Southwest Power Pool Approves $176 Million Strategic Plan

Regional electricity grid coordinator Southwest Power Pool said its board approved a "roadmap" to construct new transmission projects for the next 20 years.

Little Rock-based SPP, which coordinates the transmission of electricity across a 9-state region including Arkansas, says it has approved the construction of $176 million in new projects.  The projects will secure more reliable supplies of electricity for the region through 2030, according to the company.

According to a map provided by SPP, the new transmission projects would be built in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska.

SPP said that the transmission projects need to be built during the next decade to "keep the lights on." With the board’s approval of the projects, SPP will soon instruct utilities to begin constructing the transmission upgrades.

“In the electricity business there are many uncertainties about the future. Will the federal government put a tax on carbon or require all states to obtain a percentage of their electricity from renewable sources? At what rate will demand increase? These issues and many others impact ‘traffic flows’ on the electric grid,” said SPP President and CEO Nick Brown.

“A well-planned, robust transmission grid gives us the flexibility to move energy from diverse generating resources to where it’s needed across the region and beyond. Adding more ‘lanes’ to the transmission highway will improve our ability to provide the least-cost power to consumers and strengthen grid reliability so power is always there when we need it,” he said.