The U.S. Department of Energy is kicking off its next transmission congestion study, which it expects to be similar in scope to the 2006 and 2009 studies.
In a Nov. 10 federal register notice, the DOE said it is seeking comments on what publicly available data and information should be considered and what types of analysis should be performed “to identify and understand the significance and character of transmission congestion.” Comments are due Jan. 31, 2012.
DOE expects to release a draft of the study in 2012 for a 60-day comment period.
The study will be similar in scope to the 2006 and 2009 congestion studies, which reviewed congestion nationwide except for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ territory, the DOE said.
The 2012 study may incorporate additions such as electricity market analyses, including locational marginal price (LMP) patterns; reliability analyses and actions, including transmission loading relief (TLR) actions; historic energy flows; current and projected electric supply and generation plans; recent, current and planned transmission and interconnection queues; current and forecast electricity loads, including energy efficiency, distributed generation (DG) and demand response (DR) plans and policies; the location of renewable resources and state and regional policies with respect to renewable development; projected impacts of current or pending environmental regulation on generation availability; effects of recent or projected economic conditions on demand and congestion; analytic results from the eastern and western interconnection-level planning studies undertaken with DOE support; and filings under FERC Order 890.
The DOE will consult with the states and regional reliability organizations in the preparation of the 2012 congestion study.
The department will host four regional pre-study workshops in early December to receive input and suggestions concerning the study.
