See more news releases in Electrical Utilities | Oil & Energy | Utilities

PJM and MISO Hold Order 1000 Interregional Workshop

Meeting Builds on Cooperative Nature of the Two RTOs to Meet Requirements

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, MISO and PJM Interconnection will host their first joint stakeholder workshop regarding interregional requirements of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 1000. This is another step in the RTOs' efforts to work with neighbors to address those requirements. MISO has held similar workshops with the Southwest Power Pool and the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool. PJM has held workshops with New York ISO.

This meeting is the beginning of cooperative collaboration on approaches to interregional planning and cost allocation methods to comply with Order 1000 and builds on existing protocols in the Joint Operating Agreement between MISO and PJM.

"These joint stakeholder workshop meetings are a pivotal component toward compliance and we look forward to working collectively with PJM and both regions' stakeholders in the months ahead. MISO believes that improved interregional planning and cost allocation will enable significant values to customers throughout the region over the long-run," said Clair Moeller , MISO's Vice President of Transmission Asset Management.

"Our continuing collaboration with MISO and our regions' stakeholders can only enhance the effectiveness of our interregional planning processes," said Michael J. Kormos , PJM's senior vice president – Operations. "This week we're taking an important step in further coordination between the regions."

With Order 1000, the FERC seeks to ensure more efficient and cost-effective regional planning and interregional coordination among all customers in a region, a major step forward in advancing electric transmission planning. Through a series of workshops, MISO, PJM and neighboring regional planning areas are coordinating discussion of approaches to interregional planning and cost allocation methods.

The interregional planning meeting, consisting of representatives from MISO and PJM, takes place at MISO in Carmel, Indiana, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT. All meeting materials, including participation information, are available on MISO's website.

FERC set a compliance deadline of April 2013. Pending FERC approval, implementation is slated for 2014.

MISO ensures reliable operation of, and equal access to high-voltage power lines in 11 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. MISO manages one of the world's largest energy markets, with $23.6 billion in gross annual energy transactions. MISO was approved as the nation's first regional transmission organization in 2001. The non-profit 501(C)(4) organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors and is headquartered in Carmel, Ind., with operations centers in Carmel and St. Paul, Minn. Membership is voluntary.

PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 60 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region's transmission grid, which includes 59,750 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion.