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December 4, 2012

Entergy moves toward joining regional transmission group

The Port Arthur News

Five Entergy utilities including Entergy-Texas took a key step toward membership in a regional transmission organization Friday by submitting a contract to the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator or MISO.

The contract is a transmission owner agreement that governs membership in the regional transmission organization (RTO). The agreement is filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and executing the agreement is a key requirement for any transmission owner to join the RTO.  By executing the contract, the Entergy operating companies have agreed to become transmission owning members of MISO, subject to the terms of the agreement.

Friday’s action is an important step in the Entergy operating companies’ efforts to transfer functional control of their transmission facilities to MISO in December 2013, a step that the utilities’ retail regulators have ruled is in the public interest, subject to conditions.  The Louisiana Public Service Commission made its ruling in May, followed by Arkansas and Texas regulators in October.  In mid-November regulators in Mississippi and New Orleans made their rulings that joining MISO is in the public interest.

Joining MISO is expected to result in savings to the customers of the Entergy operating companies of a projected $1.4 billion in the first decade of MISO membership. Independent studies also forecast significant economic value for electric co-operatives, independent power producers, municipalities and other industry participants, resulting from the move to MISO.

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