Transmission & Distribution.. Flow of electrons.. Data Centers.. Power-to-X..

Just recently we touched upon – in our last Featured content – how Data Centers are a Wildcard in terms of Grid Consumption .

As grids already fragile in Summer & Winter extremes are "..being stretched to their last electron..". So, many have been tasked with the modernization of these Grids to improve "..Reliability & Resilience.." as Electrification is happening. Many reflect on this from "..electric vehicles being plugged into this fragile grid.."; however, there is something "..already plugged in.." -- Data Centers.. which with the AI Revolution -- whilst at the forefront of Quad computing is going to draw power.. considerable power..

For Industrial Info Resources Research indicates that the U.S market is expected to double Data Center consumption by 2030 – from 17GW to 35GW. As Advanced AI and Large Language Models (LLM) have yet to uncover the many applications residing in the enterprise client. Meanwhile, Corporations are already rapidly shifting work to public clouds to take advantage of computing power. And, though Major Builders(think FANGs or is that MANGs) are Cash Flush : MSFT +$143bn, AMZN +$64bn, META +$61bn, APPL +$166bn and GOOG +$119bn -- can they in fact afford hyperscale facilities with supercomputers which require 5x the amount of power and cooling capacity.

And what we do know – thanks to IIR’s peerless Research -- is that the capital investment into Data Centers is happening

Therefore, these Data Centers will need electrons.? Fortunately, IIR Energy (iire) can provide some depth & detail to where these electrons might be coming from in regards to their Transmission & Distribution Service.? As they are tracking transmission projects across North America…

For example from Industrial Info Resources(IIR) News :??

Evergy Pushes for Stronger T&D in New Five-Year Spending Plan

Warmer-than-normal weather took a toll on Evergy Incorporated 's (NASDAQ:EVRG ) (Topeka, Kansas) bottom line for 2023, but the investor-owned utility, which services parts of Kansas and Missouri, is preparing to beef up its transmission and distribution (T&D) capacity in the near term, as an industry-led boom in electricity demand looms on the horizon. Industrial Info is tracking about $900 million worth of active and planned projects from Evergy, about half of which is attributed to projects with a medium-to-high (70% or more) likelihood of beginning construction within the next two years.

PJM Builds Out T&D, but Halts Some Fossil-Fuel Unit Closures

PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM), an organization that operates the transmission and distribution (T&D) system that services much of the eastern-central U.S., earlier this week asked Talen Energy (Houston, Texas) to postpone the retirement of four fossil fuel-fired units at its H.A. Wagner Generating Station near Baltimore, Maryland, by three years. Although PJM's board approved $5 billion in transmission projects in December to bolster the system's reliability, it says the Wagner units will need to remain operational until the upgrades are completed, which is expected around 2028. Industrial Info is tracking more than $2 billion in active and planned projects from Talen, and more than $11 billion worth of T&D projects in the PJM service area.

U.S. Transmission Sector Readies for $10 Billion in Second-Quarter Starts

The U.S. transmission and distribution (T&D) sector is facing calls for rapid and wide-ranging expansions, as various power markets race to reach underserved areas, improve efficiency, incorporate more renewable generation, and connect with offshore resources. Industrial Info is tracking more than $10 billion in U.S.-based T&D projects that are set to kick off in the second quarter of 2024, nearly half of which is attributed to projects in the Rocky Mountains region.

T&D developers traditionally have faced a swath of geographic challenges in the Rocky Mountain region, such as difficult terrain for line construction, outdated infrastructure, and low-density areas starved for better energy access. In a sparsely populated area of southern Colorado, Xcel Energy Incorporated (NASDAQ:XEL ) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) is preparing to spend $30 million to upgrade lines from Alamosa to Romeo, which total about 20 miles, and $15 million to upgrade lines from Romeo to Antonito, which total about eight miles. The aging lines will have their capacity raised from 69 to 115 kilovolts (kV).

This Transmission & Distribution service – like the aforementioned Data Centers ...

Texas Solar Project Under Construction Moves Forward

Avangrid Incorporated (NYSE:AGR ) (Orange, Connecticut), a subsidiary of Iberdrola S.A. (Bilbao, Spain), said Tuesday it continues to advance a solar project underway in Texas, where Industrial Info is tracking more than $12 billion worth of solar-generation projects under construction.? Avangrid said it has installed both main power transformers at its True North solar facility in Mart, Texas, in Falls County, which is designed to generate 240 megawatts (MW) from photovoltaic (PV) solar modules (panels). Installation of modules and the racking system also is underway, and the project remains on schedule to be completed toward the end of the year.?

The project has a power purchase agreement (PPA) in place with Facebook parent Meta Platforms Incorporated (NASDAQ:META ) (Menlo Park, California) to supply the technology company with output for Meta's upcoming data center in nearby Temple, Texas.

Among the projects aimed at boosting Texas' solar power capacity is the construction of Hecate Energy 's (Chicago, Illinois) 514-MW, $900 million Frye solar plant in Swisher County, in the state's Panhandle region, which is expected to wrap up later this month. The project features a PPA with Amazon.com Incorporated (NASDAQ:AMZN ) (Seattle, Washington) for the full output.

