[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 20 (Monday, February 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 5826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2166]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Technical Conference; Design Concepts of Future Electric
Transmission
AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Technical Conference.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and
Energy Reliability (OE) will conduct a technical conference in the
Washington, DC area to discuss the design of future electric
transmission. The technical conference will discuss the likely demand
for future electric transmission and whether the development of
conceptual alternative extra high voltage (EHV) systems would assist
generation developers, State energy policy officials, utility planners,
and other stakeholders. The specific agenda, list of panelists, and
meeting location will be posted on the OE Web site at http://www.oe.energy.gov as they become available.
DATES: The technical conference will be held on March 4, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Schnagl, Director Transmission
Adequacy, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, phone
(202) 586-1056, or e-mail [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A robust and reliable electricity system is
vital to our national economy, security, and well-being. Numerous
proposals have been made to modernize the electric transmission
systems. Included among these proposals is the construction of an EHV
transmission system to augment the existing transmission systems. OE
believes it is important to begin a thorough review of whether an EHV
system should be considered by States and regional planning entities.
To that end, OE is seeking a broader discussion on the ranges of
opinion regarding the future requirements of the electric transmission
system, and what actions should be considered now to help ensure that
the appropriate transmission system is available to meet those future
needs.
This technical conference is part of OE's ongoing evaluation of
electric transmission adequacy and is not part of the 2009 National
Electric Transmission Congestion Study required by the Energy Policy
Act of 2005.
The technical conference will pursue two primary areas of interest:
Identification of the fundamental issues to be considered in designing
future transmission; and exploration of the pros and cons of building
an EHV network, in terms of energy and economic efficiency,
reliability, access to renewable generation, and reduction of carbon
emissions. These areas will be addressed during three panel discussion
sessions.
Panel I will address projections of future transmission needs and
factors that should be considered to help ensure that an appropriate
transmission system is available to meet future needs, including
anticipated contributions from Smart Grid, storage, and distributive
generation. Panel II discussions will address whether there are
advantages to an EHV design over the traditional transmission planning
process, what the pros and cons of a supplemental EHV system might be,
and what the relationship between the existing transmission system and
an EHV system would be. Several entities have proposed conceptual EHV
designs. Panel III will address the primary objectives in each design,
the criteria that should be considered in selecting any particular
design, whether an EHV system could be built in stages with broad
public benefits realized with each stage, and the amount of an EHV
system that must be completed before the public could see major
benefits.
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2009.
Anthony J. Como,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Permitting, Siting and Analysis,
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. E9-2166 Filed 1-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P