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Collaborative Transmission Plan Identifies 14 Major Reliability Projects

Feb. 12, 2020
The North Carolina Transmission Planning Collaborative released an annual update to the transmission plan.

Participants in the North Carolina Transmission Planning Collaborative (NCTPC), made up of representatives from the state’s electric utilities, have identified 14 major projects that will improve North Carolina’s electric transmission infrastructure as part of the 2019-2029 Collaborative Transmission Plan. The projects represent more than $591 million in investments during the next decade.

The major transmission projects identified in the 2019 plan are expected to be implemented during the next 10 years by the transmission owners to preserve system reliability and improve economic electricity transfers across the transmission network. Major projects are defined as those requiring transmission investments of more than $10 million.

The 2019 plan report can be viewed on the NCTPC website under the Reference Documents section at nctpc.org/nctpc/home.jsp.

The transmission projects for Duke Energy Progress (DEP) and Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) in the 2019 plan include one new Duke Energy Carolinas project and two Duke Energy Progress projects that were placed in service. In addition, two Duke Energy Carolinas projects were removed. Appendices B and C in the 2019 plan report contain the specific details on each of the 14 major reliability projects identified in the plan.

In-service dates and cost estimates for some projects that are planned or underway have been revised.

The NCTPC was formed in 2005 to develop a shared plan for electric transmission system enhancements in the state. Participants include Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Progress, ElectriCities of North Carolina, and the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, which serves as the power supplier for most of the state’s electric cooperatives.

Since its inception in 2005, projects totaling more than $1.6 billion have been identified in the NCTPC plans. More than $825 million in projects have been placed in service through the end of 2019, $549 million are still in the planning stage and another $315 million are being deferred until after 2029 or canceled as a result of changing transmission system requirements. The plan is updated annually.

The NCTPC was established to provide participants and other stakeholders an opportunity to participate in the electric transmission planning process for North Carolina and develop a single coordinated transmission plan that includes reliability and local economic study transmission planning considerations. The group’s priority is to appropriately balance costs, benefits and risks associated with the use of transmission and generation resources.

Another goal of the NCTPC is to study the strength of North Carolina’s transmission infrastructure. The scope of the 2019 NCTPC study included a base reliability analysis for transmission needs to meet load growth between 2019 and 2029. In 2019, the NCTPC also examined two hypothetical generation sites in North Carolina as part of the resource supply option scenarios under the Local Economic Study Process. The NCTPC Oversight Steering Committee (OSC) also examined the impacts of 14 different hypothetical transfers into, out of and through the DEC and DEP systems. The results of these hypothetical scenarios are documented in Section V – Local Economic Planning Studies of the 2019 study report. 

“Through ongoing collaboration between Duke Energy, NCEMC, and ElectriCities, the North Carolina Transmission Planning Collaborative (NCTPC) and its stakeholders have produced a comprehensive 10-year transmission plan that will support the reliable and economic delivery of electric power across the Carolinas,” said Mark Byrd, Duke Energy representative and chair of the NCTPC OSC. “The NCTPC also continues to provide a valuable forum for regulators and other stakeholders to remain informed on a variety of transmission-related topics.”

The NCTPC process includes active participation of other market participants and stakeholders through a Transmission Advisory Group (TAG), which is open to all interested parties. Stakeholders interested in joining the TAG or receiving information about the NCTPC process can sign up at nctpc.org/nctpc/home.jsp.

During the NCTPC process, an administrative consultant serves as a facilitator who chairs the TAG and solicits input from other stakeholders through the open TAG meetings. Richard Wodyka, the current NCTPC consultant, can be reached at [email protected].

If you have any comments or questions on the NCTPC process or the 2019-2029 Collaborative Transmission Plan Study Report, contact Mark Byrd at [email protected] or 919-546-7937.

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