Laserfiche WebLink
CAPX 2020 <br />INTERIM REPORT <br />DECEMBER 2004 <br />ATTACHMENT B <br />OVERVIEW OF CURRENT TRANSMISSION SYSTEM <br />CURRENT NETWORK <br />Minnesota's electric transmission system is part of a regional transmission grid operated in <br />coordination with other interconnected transmission systems throughout the Upper Midwest <br />and the entire Eastern United States. The system is managed by regional organizations and <br />control centers that are staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. <br />Although it originally was designed to reliably deliver power to major electric load centers, <br />such as the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Duluth, Mankato, Rochester, and St. Cloud -and <br />to interconnect utilities so they could back up each other during emergencies -the <br />transmission grid now must do much more. It acts as a regional "highway," providing the <br />physical link between sellers and buyers, facilitating an ever-increasing number of <br />transactions among an increasing number of market participants and over increasing <br />distances. At the same time, the grid continues to serve a critical reliability role. <br />Diagram 1 provides a simplified overview of the electric system. <br />The load-serving transmission system <br />delivers power from the bulk <br />transmission system to distribution <br />substations. 1 <br />~, ~~~,:A t 3; <br />T <br />t. <br />r„ <br />~' ~~ <br />The bulk transmission system <br />delivers power from power <br />plants to the load- serving <br />transmission system. <br />.~- <br />Local utilities <br />use distribution <br />power lines to <br />transport <br />electricity to <br />neighborhoods. <br />Diagram 1 <br />10 <br />