Here's the thing, a short 🧵: yes siting is hard but it gets done for RTO-planned or state-procured Tx. Merchant crossing various states are fought - and they can threaten incumbent gen / utility business revenue; a lot of $0 MW renewable may not be great for the existing 🏭 1/8
So let's separate out the types of Tx: planning process intra-regional reliability Tx (gets sited but might take 5-9 yrs), state policy RFP Tx (seems similar, but can fail for bad design and utility competitor opposition in court and PUCs and funding community groups even) 2/8
Interregional #planning process Tx: not really happening, leaving a vaccum for merchant interregional Tx (again opposed by $$ interests on top of difficult to fund). There's not much to run into state siting from RTOs or Non-RTO NERC Tx planning entities working together 3/8
Okay, so interregional Tx planning isn't really happening. Yes, we need to fix that. But the lower hanging fruit is that the big planning WITHIN the regions is only sporadically happening (NY with Pub Policy - lots to do there b/c no big Tx in 28 yrs & NJ BPU #OSW Tx 👏🏻👏🏻) 4/8
What isn't happening is the intra-regional policy planning; forward looking planning. Actual plans (not just a study, we've got those and more analysis-only is running out the clock ⌛️). This is why we see interconnection being used to back fill with $1bn+ #transmission needs 5/8
(and side note: gens don't pay for that Tx: states do on the RFP for the gen contract, it makes it very expensive, inefficient, and hard re: sequencing and free riders - those lines can simply evaporate out of a cluster or other study: see eg the Maine fixes for onshore wind) 6/8
So this is why the RM21-17 and AD20-18 (similar issues) are SO important: before siting, before ROE adders, etc. there needs to be actual transmission planning for the current local, state & federal (!) policies/laws. That is what @FERC is recognizing and what we need to fix 7/8
1 more: a lot can be done with CURRENT tariffs which are written to allow for big picture planning re eval criteria. @FERC could skip SOME new rules & tariff compliance w/GUIDANCE re: how to use curr't tariffs b/c "Order 1000 was a good idea, but it's been poorly implemented" 8/8
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