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Colorado River Transmission

Meeting Notes

October 12, 2007

SRP’s Power Operations Building

6504 East Thomas Road 

Scottsdale, AZ  85281 

9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Introductions:

The meeting started at 9:40 AM with Ken Bagley giving the introduction and safety minute and was followed by a round table introduction of the attendees. The following is a list of attendees:

Gary Romero               KRSA                            Jerry Smith               KRSA             

Robert Kondziolka               SRP                            Randy Young               APS             

Lauren Weinstein               EPG                            Laurie Woodall               AzAhygen

James Hsu              SRP                            Jim Charters               WSES                           

Tim Wu               LADWP                            Kim Grouse                             CAWCD

Bruce Evans               SWTC                            Janice Alward                             ACC

Prem Bahl               ACC                            Leonard York                             WAPA

Nam Nguyen               SCE                            David Franklin                             SCE

Garry Chan               SCE                            Milt Percival                             WSES                           

Alex Iratkin               NPC                            Ken Bagley                             Genesee/CAWCD

John Kyei               PDS Consulting              Dan Brickley                             SRP

Paul Andrae               Foresight Wind              Suzanne James-King               3M

Michael Gazda               APA                            Gary Trent               TEP

Michael A. Curtis               Mohave Elec.              David L. Barajas              IID

Greg Bernosky               APS                            Peter Krzykos               APS

Steve Mendoza              WND                            Brian Keel               SRP

Mickey Siegel               EPG                            Gary Ijams                CAWCD

Bob Mooney               DSWTP

Overview of CRT Area – Ken Bagley

Ken Bagley gave a description, overview and brief history of the SWAT/CRT Area and discussed the potential integration of the STEP group activities into the SWAT/CRT sub-regional planning group.  Please see Power Point Presentation titled CRT Overview 10-12-07 for more details.

DOE NIETC Designation – Rob Kondziolka

Rob Kondziolka gave a summarized version of the National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors presentation.  Rob stated that the ACC has filed or will be filing for a request for revision. Please see Power Point Presentation titled CRT Overview of EPACT 1221 and NEITC – October 12, 2007 for more details.

EPACT 1221– Rob Kondziolka

Rob Kondziolka gave a summarized version of the EPACT 1221 presentation. Please see Power Point Presentation titled CRT Overview of EPACT 1221 and NEITC – October 12, 2007 for more details.

DOE Congestion Study – Rob Kondziolka

Rob Kondziolka gave a summarized version of the DOE Congestion Study presentation. Comments from the group questioned if the congestion study for the 2015 case included the Devers to Palo Verde II and the EOR 9300 Projects because the results looked like they did not reflect the new Path ratings. Please see Power Point Presentation titled CRT Overview of EPACT 1221 and NEITC – October 12, 2007 for more details.

Potential AZ Renewable Generation – Peter Krzykos

Peter Krzykos presented a power point presentation summarizing the Black and Veatch Renewable Study for Arizona. Please see Presentation titled Renewable Locations Within Arizona – SWAT 082107 for more details.

The Black and Veatch Study identified a Potential of 5500 MW of renewable resources in Arizona. It was noted that the bubbles on the Slides did not take into account the wilderness areas and military zones which are considered as non developable in the Southwest area of the State.

AZ Renewable Transmission Task Force – Peter Krzykos

The Arizona Renewable Transmission Task Force is a recently formed task force to respond to a BTA requirement to find a way to integrate renewable resources into the Arizona transmission expansion plans. The Black and Veatch Renewable Study, was presented. The task force is making the Black and Veatch Study available for comment. The bubbles on the slides represent a more concentrated area of renewable resources in areas with the greater potential for renewable development. It was commented that the Study is already posted on the WestConnect Website for review and comment.

Phase I: BTA Requirement: Arizona only

·       Identify Renewables 

·       Map Renewables

·       Overlay Ten year Transmission Plans

·       Look for holes in getting renewable to loads

Phase II

·       To include the New Mexico Transmission network.

·       Southern California and Southern Nevada.

The question was asked on how the CRT efforts will incorporate the renewables which have been identified? The response was that there will be study work required to develop the transmission within the CRT transmission area to integrate the renewables into the transmission system.

