Committee on Regional Electric Power Cooperation

7:00 a.m.	Continental breakfast

8:30 a.m.	*Joint WIEB/WIRAB/CREPC Workshop on Assessments*
	Purpose and structure of workshop - John Savage, WIRAB / CREPC chair

8:45 a.m.	Assessment Context
	WECC - Louise McCarren, CEO / others
	· Power Supply Assessment
	· WECC transmission expansion planning

	NERC Long-term Reliability Assessment, including a proposed
	15% renewables scenario in 2008 and 2009 LTRAs
	o Dave Nevius, Vice President, NERC [present]

	(The purpose of this discussion is to understand the current assessment processes
	used by WECC and NERC.)

	Background information
	WECC 2007 Power Supply Assessment
	January 30, 2008 WIRAB PSA webinar slides
	TEPPC 2007 report
	TEPPC protocol
	NERC 2008 Long-Term Reliability Assessment scenario instructions
	NERC 2007 Long-Term Reliability Assessment
	NERC wind integration & transmission webinar

9:30 a.m.	How to Assess the Transmission Expansion, Resource Adequacy, and Operational
	Impacts of Significant Renewable Generation in the Western Interconnection:
	A Key Building Block to a Low Carbon Resource Assessment

	o Wally Gibson, NWPPC [present]
	o Nick Miller, GE [present]
	o Brian Parsons, National Renewable Energy Lab [present]
	o Mike Jaske, CEC [present]

	(The purpose of this panel is to identify ways to assess the transmission expansion,
	resource adequacy and operational impacts of integrating large amounts of renewables
	in the Western Interconnection.)

10:45 a.m.	Break

11:00 a.m.	Assessment Task: Low carbon resource mix in 2018
	(CO2 levels 15% below 2005 levels in 2020)

	(In response to continuing changes in public policy objectives that are impacting resource
	priorities of Western load-serving entities, WIRAB has requested that WECC, as part of its
	2008 transmission expansion study work, evaluate the transmission implication of changes
	to the Western electric power system that would reduce CO2 emissions to 15% below 2005
	levels by 2020. This is the goal of the Western Climate Initiative and the leading climate
	change legislation in Congress. WIRAB's requested study will also better position WECC
	if it evaluates the impact of carbon limits as part of a NERC-required Long-Term Reliability
	Assessment. Evaluating the impacts of a low carbon electricity future is challenging.)

	Parameters and approaches to meeting the analytic challenge
	o Tom Carr, WIEB staff (overview of the magnitude of changes needed to meet goal) [present]
	o Jeff King, Northwest Power and Conservation Council (observations from NWPCC's
	examination of how to reduce carbon emissions in the Northwest) [present]
	o Mike Jaske, California Energy Commission (observations from CEC's work on
	compliance with AB 32) [present]

	Background information
	CEC, Scenario Analyses of California’s Electricity System
	CEC, Scenario Analyses, Addendum 3
	Carbon Dioxide Footprint of the Northwest Power System

Noon	Lunch on your own

1:15 p.m.	LSE Resource planners - What changes in generation mix could meet the carbon reduction goal?
	o Rob Anderson, San Diego Gas & Electric
	o Jim Lobell, VP, Power Operations & Resources Strategy, Portland General Electric [present]
	o Paul Smith, Arizona Public Service
	o Greg Duvall, Director of Long Range Planning and Net Power Costs, PacifiCorp
	o Charlie Black, resource planning & acquisition services consultant
	to multiple Northwest utilities [present]

	(The purposes of this panel are to: (1) gain insights from LSE resource planners on
	the low-carbon demand and supply side options available in the Western Interconnection;
	(2) determine the value of establishing a Western Interconnection forum for sharing
	information on low-carbon resource options.)

	Panel questions including:
	» What resource choices do you see for Western LSEs to meet carbon limits?
	» What new resources should be developed? To what extent are western LSEs
	going to rely on buying offsets or carbon credits?
	» In the face of growing demand, what strategies should Western LSEs implement to
	reduce emissions below current levels? Are coal plants going to be backed off?
	» How would you evaluate various risks (e.g., future significant carbon limits,
	natural gas prices) when considering demand side and supply side resource
	acquisition options?
	» What actions should state/provinces and FERC take to reduce the cost of
	providing power at the lowest cost possible while meeting significant carbon
	limits?

	Background information
	LBNL Study Assesses Western Utilities’ Plans to Respond to Possible Future
	Carbon Emission Regulation

4:00 p.m.	Break

4:30 p.m.	WIRAB Transmission Expansions Study Request
	· WIRAB study request - Doug Larson WIEB [present]
	· WECC action on 2008 study requests - Steve Walton, TEPPC facilitator [present]
	· Discussion of requisites for executing the analysis of a low carbon scenario

	(The purpose of this discussion is to allow WIRAB and CREPC members to raise
	questions & make suggestions on the assumptions to be used in modeling a low-carbon
	resource scenario.)

