[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 20 (Monday, February 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 5826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2166]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Technical Conference; Design Concepts of Future Electric 
Transmission

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Technical Conference.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and 
Energy Reliability (OE) will conduct a technical conference in the 
Washington, DC area to discuss the design of future electric 
transmission. The technical conference will discuss the likely demand 
for future electric transmission and whether the development of 
conceptual alternative extra high voltage (EHV) systems would assist 
generation developers, State energy policy officials, utility planners, 
and other stakeholders. The specific agenda, list of panelists, and 
meeting location will be posted on the OE Web site at http://www.oe.energy.gov as they become available.

DATES: The technical conference will be held on March 4, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Schnagl, Director Transmission 
Adequacy, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, phone 
(202) 586-1056, or e-mail <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8be1e4e3e5a5f8e8e3e5eaece7cbe3faa5efe4eea5ece4fd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2b4144434505584843454a4c476b435a054f444e054c445d">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A robust and reliable electricity system is 
vital to our national economy, security, and well-being. Numerous 
proposals have been made to modernize the electric transmission 
systems. Included among these proposals is the construction of an EHV 
transmission system to augment the existing transmission systems. OE 
believes it is important to begin a thorough review of whether an EHV 
system should be considered by States and regional planning entities. 
To that end, OE is seeking a broader discussion on the ranges of 
opinion regarding the future requirements of the electric transmission 
system, and what actions should be considered now to help ensure that 
the appropriate transmission system is available to meet those future 
needs.
    This technical conference is part of OE's ongoing evaluation of 
electric transmission adequacy and is not part of the 2009 National 
Electric Transmission Congestion Study required by the Energy Policy 
Act of 2005.
    The technical conference will pursue two primary areas of interest: 
Identification of the fundamental issues to be considered in designing 
future transmission; and exploration of the pros and cons of building 
an EHV network, in terms of energy and economic efficiency, 
reliability, access to renewable generation, and reduction of carbon 
emissions. These areas will be addressed during three panel discussion 
sessions.
    Panel I will address projections of future transmission needs and 
factors that should be considered to help ensure that an appropriate 
transmission system is available to meet future needs, including 
anticipated contributions from Smart Grid, storage, and distributive 
generation. Panel II discussions will address whether there are 
advantages to an EHV design over the traditional transmission planning 
process, what the pros and cons of a supplemental EHV system might be, 
and what the relationship between the existing transmission system and 
an EHV system would be. Several entities have proposed conceptual EHV 
designs. Panel III will address the primary objectives in each design, 
the criteria that should be considered in selecting any particular 
design, whether an EHV system could be built in stages with broad 
public benefits realized with each stage, and the amount of an EHV 
system that must be completed before the public could see major 
benefits.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 27, 2009.
Anthony J. Como,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Permitting, Siting and Analysis, 
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
 [FR Doc. E9-2166 Filed 1-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P


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