?is part of IIR Energy’s(iire) comprehensive spectrum of services in their Power Generation coverage.? As iire has a vision to continuously evolve and cater to your dynamic needs within the energy sector; therefore, they provide thorough insights into the entirety of the power generation landscape – especially in North America.??

Their coverage being a Magnificent 9 if you will.? As iire? truly goes the whole 9 yards on your behalf & then some to ensure you have the necessary Research, News, Analysis, & Intel which will ensure you have answers to what is unfolding.

1. Installed Base: Gain a complete overview of existing power generation assets, enabling precise assessment and strategic planning for maintenance, upgrades, and expansions.? Detailed plant & unit level profiles with attributes such as capacity, location, operational status, equipment, ownership, load type, fuel/energy source, and other key details with the ability to access time series changes.
2. Generation: Immerse into detailed analyses of power generation metrics, from production volumes to primary and secondary fuel types, fostering a deep understanding of energy output and capacity.? Real-time outage tracking for planned and unplanned events across all sectors with event-cause categorization, option to receive alerts, and ability to access time series data to analyze past, current, and future outages.
3. New Builds: Navigate through the planning and deployment stages of new power generation projects, from initial planning and engineering to the first megawatt produced, ensuring stakeholders are informed every step of the way.? Plant & unit-level research for new and expanding facilities with continuous updates on start-up date, capacity, connections, and more.
4. Retirements: Strategically manage the sunset phase of power generation assets, from pre-retirement planning to decommissioning
5. GenStack: Leverage a sophisticated data tool designed for analyzing actual generation, emissions, and EIA runtime data mapped to IIR Plant Database.? Actual generation, emissions, and EIA hourly runtime data mapped to IIR Plant Database
6. Transmission and Distribution: Explore the backbone of power delivery with insights into the infrastructure that connects power generation to the end-users, enhancing reliability and efficiency of power distribution.
7. Data Centers: Delve into the power dynamics of data centers, understanding their energy demands, planned projects, and the role they play in electricity demand.
8. Interstate Natural Gas Pipeline Flows to Power Plants Dashboard: Utilize a real-time dashboard offering insights into the interplay between natural gas supply and power generation, enabling a clearer view of fuel source dynamics.
9. Time Series and History: Access a rich archive of historical data and point-in-time time series, providing a temporal perspective on trends, patterns, and shifts in the power generation sector, essential for forecasting and strategic planning.

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For IIR Energy is truly leading the charge in Power Generation Research with their unmatched capabilities.? Since with their extensive coverage of new builds, operational generation, as well as retirements, alongside data center demand and natural gas fuel supply to power plants, IIR Energy stands as a beacon of innovation and reliability in the power generation market. With a wealth of time series and historical data at your disposal, IIR Energy goes beyond conventional offerings, providing a competitive edge in analysis, forecasting, and strategic decision-making.

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Experience the power of tomorrow with IIR Energy and embrace a future where reliability, efficiency, and innovation converge to redefine the energy landscape. It's time to step into a realm where power isn't just generated; it's understood with precision and transparency.?

As FERC in their recent State of the Market Report exclaimed the Need for Transmission

FERC Chairman Willie Phillips’ top priority in 2024 is improving the difficult process of planning, siting and paying for interstate electric transmission lines, recently noting the Commission is in the “final lap” of its work on these crucial issues.

Nowhere is the need for action on these issues more evident than in the continued growth in the number of active interconnection requests, according to the FERC 2023 State of the Markets Report , issued last week.

Citing preliminary data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the FERC report states that at the end of 2023, there were 11,841 active requests from generators seeking to interconnect to the transmission system. This is a 16 percent increase compared to the end of 2022, and a quadrupling of the number since 2019.

The active capacity in interconnection queues at the end of 2023 includes 1,565 gigawatts of generation, 299 gigawatts of storage capacity from hybrid storage and generation interconnection requests, and 503 gigawatts of standalone storage capacity. Some 95 percent of the total capacity in interconnection queues as of the end of 2023 comes from solar, wind and battery storage resources, which suggests these types of resources may make up most future capacity additions. The generation capacity active in interconnection queues exceeds the 1,268 gigawatts of all U.S. installed electricity generation capacity at the end of 2023 by more than 20 percent.

The U.S. saw more than 500 new transmission projects entering service in 2023, according to data from C3 Group LLC. These projects produced more than 4,000 miles of new transmission lines and upgrades, mostly at the 138-kilovolt level. As with earlier years, reliability needs were the drivers of most new line-related transmission projects that entered service. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas led all regions with more than 200 new transmission projects, with the Mid-Continent Independent System Operator and the PJM Interconnection following closely behind.?

..Therefore, let IIR Energy’s Dedicated Market Research place the world at your fingertips.. Tomorrow's News Today.. ? Ask us! We have Answers!!

As we are striving to better understand what is in these interconnection queues and the probability of these projects happening.? And, we have a wealth of knowledge as to how the electron is stitched to the Facility – its Unit, Equipment as well as reporting on its Offline Events.

As your feedback is very important to us. Please let us know if we may provide additional color or answer any other market questions you may have by replying to this note.

Additional IIR Resources:

· IIR Team Email: [email protected]