The group also noted that the Hydro component of the B&V study was a very small amount.

CRT Area Proposed Transmission Expansion

EHV Projects:  A brief description of all the EHV Projects which are currently within the CRT footprint was presented. Please see presentation titled: CRT Overview 10-12-07 for more details.

1.   Path 49 Short-term Upgrades: Status: In-service

The Path 49 upgrades will add 505MW to the EOR Path. With these upgrades the new path rating will be 8055MW.

2.   Devers-Palo Verde No. 2 : Status: WECC Phase 3

Two project diagrams where presented with one showing a proposed interconnection in Arizona which is under consideration. Please see Presentation titled Devers_Palo Verde Diagrams for more details.

3.   EOR 9300 : Status WECC Phase 3  

The EOR 9300 project entails upgrading the series capacitors on both the Mead/Perkins and Navajo/Crystal 500kV lines. The project will bring the EOR Rating from 8055MW to 9300MW. The Joint Specification bid for the Mead/Perkins upgrades was issued on September 21, 2007 to ABB, Siemens and General Electric with bids due back by November 6th 2007. The bid will be awarded in December 2007. The schedule for equipment to begin arriving is November 2008.  The project in-service date is April 2009. See Jim Hsu presentation titled: EOR9300_Status_10-12-07 for more details.

4.   Palo Verde-North Gila No. 2: Status: Proposed Project

The project participants are SRP, IID, APS and Welton Mohawk.

APS applied for a CEC on October 3, 2007.

HV Projects: A brief description of all the HV Projects which are currently within the CRT foot was presented. Please see presentation titled: CRT Overview 10-12-07 for more details.

1.   Western – Leonard York              

·       WAPA Reconductor Davis to Topack with new 3M conductor. Project is completed and energized. Rerate of WAPA path G will be required

·       Reconductor Mead/Davis 2009

·       Wind Generation interconnection at Mead/Davis

·       Wind Generation interconnection at Blythe/Knob

2.   IID – David Barajas Presentation to be provided.

CRT Area Loads

1. APS – Peter Krzykos Yuma area load growth 4% to 5% next 10 years
2. CAP – Ken Bagley Please see presentation titled: CRT Overview 10-12-07 for more details.

3.   IID – David Barajas

1000MW of load for summer 2007 with an expect load of 1500MW by summer 2017.

4.   Unisource – Gary Trent Kingman and Lake Havasu and Mohave

Mohave Load:

Load growth of 3.5% and 7.0% - see chart in presentation titled: UES-Load_tran_gen1

Mohave Transmission:

·       Converted Mohave area load on the Parker-Davis system to NITS

·       Griffith-N. Havasu 230kV Line

o      CED extended for five years

o      Phase 1 under construction

N. Havasu to Franconia initially operated at 69kV with future operation at 230kV upon completion of line.

·       White Hills interconnection 345/69kV Substation North of Kingman

Mohave Generation:

Black Mountain Gen Unisource facility,               2 Combustion Turbines

90 MW total output, initially connected to Griffith via UNSE 69kV system

CRT Generators

1. Existing – Ken Bagley

·       Southern Nevada

o      Hoover 

o      Nevada Power & IPP Generation

·       Mohave County 

o      Griffith, South Point, Parker-Davis

·       Blythe

o      Blythe Energy

2. Potential

·       Desert Southwest Transmission – Bob Mooney

Line’s initial routing was declined after 911 due to routing on military zones.  Project currently consist of two lines, a 118 mile line to the Devers substation and an 8 mile line from the Blythe area to a proposed Midpoint substation.  The question was asked if both the 8 mile and 118 mile lines were built would you have a Midpoint Substation connection. The answer was yes you would have one radial to Devers and a 2nd radial to Midpoint.

The existing Blythe Energy plant output is 500MW. A second Blythe area plant is already permitted and a third is being proposed.  Blythe 1 connects to Western, Blythe 2 and 3 will connect to the new 8 mile and 118 mile radial lines to the Midpoint Substation and Devers.

