Four different West queues open this fall. Are you ready?

The average renewable energy developer spends months combing through materials and data to prepare the detailed requirements for an interconnection application. In the US, there are over 11,000 proposed active projects in interconnection queues, with new applications every year. Nearly 760 GW of projects joined the queue in 2022, and that number rose to 908 GW in 2023.

Now is the time to prepare for Spring Cluster Queue openings in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) Southeast region.

El Paso Electric (EPE), Arizona Public Service (APS), Tucson Electric Power (TEP), and NV Energy (NVE) all open up their spring cluster queue on October 1, 2024. Salt River Project opens their brief queue on January 15, 2025.

Some of the studies and models required to submit an interconnection application package require weeks, if not months to prepare. Developers can start organizing now to ensure they secure the best place in line for the interconnection queue.

Navigating the Interconnection Queue Process

*Please note that requirements may vary across entities. EPE’s interconnection experts can help tailor your application to meet specific needs.

• Transmission Screening and Economic Analysis
• Analyze future power network models to identify substations and transmission lines to find best POI’s.
• Interconnection Application Forms and Diagrams
• Complete application forms and draw collector system and substation one-line diagrams to show information necessary to model the project.
• PSLF (or PSSE) and/or PSCAD™ Plant Model Development
• Create models for the proposed project including generators, step-up transformers, the collection system, main power transformer(s), and transmission lines connecting the project to the grid. Test model performance including hybrid project scenarios as needed.
• PSLF (or PSS®E) and PSCAD Model Benchmarking Study, if Required
• Benchmark the dynamic response of the models in different software formats to ensure that they behave similarly under a selected set of tests.
• Submit Application Package
• Submit the application package either via online portal or via email. Package is composed of project information, model testing and setup instructions, engineering diagrams and any other utility specific requirements for successful application acceptance.
• Cure Deficiencies, if Any
• Cure deficiencies in the application package until it is deemed as a complete and valid application. Once the application is deemed valid, the project will be assigned a unique identification number, and the project will go into the next steps such as Scoping Meeting and Studies.

Keeping track of the myriad of prerequisites to successfully submit your interconnection application may feel daunting — like pushing a boulder up a mountain. Electric Power Engineers (EPE) has decades of experience helping wind and solar developers integrate renewable projects onto the grid, with hundreds of applications prepared and submitted to different ISOs/RTOs and utilities in the WECC system.  

Whether you are developing a wind project, solar park, energy storage, or even a data center, EPE is your trusted engineering consultant. 

EPE offers engineering services during the project’s interconnection studies and interconnection process. These services include attending a scoping meeting and other calls with you, answering your technical questions, reviewing the project’s Interconnection Feasibility Study Agreement, and the transmission provider’s interconnection studies, and more.