The board of directors of Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Energy, an Imperial, Calif.-headquartered utility, has unanimously adopted a resolution titled ‘Incentives to Interconnect and Export Renewable Resources,’ which calls for two major policy initiatives designed to bolster renewable energy development in the Salton Sea area.
The first component of the plan would involve constructing new 230 kV lines and performing system upgrades at key interconnection facilities to accommodate new generation. Over the same time period, IID would build a dedicated 230 kV line from its Midway substation through the Salton Sea area to Bannister Road, providing access to the district's network grid. This transmission corridor would offer up to 1,600 MW of renewable energy export capacity from the Salton Sea area, IID says.
In addition, the board amended its open access transmission tariff (OATT) to incorporate provisions dealing with interconnection agreements. According to the board, the new OATT, which was revised in consultation with renewable energy generators already operating in the region, will provide renewable energy generators with more uniformity in the planning, processing and scheduling of new interconnections to the IID transmission system.
