Transmission Planning

Written Comments from Technical Forum

• Tufts Comments
• AEE & NECEC Comments
• Anbaric Comments
• Gordes Comments
• Acadia Center, Conservation Law Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Nature Conservancy Comments
• New England for OSW Comments
• FirstLight Power Comments
• The Nature Conservancy Comments
• RENEW Northeast Comments

Request for Written Comments

The New England states request written comments on the topics and discussions addressed in the transmission planning technical forum held on February 2, 2021. Links to the recording and presentations are below. 

Please provide any written comments by March 1, 2021 by submitting them to: Transmission@NewEnglandEnergyVision.com. Comments will be publicly posted on this website. In addition to any particular feedback you may choose to provide, we ask that you also consider providing feedback on the following: 

• How would stakeholders like to participate in providing input into the long-term system plan? 
  
• How can stakeholder participation and/or the process be shaped to provide this input as efficiently as possible? 
  
• Would stakeholders be comfortable with having the ISO use state-provided scenarios for the first round of “2021 ISO-NE Long Term System Plan”?  
  
• Recognizing that the transmission plan will be improved through future iterations, would stakeholders prefer (1) a “fast” first round or (2) an approach where ISO take its time with the first round? 
  
• Please build on the discussion at the technical forum regarding the savings involved in the early implementation of long-term requirements.

Transmission Planning Technical Forum Presentations and Presentations

Meeting Recording:
https://ctdeep.zoom.us/rec/share/wtBhaXM0_XyWyhDSTBMjFu5x9pN2KA-menPI-isldATQ_68FVLo66Hx9f-WV5lN8.I-OpQVojCCtoKKxX?startTime=1612287882000

Registration Link and Final Agenda for Transmission Technical Forum

A registration link to the Transmission Planning Technical Forum is available here: https://ctdeep.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jhVmZW4pTiaxSoWD2Lk-Gg.

The final agenda for the Transmission Planning Technical Forum is available below. This agenda also contains a registration link, so please feel free to share.

Draft Notice of Technical Forum on Transmission Planning Reforms

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Maine Governor’s Energy Office, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources, and Vermont Department of Public Service (collectively, State Agencies) announce a technical forum to be held on February 2, 2021, from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM that will focus on transmission planning changes needed in the New England region to more effectively advance the priorities outlined in the New England States’ Vision for a Clean, Affordable, and Reliable 21^st Century Regional Electric Grid (Vision Statement).

The New England States remain concerned that the current approach to planning the transmission system in New England is not fully capable of adapting to the rapidly transitioning resource mix and consumer investments in clean energy and decarbonization.  Without more robust transmission planning, New England ratepayers could face higher system costs, lower reliability and curtailment of the clean energy resources deployed to meet state policy mandates at least cost.  Through this technical forum, the State Agencies intend to gather information  for developing a more consumer- and state-responsive scenarios-based proactive planning process.

Interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide written comments following the conference.  Further details regarding when and how to submit written comments will be forthcoming.  Subsequently, the State Agencies will issue a joint summary of the issues identified and explanation of the potential solutions explored. 

Given the ongoing pandemic, the State Agencies will host this technical forum in an online format with precise details to follow in a subsequent announcement.  We welcome feedback on this proposed agenda, especially to the extent that any important topics are missing. Any feedback on this draft agenda should be sent to Transmission@NewEnglandEnergyVision.com by December 22, 2020.