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From the Desk of CEO Jon Kaake
Published: June 05, 2008:Author: Jon Kaake
ColumbiaGrid’s 2008 System Assessment report is a major achievement on the road to our biennial transmission plan. It capped many months of effort by our planning engineers, who worked through thousands of contingencies to identify vulnerabilities in the region’s transmission system. In addition to weaknesses in the system, the assessment underscored the value of a unified regional planning process.
The system assessment turned up six multi-system problem areas that need attention during the current two-year planning cycle. Three of those problems fall within the ColumbiaGrid planning area, and we have already assembled study teams to work on solutions. But for the others, which involve the Portland area, Central Oregon and the south cross-Cascades lines, there isn’t a clear-cut way to tackle a problem that transcends the ColumbiaGrid planning participants.
ColumbiaGrid provides an impartial forum for determining an equitable and efficient way to address problems on the system. Our planning process is geared to answer questions about what’s needed, who should build it and who should pay. In the months ahead, we hope to demonstrate that value for the region and attract the participation of more transmission owners. Keep your eye on ColumbiaGrid -- we're producing results.
