Why is Transmission Important?

The Grid | Transforming the Grid | Survey | RTO's & MISO | Q&A | Transmission Planning in New Orleans | News

If you care about climate justice, then understanding why our electricity grid needs to transform is vital, particularly here in the Gulf South, where climate change so severely threatens our communities.

The bulk power system - the large transmission poles and wires that carry electricity long distances -
provides almost 100% of our power and is in need of updates and modernization.

Get the rundown in our helpful transmission 1-pager or read more below!

An Equitable Future Needs an Equitable Grid

How Does Electricity Get to Our Homes & Businesses?

Generation

Electricity is first "generated", or created. Generation sources vary from natural gas power plants, to nuclear power plants, to wind turbines and solar panels.

After electricity is generated, most of the time a transmission substation is needed to "step up" the voltage so that the electricity can be moved on to the transmission grid.

Transmission

The amount of energy that is needed in a city, or suburban center can’t always be created near-by - and that’s where transmission lines come in handy!

Our transmission system is made of large transmission poles and lines which carry fast moving, high voltage (115 kV and above) electricity, mostly on steel lines. These lines travel long distances, so that cities and population hubs can get access to electricity made in different ways, and from different areas.

Distribution

As the power comes off the transmission grid the voltage is "stepped-down" at a power substation so that the electricity can be moved to the distribution grid.

Our distribution grid uses smaller lines to transport electricity at a slower speed so that the power can arrive safely into your home.

Distribution lines operate at 34.5 to 115 kV.

Transforming the Grid

Today's grid can be transformed to bring on renewable energy locally and regionally rather than preventing access to it - which is what happens now.

An equitable, well-planned, modern transmission system will lower consumer costs, increase resilience, and allow us to retire polluting fossil fuel plants.

It's an equity issue: Low-income communities and communities of color shoulder the biggest burdens of power plant pollution, high electricity bills, power outages and extreme weather impacts. To address these injustices, we must transform our electric grid.

The Alliance and many other organizations work with regulatory bodies to encourage equitable transmission planning. Together with your input we can create a power system that will bring opportunities to the gulf south and help us celebrate all the things we love about our region!

Watch this quick video to learn more about transforming the grid:

MISO Must Lead for Clean Energy Era from
Sustainable FERC Project on Vimeo

We want to hear from you!

Will you answer four quick questions about energy?

Take Our Quick Transmission Survey

What is a Regional Transmission Organization, and Why is it Important?

Louisiana is a part of a multi-state organization called the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO).

MISO was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2001 for the purpose of:

coordinating the dispatch of the most affordable power generating resources to meet the demand for electricity across 11 states, and to
independently assess the transmission grid for upgrades needed to deliver electricity to consumers more affordably, reliably and efficiently.

SEE WHAT MISO'S DOING IN REAL-TIME ON THEIR MARKETS DISPLAY

Screenshot below from June 29, 2022. Click here for the Real-Time Markets Display.

MISO is not a regulator. It is an organization that receives dues from members like utilities, power generators, and developers of transmission projects in exchange for their service in providing technical assistance in planning the grid in their territory for optimal performance, as well as ensuring that power demand is met throughout their footprint with the lowest cost resources.

There are 7 organizations across the country that perform similar functions as MISO. They exist for the express purpose of providing more competition and consumer focused planning and operation of the grid - which utilities in their territories may not otherwise provide.

MISO integrated Entergy’s service territory covering Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi in December of 2013 to alleviate concerns expressed by the Department of Justice regarding anticompetitive transmission planning and power generation dispatch on behalf of Entergy corporation. This established the ‘MISO South’ region and increased the number of states in MISO to 15.

Question & Answer
Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)

with Andy Kowalczyk from the MISO Environmental Sector Stakeholder Group

Does MISO decide which energy source is dispatched when?

Yes, and it is exclusively limited to the cheapest source of energy at that moment. With adequate transmission, Louisiana can benefit from low cost wind resources from the midwest at night, while selling local solar power to the north during the day.

How does MISO make sure there’s enough power for everyone in their footprint?

