Utilities To Develop Power Grid Wwp, Six Others Team Up To Form Independent System

Washington Water Power Co. and six other Northwest electric utilities Friday signed an agreement to develop an independent power transmission system that will help the region serve deregulated markets.

Until recently, utilities served a well-defined area, but deregulation has allowed them to compete for customers anywhere in the nation.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has ruled that utilities must find ways to share access to transmission lines in order to serve those customers.

As a result, utility operators have agreed they need a common carrier to operate the transmission system and ensure that all utilities have equal access - no matter where their customers live.

The proposed Northwest regional system is called “Indego,” for independent transmission grid operator. It will cover seven states and about 11,000 miles of transmission lines serving nearly 4 million customers.

Of that, 2,200 miles belongs to WWP.

Besides the Spokane utility, Indego members are Idaho Power, Montana Power, PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric, Puget Sound Power and Light, and Sierra Pacific Power.

“By working together, we can create the means to buy and sell electric energy fairly and efficiently for all who use the transmission grid,” said WWP Senior Vice President W. Les Bryan.

The agreement grew out of a January conference between the governors of Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Washington, and a panel of energy experts seeking ways for the region’s energy system to deal with competition.

“Transmission is kind of like real estate - location is everything,” said Randy Harris, spokesman for Sierra Pacific Power, based in Reno, Nev.

The agreement is supported by the Bonneville Power Administration, the federal power marketing agency based in Portland that operates 14,000 miles of transmission lines throughout the region.

, DataTimes