STATE OF MISSOURI

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

 

At a session of the Public Service Commission held at its office in Jefferson City on the 11th day of February, 2015.

 

 

In the Matter of the Application of Grain Belt Express         )

Clean Line LLC for a Certificate of Convenience and           )

Necessity Authorizing It to Construct, Own, Operate,          )

Control, Manage, and Maintain a High Voltage, Direct         )     File No. EA-2014-0207

Current Transmission Line and an Associated Converter     )

Station Providing an Interconnection on the Maywood –      )

Montgomery 345 kV Transmission Line                              )

 

 

ORDER DIRECTING FILING OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

Issue Date:  February 11, 2015                           Effective Date:  February 11, 2015

 

 

On March 26, 2014, Grain Belt Express Clean Line LLC (“Grain Belt Express”) filed an application with the Commission for a certificate of convenience and necessity. Grain Belt Express seeks to construct and operate a high voltage direct current transmission line and associated facilities to deliver wind-generated power from western Kansas into Missouri and to populations centers in Illinois, Indiana, and states further east.  The Commission conducted an evidentiary hearing in this matter, and the parties have now submitted their briefs and proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law. After reviewing the record established by the parties, the Commission finds that it requires additional information and analysis before determining whether to grant or deny Grain Belt Express’ application.

Specifically, the Commission will order Grain Belt Express to provide the following information[1]:

1. Grain Belt Express shall provide a list of all properties on the selected project route in Missouri and designate for which properties easements have been acquired or are yet to be acquired to facilitate completion of the proposed Clean Line Energy project.

 

2. Grain Belt Express shall set forth the status of its efforts to obtain the assent of the county commissions required by Section 229.100, RSMo, in the eight counties crossed by the selected project route in Missouri and provide supporting documentation thereof, including any letters of assent from those eight county commissions.

 

3. Grain Belt Express shall provide descriptions and documentation, including, but not limited to signed contracts and letters of intent, of all commitments from Missouri utilities, municipalities, or cooperatives to obtain capacity, energy, and/or Renewable Energy Credits from the project.

 

4. Grain Belt Express shall provide all interconnection agreements involving the proposed 500 mW substation in Ralls County, MO.  

 

5. Grain Belt Express shall provide descriptions, blueprints, maps and project cost estimates of the proposed 500 mW substation in Ralls County, MO. 

 

6. Grain Belt Express shall provide descriptions with supporting documentation of all commitments from wind energy producers to provide energy for this transmission project.

 

7. Grain Belt Express shall provide documentation, including but not limited to orders, contracts and letters of intent, that it has obtained the state or federal siting approvals required by law to begin construction of the entirety of this transmission project that is sited outside the state of Missouri. Transmission line siting approvals from the Kansas, Illinois, and Indiana state utility commissions shall be sufficient to satisfy this condition. If any such application is pending, Grain Belt Express will provide the status of the application to the Commission.

 

8. Grain Belt Express shall provide completed documentation of the Grain Belt Express plan, equipment, and engineering drawings to achieve compliance with the NERC standards for a project of this scope and size, National Electric Safety Code for a project of this size and scope, rule 4 CSR 240-18.010, and the Overhead Power Line Safety Act, § 319.075 et seq., RSMo.

 

9. Grain Belt Express shall provide a detailed description and related documentation of any final project design elements that were not previously described to the Commission or have changed since the hearing in this case.

 

10.  Grain Belt Express shall provide a list of businesses with whom Grain Belt has entered into an agreement to provide materials or services for this transmission project and, for each, provide copies of these agreements, including, but not limited to contracts and letters of intent and provide the estimated cost of these materials or services and whether such business is located in the state of Missouri.

 

11.  Grain Belt Express shall provide an update as to: 1) what amount of funds have been invested in the project by Grain Belt Express, its affiliates, or any other entity, 2) what amount of funds have been spent on the project, and 3) the total project cost.  

 

12. Grain Belt Express shall perform the following studies and file the results of the studies in this case with any analysis it deems relevant. These studies should be designed after Staff and other parties have had the opportunity to provide meaningful input regarding the quality of the data and the reasonableness of the inputs used for (1) load assumptions for the year 2019, (2) generator capacities, efficiencies, dispatch stack, or bid amounts for the year 2019, (3) the wind delivery used for the year 2019, (4) the level of precision used in modeling factors such as generator heat rate curve, transmission loading curves, or other inputs to the PROMOD model used for the studies:

a.  Production modeling that incorporates:

• day-ahead market prices to serve load;

• real-time market prices to serve load;

• ancillary services prices to serve load;

• day ahead market prices realized by Missouri-owned or located generation;

• real-time market prices realized by Missouri-owned or located generation;

• ancillary services prices realized by Missouri-owned or located generation; and

• an estimate of the impact of Grain Belt Express’ transmission project on the operational efficiency of Missouri-owned or located generation.

b.  Production, transmission, and economic modeling or analysis to determine:

• the cost of transmission upgrades that may be necessary to resolve any transmission constraints that its energy injections will cause or exacerbate;

• the net impact to Missouri utilities of picking up Missouri energy by day for export to PJM or SPP; and

• whether the variability of the injected wind could be better managed in the SPP prior to injection.

If Grain Belt Express cannot complete any of these studies due to lack of access to necessary data, it shall file proof that the data is inaccessible and complete the studies to the extent possible.

 

13. Grain Belt Express shall provide the following for the proposed transmission project:

• completed Storm Restoration Plans,

• the Interconnection Agreement with SPP,

• the Interconnection Agreement with MISO,

• the Interconnection Agreement with PJM,

• the MISO Feasibility Study/Studies,

• the MISO System Planning Phase Study,

• the MISO Definitive Planning Phase Study (all cycles),

• the SPP Dynamic Stability Assessment,

• the SPP Steady State Review,

• the SPP System Impact Study,

• the PJM Feasibility Study/Studies,

• the PJM System Impact Study,

• the PJM Facilities Study, and

• each other study necessary or required for interconnection with SPP, MISO or PJM.

 

When the information described above has been filed, the Commission will invite comments from the parties regarding a procedure for offering additional information into the record, a time for responses or objections, and a schedule for additional testimony, if necessary. All parties will have at least thirty days to respond to any additional information provided by Grain Belt Express. The Commission will establish this supplemental procedure in a subsequent order.

THE COMMISSION ORDERS THAT:

1.               Grain Belt Express Clean Line LLC shall file the information described in the body of this order in the Commission’s electronic filing and information system (EFIS) as soon as possible.  If certain information and analysis is not yet available by April 11, 2015, Grain Belt Express Clean Line LLC shall file an explanation of such describing when that information will be available.

2.               Any responses by any party to the additional information filed by Grain Belt Express Clean Line LLC shall be filed no later than thirty days after the additional information is filed in EFIS unless otherwise ordered.

3.               This order shall be effective when issued.

 

BY THE COMMISSION

 

 

 

 

Morris L. Woodruff

Secretary

 

R. Kenney, Chm., Stoll, W. Kenney,

and Hall, CC., concur.

Rupp, C., dissents.

 

Bushmann, Senior Regulatory Law Judge


[1] If any of the requested information is confidential, Grain Belt Express shall designate that information as highly confidential or proprietary, as appropriate per Commission Rule 4 CSR 240-2.135.