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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023.01.20 IMC Executed MinutesAlaska Intertie Management Committee (IMC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Alaska Energy Authority Board Room Friday, January 20, 2023 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Ed Jenkin called the meeting of the Alaska Intertie Management Committee to order on January 20, 2023, at 9:01 a.m. A quorum was established. 2. ROLL CALL FOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS Members present: Ed Jenkin (Matanuska Electric Association (MEA)); Andrew Laughlin (Chugach Electric Association (CEA)); John Burns (Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA)); and Bill Price (Alaska Energy Authority (AEA)). 3. PUBLIC ROLL CALL Public present: Ladonna Lindley (Accu-Type Depositions); Joel Paisner (Ascent Law Partners); Jennifer Bertolini (AEA); Pamela Ellis (AEA); Mark Ziesmer (AEA); Mike Miller (CEA); Russ Thornton (CEA); Dan Bishop (GVEA); Sarah Villalon (GVEA); David Pease (MEA); and John Sinclair (MEA). 4. PUBLIC COMMENTS — None 5. AGENDA APPROVAL MOTION: A motion was made by Mr. Price to approve the agenda. Motion seconded by Mr. Burns. The agenda was approved without objection. 6. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES — December 9, 2022 MOTION: A motion was made by Mr. Price to approve the Meeting Minutes of December 9, 2022. Motion seconded by Vice -Chair Laughlin. Chair Jenkin informed that AEA committed to make a correction to the minutes on page two to the first sentence of the second paragraph. The corrected language is not yet available. Chair Jenkin asked if there were any objections to approving the minutes, recognizing that the sentence will be changed by AEA. There was no objection. The Minutes of December 9, 2022 were approved without objection, with the understanding that the relevant sentence on page two will be corrected. IMC Meeting Minutes — January 20, 2023 7. IOC COMMITTEE REPORT Chair Jenkin invited John Sinclair, MEA and IOC Chair, to provide the IOC Committee Report. Mr. Sinclair discussed that the IOC Chair was rotated from GVEA to MEA. The Vegetation Management Plan that has been provided to the IMC was reviewed and the IOC recommends approval from the IMC at today's meeting. Mr. Sinclair informed that the System Studies Subcommittee (SSS) provided an update on the Synchrophasor Project that is out for bid. A presentation by Electric Power Group (EPG) was given to the SSS. The IOC recommends that the Synchrophasor Project continues to move forward with EPG. The Project will be remote and cloud -based. Dispatch is anticipated that each entity would have a real-time monitor to identify the unit causing the system disturbance, and would include the capability to view past data. The hope is to better understand the system and to proactively stop oscillations. Mr. Sinclair noted that EPG's bid cost exceeded the budget by $50,000 to $100,000 in the first year, and approximately $300,000 per year for the next three years. The Synchrophasor Project is a Railbelt-wide initiative. He noted that the IMC does not include Homer. Mr. Sinclair reported that the SSS discussed the issue of cost allocation and requests guidance from the IOC regarding cost allocation. Mr. Sinclair highlighted that the SSS continues to work on modeling for the Bradley governor. CEA is managing the project. Mr. Sinclair discussed that the SSS recommends expanding the scope of the Reserve Study with EPS to include inverter -based generation and system response. Mr. Sinclair informed that the Dispatch and Operations Subcommittee (DOS) is reviewing the AKBAL-002-2 standard regarding the language relating to constant frequency to tie line bias. Mr. Sinclair noted that he will bring a formal recommendation to the IOC once it is developed. A member asked if the Vegetation Management Plan is a new plan or if it is an update to an existing plan. Mr. Sinclair explained that the Vegetation Management Plan is a new high-level plan that outlines the locations and structures of the clearing and lists who is responsible for the clearing. The member expressed appreciation for the Vegetation Management Plan. He asked what the current maintenance cycle is for the right-of-ways. Mr. Sinclair informed that the clearing cycle is not currently defined, and occurs approximately every seven years. The member asked if the LIDAR will be used to determine where to deploy resources for the maximum benefit. Mr. Sinclair discussed that the LIDAR can be used to identify where the vegetation is higher. He believes it would make the most sense to begin in those areas. The work will occur with the clearing crews to understand the areas they have already cleared and the areas they have not yet cleared. Chair Jenkin advised that further discussion would occur during Agenda Item 8B. Vegetation Management Plan. A member asked for additional information regarding EPG's over -budget cost for the Synchrophasor Project. Mr. Sinclair restated the approximate budgeted amounts and the submitted bid costs. IMC Meeting Minutes — January 20, 2023 2 Dan Bishop, GVEA, asked Chair Jenkin if he could comment and provide additional information on the Synchrophasor Project. Chair Jenkin agreed. Mr. Bishop stated that