Comprehensive Regional Transmission Planning - ERCOT Experience

Transmission planning for electrical power systems involves the forecasting of system conditions, analysis of system reliability and economic performance, and selective upgrading of transmission facilities to assure all planning criteria are fulfilled. This paper presents the approach taken by ERCOT to the transmission planning process, including the ERCOT planning criteria, the independent review of transmission solutions submitted to the ERCOT Regional Planning Group (RPG), and the transparent stakeholder process required by RPG. As an example of the ERCOT planning process, this paper presents the planning involved in the Houston import project, a large transmission line addition recently endorsed by the ERCOT Board of Directors. This example introduces a more comprehensive and modernized assessment for transmission system planning.