The country’s electrical transmission system is slowly being integrated in an effort to attain maximum efficiency at minimum cost.
Agreements signed this week underline the urgency behind efforts to bolster infrastructure and integrate electrical lines across the country.
ATSI into the PJM
American Transmission Systems (ATSI), which operates 7,100 miles of transmission lines (24,000MW of generating capacity) across the Midwest, announced on June 1 that it had successfully integrated into the East Coast transmission grid, the PJM Interconnection.
With the integration, PJM is now the world’s largest competitive electrical transmission system and has expanded its opportunities to modulate generation and demand while operating at enhanced levels of efficiency, the companies said.
“PJM has ample reserves and demonstrated success with demand response program, which will help as we manage customers’ power needs, especially during the extended high summer temperatures,” said Charles Jones, president of FirstEnergy Utilities that owns ATSI.
Served by ATSI’s transmission lines are utilities Toledo Edison, Ohio Edison, Cleveland Electric Illuminating and Pennsylvania Power, which also now integrated into PJM as well.
AEP with the TVA
In the South, the American Electric Power (AEP) utility today signed an agreement with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that would allow AEP to pursue extra-high voltage transmission projects along both TVA and PJM power lines.
“This region’s transmission system,” said AEP Transmission President Susan Tomasky, “has not seen significant transmission investment for nearly three decades. It is time to build additional transmission in these states to maintain a strong regional grid.”
AEP signed an additional agreement with TVA for a $275 million transmission project in Indiana and Kentucky that would build 55 miles of 765kV extra-high voltage transmission connecting AEP’s Rockport Station in Evansville, Indiana with TVA’s Paradise Fossil Plant in Drakesboro, Kentucky. TVA also plans to build a 765kV substation at the Paradise plant.
Interconnectedness
As one of the country’s largest utilities (serving 11 states with 38,000 MW of generating capacity), AEP’s newest projects mark further progression into a new age of electrical transmission. With ATSI also integrated into PJM, power lines across the country will be more flexible and far-reaching than ever before, finally achieving a long-standing priority to better integrate the US power sector into larger and more cost-efficient units.
These new agreements pave the way for smart grid integration and digitized demand response projects to expand at generation firms. With improved transmission, power plants could be better equipped than ever to maximize efficiency, integrate renewables and over time lower costs for end-user customers.