the Synchrophasor Project Manager has since reported that EPG has offered to negotiate the cost and to work with the SSS to reduce the cost. Mr. Bishop explained that one of the immediate financial benefits of EPG's system and installation regards a feature that will replace the need to hire consultants for specific tasks. The consultant costs typically range from $50,000 to $100,000. Mr. Brice commented that Synchrophasor Project data can also be used to help verify the system models. This is an additional benefit that was not planned in the initiation of the project. A member asked if the primary driver of the Railbelt Synchrophasor Project was to monitor oscillations. Mr. Sinclair discussed that the Project would help with modeling, disturbances, and power oscillations. He asked Mr. Bishop to respond to the question regarding the impetus of the Project. Chair Jenkin requested to continue to Agenda Item 8A. Railbelt Synchro-Phasor Project for further discussion on the topic. There was no objection. 8. NEW BUSINESS 8A. Railbelt Synchro-Phasor Project Mr. Bishop discussed that one of the considerations for the Project was to engage in a sophisticated process that could capture real-time information regarding load and generation centers, stability margins, and steady-state transfer limits. He noted another benefit is that the Project does not require additional staff and hardware. Mr. Bishop commented that he does not know how the Project will affect CEA, and hopes it will result in cost savings. Vice -Chair Laughlin indicated that CEA has previously used synchrophasors. He requested that Russ Thornton, CEA, give additional information on its use and the value it has added. Mr. Thornton explained that synchrophasors take measurements concurrently across the system. This allows for direct calculation of transfer capability and verification of modeling. Additionally, oscillations are observed more clearly and do not need a triggered event to be seen. Mr. Thornton discussed there is a wide range of applications, some of which CEA has utilized and some of which CEA has not utilized. Mr. Thornton believes that the new software proposed by the SSS will provide the opportunity to expand the beneficial utilization of the synchrophasors and will improve the current analysis. Currently, there are devices that feed data into the system at Soldotna to Teeland, and this does not include Bradley Lake or GVEA's system. This project will expand the network and will improve the analysis. A member asked the question if the synchrophasor project will allow the Railbelt to better understand how to integrate renewables into the existing system and as the system is built out. Mr. Thornton agreed, and believes the project has the potential to give visibility in the dispatch center. He noted that CEA has a synchrophasor screen in the dispatch center currently, but not all of the data is available. IMC Meeting Minutes — January 20, 2023 3 Member discussion continued regarding the steps necessary to maximize the efficiency, effectiveness, and coordination across the Railbelt. Chair Jenkin asked if the proposal considers integration of existing synchrophasors, as well as the installation and integration of new synchrophasors. Mr. Bishop discussed that the proposal will utilize the features that are available and not being used in the existing Tesla PMU devices installed across the Railbelt. There may be additional communication paths needed. Mr. Price discussed his understanding is the proposal would include displays at each dispatch center in order to provide continuous monitoring and to identify the GIS coordinates of any problems. A discussion occurred regarding the difference between SCADA and synchrophasors in accuracy and location. Mr. Thornton emphasized that the SCADA network is polled for data and the synchrophasors broadcast the data to multiple receivers at a given time. He believes the project will utilize CEA's PMUs in the system. There are networking and security design issues that need to be resolved. A member requested additional information about the project and the possibilities beyond the project to expand and maximize the benefits. Mr. Thornton discussed that the SSS will study the system and provide a post analysis, but he does not believe the current scope includes the integration into the dispatch centers or the utilization of synchrophasor data beyond that post analysis. He believes that level of focus is possible as the project is established and information is gathered. A comment was made that pending the contract execution, the proposed schedule is for Phase One of the synchrophasor installation to be completed by November of this year. The bid is for a total of three years, which includes an annual cloud -based subscription service and maintenance plan. Chair Jenkin requested additional information regarding the contract. Mr. Price discussed that the contractor has not yet been informed of their approval. The SSS is preparing to negotiate with the contractor for additional terms. Mr. Price suggested that the SSS develop the proposal and bring the specifics back to the IMC. Chair Jenkin requested that both the IOC and the Dispatch and Operations Subcommittee provide comments regarding the project. He noted that this Railbelt project is within the administrative side of the budget and the costs will be shared equally among the participants, including HEA. Chair Jenkin requested that the cost per participant is included in the proposal. He noted that if action is necessary before the next scheduled meeting, it is possible to meet telephonically to move the project forward. There were no questions. 