WIRES, an international non-profit trade association that promotes investment in the high voltage electric transmission grid to sustain the North American electric economy, submitted comments in response to two FERC NOIs: Policy to Determine Return on Equity (Docket...
Statements
WIRES statement on FERC’s denial of rehearing on Order 1000
Washington, D.C., May 18, 2012 — Following is a statement from WIRES Counsel Jim Hoecker regarding the recent announcement that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has upheld its Order No. 1000 mandate to reform the nation’s electric transmission planning...
“Transmission development need not, and should not, be an either/or choice between only regional or local transmission facilities. To the contrary, there is something akin to a symbiotic relationship between the two types of facilities. The more buildout there is of regional bulk system transmission projects, the more likely additional local transmission will be needed to support the local distribution of that electricity to customers. In this way, both types of facilities create value for customers and benefits for regions.”
"We’ve got a situation where the transmission infrastructure that we’re using right now is just getting old. A lot of that infrastructure was built back in the 1950s and 1960s. If it was a person, it would be eligible for Medicare or Social Security right now. …
At the same time, we are seeing an increasing number of extreme weather events impacting the grid. That is putting more stress on our infrastructure as well. Hundred-year events seem to be happening on a 10-year time frame now more frequently with hurricanes or wildfires or unusual cold snaps." – Larry Gasteiger