Commissioner Marsha H. Smith

1
Resource Assessment and Adequacy In the Western
Interconnection
Commissioner Marsha H. Smith Idaho Public
Utilities Commission Western Conference of Public
Service Commissioners Boise, Idaho June 22, 2005
2
(No Transcript)
3

• Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation
  (CREPC)
• Joint committee of the WIEB and WCPSC established
  in 1983
• Includes all state/provincial agencies in WI with
  electric power responsibilities
• Effective forum for interstate discussions and
  regional interactions with industry and FERC
• Action by unanimous vote
• Supported formation of the Western Systems Power
  Pool
• Supported creation of regional transmission
  groups
• (WRTA, SWRTA, NRTA)
• Supported creation of WECC

4

• West-wide Resource Assessment Team
• (WRAT)
• WRAT is an ad hoc technical working group within
  CREPC
• Participants from technical staff of 9 states,
  NWPCC, and BC ministry, covering the majority of
  geography and loads in the Western
  Interconnection
• Initiated series of conference calls after Fall
  2002 CREPC meeting
• Impetus for formation--
• uncertainty over resource availability
• desire to indicate to FERC West is functioning on
  its own
• Explores how the West can develop information
  and mechanisms to address resource assessment and
  adequacy
• Focuses on coordination, integration, synthesis
  west-wide
• receives technical support from Lawrence
  Berkeley Lab
• works with WECC committee structure and staff

5

• WRAT Milestones and Emerging Consensus
• 2003
• WRAT briefs CREPC on Western Interconnection
  assessment challenges
• WGA adopts resolution directing regional entities
  to perform Resource Adequacy study
• WECC adopts goal to develop and publish
  Resource Adequacy criteria
• 2004
• WRAT develops and CREPC endorses Resource
  Adequacy strawman using voluntary
  guidelines/targets approach with seven key
  elements (10/04)
• WECC Planning Coordination Committee forms
  Resource Adequacy Work Group (RAWG) (3/04)
• NERC Standard Authorization Request on Resource
  Adequacy (11/04)
• WECC readopts goal, directing implementation in
  calendar year 2005
• RAWG agrees on consensus recommendations (12/04)

6

• WRAT Milestones and Emerging Consensus
  (continued)
• 2005
• WECC Planning Coordination Committee adopts
  Resource Adequacy motion and assigns to Loads and
  Resources Subcommittee (3/05)
• NERC comment period on Standard Authorization
  Request on Resource Adequacy (2/05 3/05)
• WECC Board approves use of Power Supply Design
  Criteria as adequacy assessment criteria
• CREPC approves Resource Adequacy recommendations
  (4/05), including
• 1) WRAT participation in all WECC forums to
  develop resource adequacy guidelines/targets
  compatible with the strawman accepted by CREPC
• 2) WRAT advocacy of revisions to WECCs Power
  Supply Assessment to obtain results at a
  meaningful level of geographic disaggregation