FERC seeks feedback on potential DLR Framework
On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that it was looking to the public for comments on a potential framework for dynamic line ratings (DLR).
FERC said in its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) that its long-term transmission planning rule will outline how to plan and pay for facilities needed to power the future economy. The potential DLR framework would make the power grid more efficient and cost-effective, FERC said, by using up-to-date forecasts of weather conditions that could improve the accuracy and transparency of transmission line ratings.
“Our success in ensuring reliability and operability of our nation’s transmission grid requires work on many fronts,” FERC Chairman Willie Phillips said. “Last month, we took the major step of issuing Order No. 1920 to determine how to plan and pay for transmission facilities that our nation will need. Today, we are looking to wring efficiencies out of the grid so we can make the best and most efficient use of what we already have.”
FERC said transmission line ratings are an analysis of the maximum transfer capability of each transmission line. Transfer capability can change based on weather conditions, and transmission line ratings are required to reflect ambient air temperatures to improve efficiency in transmission line operations.
As part of the ANOPR, FERC is looking for comments about whether to reflect hourly solar conditions and wind conditions in all transmission line ratings, how transmission congestion levels and environmental factors could identify locations of transmission lines that would most benefit from DLR, and what other technical details of transmission line ratings reflect wind conditions.
Comments are due within 90 days of the ANOPR being published in the Federal Register.