	Background information
	WIRAB low carbon scenario study request
	TEPPC 2008 tentative study plan

5:00 p.m.	Views on the use of results of regional transmission planning
	o WECC - Louise McCarren/Steve Walton
	o FERC - Commissioner Moeller/Shelton Cannon
	o CREPC - John Savage (OR) / Steve Ellenbecker and others

	Discussion topics:
	» How do states see the role of WECC and subregional planning? Should WECC and
	subregions only present results of transmission studies or should they make
	recommendations on transmission projects that make the most sense from the
	perspective of supporting reliability, improving system economics, or supporting
	state RPS goals?
	» Are there any instances where failure to build a transmission project will result in
	violations of grid reliability standards?
	» What role should FERC play in defining the beneficiaries of proposed transmission
	projects?

5:30 p.m.	Adjourn workshop

7:00 a.m.	Continental breakfast

8:00 a.m.	Convene CREPC Meeting - John Savage, Chair
	Status reports
	· CREPC activities since November and 2008-2009 CREPC work plan
	· Southwest wind/solar integration study - NREL/WestConnect
	o Brian Parsons, NREL [present]
	o Charlie Reinhold, WestConnect
	· WREZ project - WGA/WIEB staff

	(The Western Governors' Association with support from WIEB has proposed to
	DOE a project to identify renewable energy zones in the Western Interconnection
	and the transmission necessary to move power from such zones to loads.)

	Background information
	WREZ slides

8:45 a.m.	Developments at FERC
	o Commissioner Phil Moeller
	o Shelton Cannon, Director of Office of Energy Market Regulation

	Discussion topics
	· Transmission planning and expansion
	» FERC status report on Attachment K findings and areas of concern.
	» FERC and state view on level of transmission planning coordination among
	subregional groups and with WECC. For example, is desired level of coordination
	occurring in the Northwest among NTTG, Columbia Grid, "big tent projects",
	NTAC, Northern Lights project, Gateway West project, Northern California-
	Canada project, etc? Is coordinated transmission within California possible
	given the slow start of the Pacific Southwest Transmission Association and
	on-going California ISO planning?
	» What is the potential for, value of, and barriers to merchant projects in the West?
	How useful is the open season model? Will any merchant transmission projects
	move forward without signed transmission service contracts with LSEs?
	» What are the prospects for transcos in the West?
	» How can FERC's new "Tehachapi" transmission pricing policy on location-
	constrained resources be extended to areas outside of ISOs?
	» Should FERC transmission pricing policies compensate states that are traversed
	by proposed multi-state transmission, but do not now benefit from such projects?
	How could FERC do this?

	Background information
	FERC press release on "Tehachapi" decision
	FERC incentive rates for western transmission projects
	FERC approves incentive rates to accommodate renewable energy
	projects, December 20, 2007

	· Queuing
	» How can interconnection and transmission service queuing policies be changed
	to unclog queues and accelerate the deployment of location-constrained
	renewables? Is there really open transmission access given the queuing obstacles?

	Background information
	Commissioner Moeller's March 20, 2008 statement on queuing decision
	March 20, 2008 FERC order on queuing
	FERC press release on March 20 queuing decision
	CREPC paper on queuing and IRPs (2006)

	· Renewables
	» What actions can FERC take to help resolve other challenges (e.g. insufficient
	regulation generation) to the integration of variable output renewable generation?

	· Carbon impacts
	» What role does FERC see itself playing in the Western Climate Initiative or other
	regional greenhouse gas initiatives (e.g., RGGI process in the Northeast)?
	What role does FERC see itself playing to help achieve other state policy objectives,
	such as Renewable Portfolio Standards?
	» How important are FERC transmission policies compared to LSE fuel choices in
	determining what transmission gets built?

	Developments at DOE - 2009 transmission congestion study, National Interest Electric
	Transmission Corridors, and Section 368 Federal lands energy corridors
	o Mark Whitenton, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE

	Discussion topics
	· How does DOE view Renewable Energy Zone projects, such as the WGA WREZ project,
	California RETI, Colorado SB 91, etc?
	· How will DOE conduct its required 2009 transmission congestion study?
	· What's next regarding the designation of energy corridors on federal lands in the West?
	· What's next for the Southwest National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor?

	Background information
	DOE actions on National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors
	DOE Order denying requests for rehearing of NIETC designations
	Section 368 PEIS on energy corridors on federal lands

10:30 a.m.	Break

10:45 a.m.	Western Climate Initiative Update
	o Tony Usibelli (WA) [present]

	Background information
	Western Climate Initiative home page
	WCI electricity draft design recommendations
	WCI economic analysis scope of work

11:15 a.m.	Two generation options
	· Wind/coal hybrid - Amol Phadke, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
	(WIEB, injunction with three national laboratories has been conducting a study
	of the feasibility of wind/advanced coal with sequestration generation.
	· Concentrated Solar Power - Mark Mehos, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
	(CSP is increasingly being proposed in IRPs in the Southwest. This agenda item
	would review cost and technology expectations for CSP.)

	Background information
	Amol Phadke - LBNL [present]
	Mark Mehos - NREL [present]
	APS Announces 280 MW Solar Plant in Arizona
	Siting Opportunities for CSP Plants in the Southwest

12:15 p.m.	Business session
	· Creation of an ongoing Western Interconnection LSE/WECC/state-provincial resource
	planning forum
	· Discussion of Class 5 advice at WECC's annual meeting [present]
	· Other

1:00 p.m.	Adjourn