Grid United, a developer of high voltage transmission infrastructure, has revealed the results of a comprehensive study conducted by Astrape Consulting, highlighting the substantial reliability and capacity benefits of connecting the Western and Eastern Interconnections across Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), Southwest Power Pool (SPP), and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO).
Grid United and ALLETE are developing North Plains Connector (NPC), a 415-mile and up to 525 kV HVDC transmission line to help connect the western and eastern electric grids in Montana and North Dakota.
The study, which modeled North Plains Connector as two 1,500 MW HVDC lines connecting SPP and MISO to the Western electric grid, calculated the project's ability to increase power system reliability using the same framework employed by utilities and grid operators.
The analysis found that NPC will release 3,550 MW of capacity across the three systems considering the bi-directional nature of the project and the seasonal diversity between the three regions. The capacity benefit highlights the amount of additional demand served without degrading reliability standards.
The study measures the benefits achievable by connecting meteorologically diverse regions having peak requirement for electricity at different times of day or in different seasons.
Leveraging this difference in generation and load profiles not only improves the reliability of the grid on both sides of the project without adding any new generating capacity but also allows the project to add an outsized amount of reliability benefit relative to its physical capacity.
“This study shows that the reliability benefits of an interregional transmission project can be quantified using the same methodologies we use for new generating facilities and that those benefits are worth quantifying,” said Kris Zadlo, President and Chief Technical Officer of Grid United. “We hope it sets a precedent for more comprehensive analysis regarding the benefits of interregional transmission projects.”
