Tonbridge" or the "Company"), through its wholly-
  owned subsidiary, Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. ("MATL"), which is a project designed to interconnect the
  electricity markets of Alberta and the US Pacific Northwest through a 230Kv transmission line, is pleased
  to announce that the project has sold out all of the its current permitted capacity on its transmission line.
  
  http://biz.yahoo.com/ccn/060706/200607060336835001.html?.v=1
  
  
• Atlantic Power Agrees to Acquire 72% Interest in Path 15 Transmission Line in California
  Jun 29, 2006 - Press Release - Atlantic Power Corp
  
  Atlantic Power Corporation (TSX:ATP.UN) ("Atlantic Power" or the "Company") announced today that
  Atlantic Power Holdings, LLC ("Holdings") has agreed to indirectly acquire 100% of Trans-Elect NTD Path
  15, LLC, which owns approximately 72% of the transmission system rights in the Path 15 transmission
  project (the "Project" or "Path 15") located in California.
  
  http://www.snl.com/irweblinkx/Yearlynews.aspx?iid=4098671
  

• Aging grids cited in blackouts
  Jun 28, 2006 - Paul Davidson - USA TODAY
  
  The nation's power system may be showing its age. Recent heat wave-related blackouts in California and
  New York are at least partly being blamed on creaky transformers, circuit breakers and cables.
  
  http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2006-07-27-power-grid-usat_x.htm
  
  
• CanWEA applauds Ontario's call for transmission investments to support wind energy
  Jun 13, 2006 - Canadian Wind Energy Association
  
  The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is pleased that the Ontario Government's "Integrated Power System Plan Directive" to the Ontario Power Authority today called for strengthening the transmission system to facilitate the development and use of wind energy where the most significant development opportunities exist. Specifically, the need for expanded transmission capacity from Bruce County and surrounding area was identified as a priority.
  
  http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2006/13/c8953.html
  

• Gov. Freudenthal urges support for electric transmission lines
  Jun 12, 2006 - The Associated Press
  
  Sedona, Ariz .- Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal says the federal government must work with Western
  states to improve the availability and efficiency of electric transmission lines.
  
  http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/06/12/news/wyoming/38-lines.txt
  
  
• Hydro-Quebec to build transmission line to energy-hungry Ontario
  Jun 8, 2006 - Karine Fortin - Canadian Press
  
  Montreal - Hydro-Quebec will build a $400-million transmission line to Ontario to sell the energy-hungry neighbouring province electricity, utility chairman Thierry Vandal said Thursday.
  
  http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/060608/b060858.html
  

• California ISO Board Approves Three Major Transmission Projects
  Apr 20, 2006 - California ISO
  
  The California Independent System Operator Corporation (California ISO) Board of Governors Operations
  Committee today approved, and sent to the Board's consent calendar, three major improvements that will strengthen the transmission grid in northern California. The trio of transmission projects will also reduce the cost of managing transmission bottlenecks and maintaining adequate generation for local reliability by approximately $30 million per year. Combined with four smaller projects that did not require Board approval, the grid enhancements will add transmission capacity and reduce local generation needs by 700 megawatts.
  
  http://www.caiso.com/17de/17de9de64cfa0ex.html
  

• Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California utilities form partnership
  Apr 20, 2006 - The Associated Press
  
  Salt Lake City - Seven utilities have announced formation of a partnership to advance the Frontier
  Line, an electric-power transmission grid that would serve Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California.
  
  http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2006/04/20/news/regional/920a83396171dca587257154005869d0.txt

• Western Govs talk energy infrastructure
  Apr 12, 2006 - The Cherry Creek News
  
  A major announcement on Western clean energy infrastructure project is expected to be unveiled next week by several Western Governors at the New Frontier Power Summit, a summit meeting on electricity transmission that kicks off on Monday April 17th at the Coronado Island Marriott Resort in San Diego.
  
  
• Kicking The Oil Habit
  Robert Redford
  
  Today the American people are way out in front of our leaders. We're ready to face our toughest national
  challenges, and we deserve new and forward-looking solutions and leadership.
  
  http://ecomall.com/greenshopping/redford.htm
  

• APS, National Grid and WIA Announce Cooperative Study of New Transmission Lines
  Mar 9, 2006 - APS
  
  Arizona Public Service Company (APS), National Grid USA and the Wyoming Infrastructure
  Authority (WIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) this week to collaborate in development of
  new electric transmission lines between Arizona and Wyoming. This MOU expands upon previous
  announcements by APS in October 2005 to begin development of the TransWest Express Project and by
  the WIA and National Grid in December 2005 that they would jointly undertake the Wyoming -West
  Transmission Study.
  
