PJM approves $417M investment in transmission projects, upgrades

By: Robert Walton

• PJM Interconnection’s Board of Managers yesterday authorized more than $417 million in electric transmission projects for reliability.
• The projects include a new substation in Public Service Electric & Gas’ territory that will help deliver energy to healthcare buildings, government, education, transportation centers and other critical infrastructure in Newark, N.J.
• Earlier this year, PJM signed off on more than $1.5 billion in electric transmission projects, including several large-scale upgrades the grid operator said will address reliability issues in multiple areas.

PJM considered alternatives to the Newark Switch project but concluded that a new substation adjacent to the existing structure was most cost-efficient. The project will cost $275 million.

“The board’s approval of these projects reinforces both PJM’s fundamental mission of preserving reliability and the value of PJM’s independent assessment of transmission needs,” PJM President and CEO Andrew Ott said in a statement.

PJM continues to evolve how it plans to consider new trends, said Ott. But “studying and planning for reliability remains the top priority.

PJM also approved equipment upgrades and improvements in areas served by American Electric Power; Dominion; Atlantic City Electric Co.; PECO Energy Co.; Pennsylvania Electric Company; American Transmission Systems; East Kentucky Power Cooperative; and Dayton Power & Light.

Most of the individual projects cost less than $5 million, the grid operator said. In the last 17 years, the PJM Board has approved $31.2 billion in transmission additions and upgrades.

A complete list of newly-authorized transmission projects can be found here.

Earlier this year, the board authorized a three-part project in PSEG’s northern New Jersey territory, to rebuild 138 kV lines in the Metuchen-Edison-Trenton-Burlington corridor, raising their capacity to 230 kV.

Source:

http://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-approves-417m-investment-in-transmission-projects-upgrades/448009/