It was noted that the Midpoint Substation name already exist so the new reference to Midpoint will be the Colorado River Substation.

·       BP Alternative – (PDS)

The White Hills Project is a 500 MW Wind Generation Project. Please see the Presentation Tilted:  White Hills Project CRT-Presentation for more details.

o      Location is Mohave County

o      (200 2.5 MW wind Turbines)

o      Interconnect to the Perkins/Mead

o      2009 time frame.

·       Foresight Wind – Paul Andrae Wind developer

o      4500 MW of wind developments in the SWAT footprint

o      800 MW in advance development in AZ with 200mw of the 800 MW in the CRT footprint

o      1000 MW in NM which can be imported into AZ

·       San Luis – Jim Charters

o      Plant will be located just south of the Arizona border and east of new border crossing.

o      Line routing goes north to Yuma substation interconnects to a new substation called Gila 230kv/161 and then it goes on up to the N. Gila Station. Double Cktr 230kv Line

o      EIS has been signed off by Western

o      San Luis to Gila (20miles)  Gila to N. Gila (5 miles)

o      Presidential Permit expected in two weeks. The plant’s emissions were required to meet US requirements based on the connected action with the line.

o      2010 in-service date.

·       Solar Mission – Doug Fant

o      Quartsite Solar Project.

o      Solar Thermal Process creates power through an updraft

o      2800 foot tower.

o      24 hour output.

o      Subject to ACC Jurisdiction.

·       Western Wind – Steve Mendoza

o      15 MW phase 1 wind data.

o      South of Kingman

o      Potential for 200 MW

o      Project was put on hold due to dispute

o      90% Complete prior to dispute

o      Dispute has been settled and project should be restarted within two weeks.

Input to SCE on DPV2 Project – Dana Cabbell/David Franklin

The project brings and additional 1200MW to the EOR path rating (10500) and to the WOR path rating (11000). SCE will be looking at an interconnection to the Project approximately 40 miles west of Palo Verde and just east of the Kofa wilderness area.  SCE will be looking at proposals to connect Arizona loads and generation to the DPV2 line.

Questions:

The question was raised on will the Cal-ISO control area be redefined with the announcement of the new midpoint station?  Will Cal-ISO control all the way to the Harquahala Junction or will it be defined differently. Cal-ISO was not present to discuss this issue.

Concerns were raised with Cal-ISO controlling the line on the Arizona side of the border. It was mentioned during the line siting process, the Cal-ISO did come to terms with having their control moved from the Harquahala station back to the Harquahala Junction.

              To what degree is SCE still open to consider the opportunity to meet other needs?  SCE is still open to consider other needs on this project but they are on a fast track in considering potential options on this project. A meeting was proposed to discuss potential future benefits to AZ.

              Has SCE announced interest to seek options and ideas for their project and the answer was yes. It was announced at the last SWAT and today here at the CRT meeting.

              SCE has offered to be the lead for the technical studies for the Western Arizona interconnection.  This will take a couple of months to study and a couple of months to take through the WATS process. It will require at least 5 miles of additional line construction. The study work will be part of the joint project study work.

              It was announced that the DPV2 never had an open season or if it did it was a very short open season. It was discuss that SCE is now opening up this project for an open season.

Potential Integration of STEP Activities – Ken Bagley

·       Regional Planning vs. Source of Information.

·       Performance of Technical Work

·       Coordination with WATS

·       California wants to create a California wide regional planning group to conduct regional planning in California. Needs commitment from the Cal-ISO

·       In order for the STEP group and it’s activities to become part of the CRT. The CRT needs commitment from the Cal-ISO, California entities and the Arizona entities for this to happen. The CRT needs commitment from its Members to conduct study work for this group.

·       To what degree has the California entities soften to the idea of forming a regional planning group and to what degree do the California entities want to participant in the CRT group? They have had several meetings to discuss the formation of a group. The footprint will include all of California and parts of the boarding States.

Action items:

1. Need to schedule monthly meetings to discuss the DPV2 alternatives.

2. Need to decide weather the CRT group expands to include STEP.

Next Meeting:

Proposed a mid-January date in Las Vegas.  Nevada Power to host the next meeting.