PJM Interconnection Hosts International Meeting of Grid Operators; Action Plan Established to Address International Electricity Issues
Philadelphia (ots/PRNewswire)
PJM Interconnection hosted a meeting of executives of many of the world's largest electric-grid operators. The focus of the three-day event was to identify common issues and challenges and develop strategies to deal with them jointly.
Attending the International Meeting of Very Large Power Grid Operators were officials from:
-- China - East China Power Grid Co., North China Power Grid Co. and
State Grid Corp. of China
-- France - Reseau de Transport d'Electricite
-- India - Power Grid Corp. of India
-- Italy - Gestore Rete Trasmissione Nazionale
-- Japan - Tokyo Electric Power Co.
-- United Kingdom - National Grid Transco
-- United States - California ISO, Midwest ISO, PJMAlso submitting information for discussion was Operador Nacional do Sistema Electrico of Brazil.
Phillip G. Harris, PJM president and CEO, said each grid operator gave an overview presentation on its power system. This was followed by presentations on the key challenges faced by each system and a discussion and ranking of the common issues.
"These constructive exchanges led to a consensus on an action plan for 2005 and an agreement to meet again in 2005 to report on and review the work being done by the group," Harris said.
The grid operators agreed on three key action items to address:
-- Analyze ways to prevent cascading blackouts
-- Identify opportunities for very large power systems to employ advanced
technology in decision-making
-- Investigate enhancements in the design of energy-management systems
for very large power systemsHarris said the idea of holding such a meeting was prompted by several significant reliability events around the world, including the Aug. 14, 2003 outage in the eastern U.S. and Canada.
"Discussions with our colleagues around the world led to a consensus that an international meeting would be a valuable mechanism to share information and address common issues related to both reliability and electricity markets," he said.
Special speakers at the event, which was held in Philadelphia, were Vincent DeVito, acting assistant secretary of policy and international affairs of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and Pat Wood III, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Acting Assistant Secretary DeVito commended the participants and expressed DOE's support for the cooperative international agenda of the meeting.
"The cooperation envisioned as a result of this gathering will support and promote the benefits achieved through the economics of energy. Collectively, this group can bring reliable, safe, environmentally sound electricity supply to all the reaches of our respective regions," he said.
FERC Chairman Wood praised the goals of the meeting and pointed to the significance of the organizations represented at the event:
"It's good news for power customers all across the globe that the largest power-grid operators are collaborating in a formal way. Enhanced reliability, greater resource efficiency and standardized information systems will bring value to all the countries involved."
PJM Interconnection ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 44 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region's transmission grid; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market, the world's largest; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. Visit PJM at http://www.pjm.com.
A photo of the international event is available by calling PJM News toll-free at +1-866-PJM-NEWS (756-6397), or +1-610-666-2200.
Web site: http://www.pjm.com
Contact:
PJM News, +1-866-PJM-NEWS (756-6397), or +1-610-666-2200