PJM presented its final selection of transmission proposals to address the reliability of the electrical grid during the Dec. 3 meeting of the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee.
Sami Abdulsalam, Director – Transmission Planning, shared an overview (PPT) of the major reliability needs targeted in Window 1 of the 2024 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP), which closed Sept. 17, and details of the $5.8 billion in projects being considered to meet them.
The proposals will get a second reading at the Jan. 7 TEAC meeting before being presented to the PJM Board of Managers for approval in the first quarter of 2025.
Planning for the future transmission needs of the electric system is an integral part of PJM’s role. When needs are identified, PJM opens competitive planning “windows” so that transmission owners and other developers can submit their proposed solutions.
The 2024 RTEP Window 1 addresses accelerated load growth in various areas of the PJM footprint, changes in the mix of generation resources, and the resulting shifts to regional power flows. The forecasted load growth is driven in part by data center load additions and the electrification of vehicles and building heating systems.
The projects being considered accommodate the needs of today and the future grid, Abdulsalam said, noting that the selected projects can also handle expected future growth. They were chosen because they are the more efficient or cost-effective solutions to the challenges facing the grid operator, as informed by load growth and the changing resource mix.
The selected projects solve needs in the Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power and PECO transmission zones.
The projects address critical west-east regional transfer reinforcement needs by introducing robust and reliable 765-kV developments connecting the AEP system in the west with the rest of the network in central and southern PJM. The proposals selected also address a number of regional needs that are driven by more local needs.
The selected regional transfer reinforcement projects were proposed through a collaborative planning initiative among transmission owners Dominion, First Energy and Transource. PJM further optimized and staged the projects to allow for an orderly development of assets as the electricity demand materializes, while advancing longer-lead transmission development components.
Once approved by the PJM Board, project proponents will initiate more detailed routing, siting and consultation activities to optimize the proposed transmission line routes as part of the established state approval regulatory process. PJM does not choose the exact route of the project, seek siting approvals or develop the project; that is up to the individual project developers.
In response to the 2024 RTEP Window 1 reliability needs identified by PJM earlier this year, 94 proposals were submitted by 16 entities.
PJM briefed stakeholders on the submitted proposals at the Oct. 8 TEAC meeting and presented the preliminary short list Nov. 6.