FERC granted Tres Amigas approval to sell transmission services for its proposed SuperStation at negotiated rates. FERC also stated that, upon receipt of an application under Federal Power Act sections 210 and 211, it could issue orders pursuant to those sections to allow Tres Amigas to proceed and interconnect with Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) without conferring FERC jurisdiction over ERCOT utilities.
The SuperStation is planned for Clovis, N.M., and is expected to provide the capability to transfer thousands of megawatts of power between the three U.S. power grids – known as the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection (also known as ERCOT).
‘This project, which is the first of its kind, will allow customers to trade power across the interconnections and to take advantage of opportunities to buy lower cost power from other regions,’ says Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of FERC. ‘It may also open a new transmission path for customers interested in tapping the vast renewable energy potential in many parts of the country – Texas, the Southwest, the West and Northwest, the Southeast and the offshore Atlantic.’
Phil Harris, CEO of Tres Amigas, says the company will be focusing on negotiating interconnection agreements with transmission companies, finalizing agreements with anchor tenants for the SuperStation, raising additional financing for the next phase of the project, and issuing a request for proposals for high-voltage, direct-current converters and storage batteries.
SOURCE: Tres Amigas LLC, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
