Rich Halvey

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• Rich Halvey
• WGA

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• LSEs, transmission providers, generation
  developers, state regulators can make more
  informed decisions about
• Costs of renewable power
• Optimum transmission needed to move renewable
  power to consumers
• Potential partners in developing transmission to
  access renewable areas and
• Where renewable energy developers can site their
  facilities to ensure access to the transmission
  system and minimize environmental impacts.

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• Outside of the CA ISO and AB, there is no
  mechanism in the Western Interconnection to force
  unwilling parties to pay for new transmission.
• LSE fuel choices will ultimately determine what
  transmission gets built.
• LSE resource planners (and regulators) often
  operate in stovepipes and may miss opportunities
  for inter-company collaboration.
• Inter-company collaboration is important because
  transmission is a lumpy investment with large
  economies of scale. One LSE may not need all the
  capacity created by transmission to a REZ.

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• Promotes a regional view of renewables
  development blunting potential balkanization of
  the renewables markets. This is particular
  important for development of renewables that are
  distant from load centers.
• Paves way for interstate collaboration on
• Permitting of multi-state transmission
• Allocating and recovering cost of new
  transmission.
• Could provide an informational foundation for new
  approaches to interconnection and transmission
  service queuing problems.

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• Highly integrated grid
• Excellent and diverse renewable resources
• State-by-state REZ initiatives
• Other Western Interconnection actions important
  to the WREZ work

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• Identification of WREZs
• Technical analysis
• Stakeholder ground truthing
• Conceptual transmission from WREZs
• Coordinated procurement for renewables (beyond
  current budget period)
• Institutional options to facilitate interstate
  transmission for renewables (beyond current
  budget period)

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Organization of REZ Project
Steering Committee (Governors, PUC Commissioners,
Premiers, Federal ex-officio members)
Technical Committee (states, provinces, work
group chairs)
NREL technical support
LBNL Technical Support
Zone Identification/Technical Analysis
Generation/ Transmission Modeling
Environment, Land Use and Permitting
Ad Hoc Work Group?
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Technical Committee
Resource zone identification work group
Environment, land use permitting work group
Generation/ transmission modeling work group
Economic assumptions in supply curves
Areas to be excluded and minimum elements an area
must have to be considered
Areas of concern
Mitigation measures and cost
Conceptual transmission plans
Model for LSE evaluation of interest in REZs
Area requiring close collaboration
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• Technical work
• Technology characterization resource assessment
  application of filters, supply curves
  delineation of WREZ boundaries
• Transparency/communication Maximum stakeholder
  input to identifying WREZs
• Web based GIS
• Easy electronic stakeholder input
• Iterations between technical work (e.g.,
  technical contractor work, stakeholder input, and
  WREZ technical committee/work groups)
• Build on/supplement individual state REZ work

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• Identify areas for consideration, based on
  resource potential and transmission
  requirements.  We would exclude known areas where
  development would be disallowed (e.g., national
  parks, urban areas, unacceptable terrain). By
  default, this would also define which areas are
  not going to be analyzed for REZ potential.  This
  does not mean only the REZs will be developed,
  but that only certain areas will meet the
  criteria to be a REZ.

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• Based on the criteria, NREL would produce a base
  resource map.
• The Identification/Analysis Work Group and the
  Environment and Lands Work Group would then meet
  separately and jointly to determine which areas
  within the areas for consideration should be
  excluded and which areas would become the
  candidate study zones. The work groups have to
  agree on the study zones.

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• The study zones would be refined based on
  exclusionary criteria (e.g., wildlife, species,
  water)
• Supply curves would only be developed for the
  study zones.  Supply curves could include
  information regarding mitigation activities.
• Based on the supply curve work, propose REZs. 
  The work groups would sign off on these.
• The Technical Committee would approve final REZ
  maps.

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• Areas for Consideration - areas to be
  included/excluded and minimum factors to qualify
  for further study
• Candidate Study Zone - based on the application
  of additional exclusionary factors and
  transmission requirements
• Proposed REZ - proposed REZs for public review in
  September
• Final REZ - Phase 1 findings

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• LSE fuel choice is prime determinant
• After identification of REZs, LSE need tools to
• Prioritize REZ options
• Compare with other options
• Identify synergies with other LSEs
• Integrate with existing sub-regional and WECC
  transmission expansion planning processes

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• Elements not defined
• Phase 2 modeling tool can provide foundation for
  coordinated procurement
• Increasing LSE competition for renewables could
  be beneficial or unconstructive

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• Elements not defined
• Build on existing efforts
• WGA Transmission Permitting Protocol
• NTTG
• Infrastructure Authority coordination on HPX

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• May 28-29 kick-off meeting Salt Lake City
• July 11 Technical Committee finalizes work plan
  and schedule
• Late August - workshop to review candidate study
  areas, identification criteria (renewable
  potential and environmental)
• November 1- identify developable renewable energy
  zones
• December 30 - supply curves and mitigation
  strategies developed
• Jan 3 - Draft report sent to Technical Committee
• Jan 30 -Technical Committee meeting to consider
  draft report
• Feb 1 28 public comment and outreach
• March 13 - revised draft report
• March 31 - Technical Committee meets to finalize
  report
• April 16 - final report to Steering Committee
• May 1, 2009 Steering Committee meets to approve
  report
• May 1, Launch of Phase 2 (transmission from
  zones)