  http://www.aps.com/general_info/newsrelease/newsreleases/NewsRelease_310.html
  

• Global Electric ‘Power Highways’ Could Become a Force For Peace
  Nov 24, 2005 - International Power Engineer
  
  One day there will be a global electricity network that links all countries of the world. It will take decades
  to complete but the first steps have already been taken and the principle is deemed workable.

  http://www.engineerlive.com/search/?search=global+electric+%27power+highways%27+could+become+a+force+for+peace

• Cooperation Among Electric Grid Operators Helping to Meet High Demand for Power
  Aug 11, 2005 - PJM Interconnection - Transmission & Distribution World
  
  Mid-way through a hot, humid summer, electric grid operators across much of the country have managed
  increased demand for power by coordinating their efforts to ensure reliability and maintain system
  performance.
  
  http://tdworld.com/news/electric-grid-cooperation/
  
  
• Hot Button: Wake-Up Call on Electricity Needs
  Jan 14, 2001 - Peter Asmus - San Jose Mercury News
  
  The electricity crisis threatening California and the West today, and the rest of the nation tomorrow, is a profound wake-up call. It's time for executives in business and government to come to grips with the gap between the needs of the New Economy and the environment on one side and the level of electricity service our outdated and stressed energy infrastructure provide on the other.
  
  
• DOE Unveils Strategic Plan For Expanding Distributed Energy Resources
  Dec 4, 2000 - United States Department of Energy
  
  The Department of Energy released its "Strategic Plan for Distributed Energy Resources," outlining a national effort to develop clean, reliable and affordable distributed energy technologies over the next two decades. Undersecretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz announced the details of the Strategic Plan at today's session of the department's Advanced Turbine Systems Annual Program Review.
  
  
• U.S. energy secretary positive about opening of Mexican electricity
  Nov 11, 2000 - The Associated Press
  
  MEXICO CITY (AP) -- U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson on Friday characterized as "very positive" a proposal by Mexico's president-elect to open this country's electricity sector to private investment.
  
  
• Big Western Powerlines to Come Under a Single Operator
  Oct 16, 2000 - Press Release - Bonneville Power Administration
  
  PORTLAND, Ore., -- Nine electric utilities are considering a plan to bring nearly 30,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines under an independent regional transmission organization (RTO), thereby improving the reliability and efficiency of the Northwest's power grid.
  
  
• Energy Chief: Electricity Crisis Looms
  Oct 11, 2000 - Kevin Flynn - Denver Rocky Mountain News
  
  There will be a crisis in the nation's electrical supply system within five years if the federal government doesn't encourage the private sector to modernize, U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said in Denver Tuesday.
  
  
• ABB in U.S. power link between Connecticut and Long Island
  September 30, 2000 - ABB
  
  HVDC Light technology key to 40-kilometer subsea link
  Zurich, Switzerland - ABB, the global technology company, has won a US$ 120-million order to supply the transmission system for the HVDC (high-voltage direct current) Cross-Sound Cable subsea power interconnection linking Connecticut and Long Island, New York, in the U.S.
  
  
• Getting Electric Power from Here to There
  Feb 1997 - Volkmar Dimpfl - Archives - Siemens
  
  What's behind the household electrical outlet? A lot more than meets the eye. As network interconnections multiply, management is becoming increasingly complex.
  
  
• Utility Grid-Connected Distributed Power Systems
  Apr, 1996 - Donald E. Osborn & David E. Colier -National Solar Energy Conference
  
  The utility grid-connected market has been identified as a key market to be developed to accelerate the commercialization of photovoltaics. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has completed the first three years of a continuing commercialization effort based on the sustained, orderly development of the grid-connected, utility PV market. This program is aimed at developing the experience needed to successfully integrate PV as distributed generation into the utility system and to stimulate the collaborative processes needed to accelerate the cost-reductions necessary for PV to be cost-effective in these applications by about the year 2000.
  
  
• The Heat is on the Grid
  
  When the heat is on, the transmission grid is tested. And it passed without serious incident during the un-
  seasonably hot temperatures in mid July. But, reserve margins in some parts of the United States took a
  dip, emphasizing the need for new and modern forms of generation that can be sent over a robust
  transmission system.
  
  http://www.energycentral.com/centers/energybiz/ebi_detail.cfm?id=183
  

Related GENI Resources

GENI Transmission Library

National Energy Grid Maps

Renewable Energy Resource Maps

Links

IREC Connecting to the Grid (Interstate Renewable Energy Council)

CIGRE: International Congress on Large High-Voltage Electric Systems

IEEE/PES International Practices Committee panel sessions