8B. Intertie Vegetation Management Plan Chair Jenkin expressed appreciation for the development of the Vegetation Management Plan. He requested additional information regarding the process for maintaining, evaluating, and revising the plan. He asked if the clearing cycles of five years and seven years will be revisited with LIDAR to verify that the growth rates are accurate. Chair Jenkin requested that a proposed budget is provided to outline the costs. A member echoed the comments of Chair Jenkin. He requested to view an annual budget for next year, as well as a proposed multi -year budget. He would like to understand more clearly how efforts and decisions are being coordinated and made to ensure the objectives of the plan are IMC Meeting Minutes — January 20, 2023 4 met. He emphasized the importance of annual year-end reports to the IMC regarding progress and challenges. Chair Jenkin suggested that the attempt is made to levelize the expenditures each year. He recommended that the proposed budget is structured in a way that allows flexibility for the IOC to make revisions after analysis, such as changing clearing of a certain section from six years to seven years, without having to get additional approval from the IMC. Members agreed, and the request was made to provide quarterly progress reports. Any substantive revisions would be brought back in front of the IMC. Chair Jenkin commented regarding legislation that holds utilities harmless for events associated with wildfires, as long as clearing of the right-of-way has been completed according to the approved plan. Joel Paisner, Ascent Law Partners, recommended that the plan is approved before the summer begins. The plan is a key piece to protection. Chair Jenkin agreed. 9. OLD BUSINESS - None 10. COMMITTEE REPORTS 10A. Budget to Actuals Report Mark Ziesmer, AEA, reviewed the Budget to Actual Expense Report for the period from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. The total revenue amount for the period was approximately $478,000 less than budgeted. This was driven primarily by lower than predicted energy usage. The total operating expenses were approximately $1,296,000 less than budgeted. This was due to the difference in timing between the annualized budget and the completion of activities. Mr. Ziesmer reminded members that the credit of $27,000 was from FY22 invoicing that was determined to be an overpayment. The total budget surplus was approximately $898,000. A member asked if Mr. Ziesmer has any budgetary concerns regarding the report and the delta between the total operating expenses and the total budget surplus. Mr. Ziesmer explained that project work is not always completed within the annualized budget year. He noted that the IMC fiscal cycle from July to June is different from many of the utilities' fiscal cycle from January to December. Chair Jenkin noted that usage continues to be lower than predicted. He asked at what point would be the best time to discuss appropriate budget adjustments and revisit revenue calculations. Chair Jenkin requested that Mr. Sinclair and the IOC prepare a report regarding the status of the Warning Marker Ball Project to be presented at the next IMC meeting. Mr. Sinclair agreed. A member emphasized that all work and maintenance on the Intertie should be coordinated among utilities. There were no other comments or questions. 10B. Operator's Report IMC Meeting Minutes — January 20, 2023 Chair Jenkin requested Mr. Thornton to present the Operator's Report. Mr. Thornton informed that he would send a copy of the Operator's Report after the meeting. He discussed that from July through November, GVEA transferred 104,000 MWH and MEA transferred 10,989 MWH. This is an increase from last year at 147% for GVEA and 11 % for MEA. Mr. Thornton reported that nn Intertie trip occurred on December 9, 2022. The event resulted in 9.4 MW response, which is consistent with the beta for the Railbelt since the last meeting. Mr. Thornton commented that the system response is stable. Mr. Thornton indicated that attached to his Operator's Report, he would provide the IOC's Reliability Report listing all reportable events. A comment was made that the expanded utilization of GVEA and MEA has been beneficial. There were no other questions or comments. 11. MEMBER COMMENTS A member expressed appreciation for the reports and looks forward to the next meeting. A member echoed the sentiment of appreciation for the efforts to maintain the crown jewel assets of the Railbelt. Chair Jenkin thanked Mr. Sinclair for taking the position of Chair of the IOC. He expressed appreciation to the SSS for their focused efforts. 12. NEXT MEETING DATE — March 24, 2023 Chair Jenkin informed that the next meeting is March 24, 2023. There were no questions. 13. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business of the AIMC, the meeting adjourned at 10:01 a.m. 4,1P Ed Jenkin, Aair (Bill ;Secretary IMC Meeting Minutes — January 20, 2023 6