A TRANSMISSION SERVICES COSTING FRAMEWORK

Transmission systems are an essential link between the producers and c onsumers of electric power in the United States and other countries. A s one means of achieving a greater level of competition in the U.S. el ectric Power supply, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act of 1992 tha t grants increased transmission access to all utilities and many non-u tility generators. The many issues associated with this increased acce ss have been discussed previously by the IEEE Task Force on Transmissi on Access [1]; the task force also has produced a comprehensive biblio graphy of work related to these issues [2]. Because of this increased access to transmission facilities by non-owners, there is a growing ne ed to identify the direct and indirect costs of transmission services in order to control these costs and price unbundled transmission servi ces appropriately. In recognition of this fact, the Electric Power Res earch Institute (EPRI) undertook Research Project RP3216-1, entitled ' 'Development of a Comprehensive Framework for Analyzing Transmission S ervices and Evaluating Their Costs.'' The full results of this researc h are presented in a two-volume EPRI report [3].