Transmission System Operations

The objective of this course is to look at the aims of deregulation, and the consequent changes being introduced into transmission system control and operation. Subsequent courses present and discuss specific rules, and procedures required to implement deregulation.

After completion of this course, the participant should be able to understand the following concepts and apply them in day-to-day activities.

• The control area as part of a traditional vertically integrated company
• Obligations of the vertically integrated company
• Approval of electricity rates by the Public Utility Commission
• Disadvantages of the regulated monopoly
• The objectives of deregulation (i.e. to introduce competition in power generation and supply)
• The bilateral power contract
• Bilateral power flow through the transmission system
• Transmission system open access
• Wholesale and retail deregulation
• Transactions by third parties such as brokers, power marketers, load aggregators, futures traders
• System services that are necessary for the interconnected system to function (i.e. interconnected operation services – IOS)
• Billing breakdown to include unbundled charges for generation, transmission, distribution, and individual IOS
• Function of the competitive power pool
• Generation bidding
• Marginal price, pool selling price, spot market price
• Function of the Independent System Operator (ISO)
• Functions of the power exchange
• Provision of transmission offerings through Open Access Same time Information System (OASIS)
• Available transmission capacity (ATC)
• Considerations of reliability