MISO balances the demand and the energy throughout the region to make sure the power supply is stable and reliable across the grid and doesn’t cause unexpected power outages.

Does MISO have renewable energy goals?

MISO doesn’t have goals, because that would mean they would have to force their members to build more solar and wind, but they do plan according to a forecast of how much renewable energy will be on their system, and how much fossil fuel generation will be retired, because of the unique system needs related to the transition to renewables.

How does MISO make decisions about transmission planning and what level of renewables are going to be in their territory?

MISO considers the input of stakeholders through public meetings that gather information and perspectives from a diversity of viewpoints including utilities, consumer advocates, state regulators, large power consumers, renewable energy developers, and environmental groups.

Can anyone be a stakeholder?

Yes, but if you’d like to have a vote on the major decisions at MISO, as well as coordinate with like-minded advocates, it’s best to join a stakeholder group. Here’s the most current list of stakeholders in MISO.

Does MISO require utilities to accept their transmission plans?

MISO has no legal standing to force state public service commissions, or utilities to accept transmission lines. In fact, for high voltage transmission projects over 230 kilovolts, typically referred to as ‘regional transmission’ lines there has to be a presumption that a state commission will accept transmission projects, otherwise they will not even propose these projects for the region. This is in their federally approved rules for proposing project.

“MISO shall not require that projects be undertaken where it is expected that the necessary regulatory approvals for construction and cost recovery will not be obtained.”

Does MISO build transmission projects?

MISO only provides planning support and operation of the grid in their territory. Furthermore, under Federal mandate, MISO must maintain independence and impartiality in their assessment of the transmission system.

There are minimum characteristics as approved by FERC regarding what an organization like MISO can do:

Minimum Characteristics:

Independence
Scope and Regional Configuration
Operational Authority
Short-term Reliability

Minimum Functions:

Tariff Administration and Design
Congestion Management
Parallel Path Flow
Ancillary Services
OASIS and Total Transmission Capability (TTC) and Available Transmission Capability (ATC)
Market Monitoring
Planning and Expansion
Interregional Coordination

Photo: Pixaboy/Thomas B.

How Transmission Planning Can Help New Orleans Meet it's Climate Goals:

Shortly after the New Orleans City Council passed a Renewable & Clean Portfolio with the "goal to move the city and the city’s public utility, Entergy New Orleans (ENO), to net zero emissions by 2040 and end carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050," Council President Helena Moreno followed up with an immediate action to help pave the way for the city to succeed on its policy mandate.

In a May 24, 2021 letter, Moreno underscored the importance of long-range transmission planning at MISO needed for “upgrading and expanding the wholesale transmission system to increase the access to low-cost, renewable energy resources.”

Noting the climate-driven urgency of transitioning to more clean energy resources, Moreno singled out MISO’s current Long-Range Transmission Planning Process (LRTP) that provides a long range plan for the grid operator’s 15-state footprint, which includes New Orleans. “We support this vital effort,” Moreno wrote. “MISO’s LRTP aligns with President Biden’s infrastructure proposal and is a critical and necessary step in making sure the transmission infrastructure is built and in place to achieve the city’s long-term climate action goals. Both of these efforts should provide real benefits to the city and its electric customers by increasing the access to low-cost, cleaner energy to serve the city’s energy needs.”

Although New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell had previously written to MISO to affirm support for regional transmission projects as well, this is the first statement of support from a regulator in the MISO South region.

“Louisiana has among the highest solar potential in MISO, and we are excited to site our projects here,” said David Mindham of EDP Renewables North America. “This will bring jobs and additional property tax revenues to the state. The key to bringing these resources online is a resilient transmission system that can only be achieved with work like the MISO LRTP.”

The need for modernization, and for increasing the resilience of MISO’s transmission systems, have become acute, as highlighted in the grid operator’s regional transmission plan roadmap. As detailed by Gulf States Renewable Energy Industry Association’s Stephen Wright, constraints in the regional grid hurt reliability during the Polar Vortex and have thwarted development of low-cost solar and wind energy projects that can’t interconnect because regional system planning and upgrading have lagged.