wiredinUSA January2014

INDEX

Rubber stamp for $1.48bn investment The board of directors of the US Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc (MISO) has unanimously approved the MISO’s 2013 transmission expansion plan, which includes $1.48 billion of investment in 317 new projects. The new projects recommended in the 2013 MTEP include 79 baseline reliability projects needed to meet North American Electric Reliability Corporation reliability standards. The total cost for these projects is about $372 million. Three of the new projects concern generator interconnection, with a total estimated cost of about $15 million. MAKING THENEWS

MISO has compiled annual transmission expansion plans, known as MTEPs, since 2003. The MTEP has led to completed projects worth around $6.2 billion, and about $17.9 billion in total investment since 2003, according to the 2013 MTEP report. The $1.48 billion of new transmission investment approved by MISO's board is in line with the roughly $1.47 billion recommended in last year's MTEP, but below 2011's MTEP, which saw around $6.51 billion in recommended new transmission investment.

The remaining 235 projects, totaling $1.1 billion of investment, do not qualify as market efficiency projects but could provide advantages, such as supporting lower-voltage transmission or providing local economic benefits, according to MISO's MTEP report.

wiredInUSA - January 2014

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wiredInUSA - January 2014

8