Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) will hold two public input sessions --May 2 and May 9-- to share the findings and receive feedback on the public review draft of the 2018 Vermont Long-Range Transmission Plan.
The plan is required by law to identify where electric load growth over the next 20 years may drive the need for system reliability investments, and to share that information in sufficient time to consider alternatives to building poles and wires. In recent years, however, electric demand has been declining due to distributed energy resources, energy efficiency and economics, and other trends that are reshaping the electric grid. The 2018 Vermont Long-Range Transmission Plan looks closely at these trends, analyzing possible future scenarios based on increased distributed generation and state energy policy.
Every three years VELCO, the owner and operator of Vermont's transmission system, in cooperation with ISO New England, the regional grid operator, performs a detailed analysis that identifies reliability concerns and where transmission alternatives may be used to address those concerns. VELCO collaborates with the Vermont distribution utilities, and other stakeholders to finalize the plan, which then guides grid reliability efforts. The public meetings are one of several steps leading up to a finalized long-range plan.
VELCO will convene two sessions to gather input on the public review draft of the plan. The first public meeting is scheduled onMay 2 at 6pmat the Marlboro Graduate Center in Brattleboro. The second meeting is scheduled onMay 9 at 11amat the Vermont College of Fine Art Noble Hall in Montpelier. For more details, to RSVP to a public meeting, and to review and comment on the plan, visitwww.velco.com/longrangeplan2018.
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About VELCO |
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Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) provides reliable, cost effective and environmentally sound electric transmission services to in-state electric distribution companies. Formed in 1956 when local utilities established the nation's first "transmission only" company to access clean hydro power from New York, VELCO's system now includes: 738 miles of transmission lines, 55 substations, switching stations and terminal facilities, and 13,000 acres of rights-of-way; a 1,500-mile fiber optic network that monitors and controls the electric system and serves as a key link for Vermonters' high-speed data internet access. Our ownership is shared by the state's 17 distribution utilities and a public benefits corporation, with a for-profit structure that returns value to our shareholders, their customers and to every Vermonter. |
Source: Rutland, VT - (April 27, 2018): VELCOwww.velco.com.