SANTA FE, N.M.--()--Tres Amigas, LLC today announced that it has submitted filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requesting regulatory approvals needed to move forward with the Tres Amigas SuperStation, America’s first renewable energy transmission hub.
“By tying the nation’s three power grids together, the Tres Amigas station will catalyze the adoption of renewable power while at the same time increasing the reliability of our electricity network, which is fundamental to the expansion of the U.S. economy.”
The SuperStation will be located in Clovis, New Mexico and will for the first time provide the capability to transfer thousands of megawatts of power between the three U.S. power grids – or “Interconnections” – known as the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection (also known as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT).
The filings made by Tres Amigas request that FERC:
- Provide Tres Amigas, LLC with negotiated rate authority over the sale of transmission rights through the SuperStation to allow power to be scheduled between the three U.S. power grids; and
- Preserve the status quo by disclaiming jurisdiction over ERCOT following its connection to the Tres Amigas project.
“Since announcing the Tres Amigas SuperStation in early October 2009, interest in and support for the project has been simply overwhelming,” said Tres Amigas, LLC Chief Executive Officer Phil Harris. “The need for new transmission to take America’s renewable energy from its point of generation in remote areas to where it is needed most is self evident. By enabling the exchange of wind, solar and geothermal power between all three grids, the Tres Amigas SuperStation will help break our nation’s transmission bottleneck. We believe the merits of this project and the benefits it will provide to the U.S. warrant FERC approval.”
Similar to highway rotaries or roundabouts used for traffic flow control, multiple power transmission lines from each of the Interconnections will feed power into and out of the Tres Amigas SuperStation through Superconductor Electricity Pipelines. Tres Amigas will help ensure the efficient and reliable flow of power from multiple generation sources in all three power grids to customers across a wide area of the U.S.
“The United States is embarking on an aggressive renewable energy plan, yet we lack a national transmission backbone to support our vision,” U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman stated. “By tying the nation’s three power grids together, the Tres Amigas station will catalyze the adoption of renewable power while at the same time increasing the reliability of our electricity network, which is fundamental to the expansion of the U.S. economy.”
The Tres Amigas project has received strong endorsements from the state of New Mexico and key industry stakeholders. Following FERC approval, the company will begin negotiating with transmission companies that would like to connect to the SuperStation. Tres Amigas currently has letters of intent with four transmission companies and is in discussions with others. The project is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2014.
Tres Amigas, LLC is uniting the nation’s electric grid. Utilizing the latest advances in power grid technology, Tres Amigas is focused on providing the first common interconnection of America’s three power grids to help the country achieve its renewable energy goals and facilitate the smooth, reliable and efficient transfer of green power from region to region. Tres Amigas, LLC is a merchant transmission entity composed of electric utility industry operational, technology and thought leaders. More information is available at www.tresamigasllc.com.
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