TRANSMISSION BASICS
An overview on transmission hardware, system design, facility siting, the physics of the interconnected transmission grid, existing and new generation sources, the basics of power systems and new technology for transmission.

TRANSMISSION SERVICES AND PRICING
Explanation of how transmission service is provided, the key aspects of transmission service pricing – access and congestion – incentives for grid expansion and coverage of evolving regulatory requirements; long-term financial transmission rights; the role of investment in improving the provision of transmission services in electricity markets.

TRANSMISSION OPERATIONS
Review of the requirements for coordinating the interconnected grid to meet the reliability/security and economy considerations; the functions of the control center; the impacts of mandatory reliability standards; and, the ERO functions.

GRID INTEGRATION OF RENEWABLE AND DEMAND RESOURCES
The key obstacles to overcome for the effective integration of renewable generation and demand response resources; current opportunities; major challenges and the way markets and regulation are shaping the various decisions; recent legislation; actual system experiences.

TRANSMISSION SYSTEM COMPUTER
SIMULATION
A hands-on demonstration of the innate complexities of the interconnected transmission grids; examples of constrained systems; interrelationships between market forces and the movement of energy; 2003 megablackout simulation.

ELECTRICITY MARKETS AND RISK
MANAGEMENT
The evolution of electricity markets from bilateral transactions to sophisticated pools; public and private markets; the role of forward markets in risk mitigation; role of financial institutions and hedge funds; credit worthiness standards.

ELECTRICITY RESTRUCTURING DEVELOPMENTS AND POLICY
A review of how the industry got to where it is today, the unbundling of the electric industry, its new structures, and the emergence of transmission as a critically important new business; the new order created by FERC Order Nos. 888, 889, 890 and 2000; the key RTO issues; FERC directions for electricity market and RTO development; market design issues; Order No. 888 reform; activities mandated by the EPACT 2005, EISA 2007 and ARRA 2009.

MARKET MONITORING
The role and nature of market monitoring; market behavior metrics and monitoring data requirements; modes of market power, mitigation approaches and FERC priorities; market performance in RTO and bilateral markets; inter-RTO seams issues; nature of investigations, audits and compliance enforcement.

TRANSMISSION PLANNING AND
RELIABILITY
Coverage of the planning, siting, asset modernization, utilization and investment aspects and their interrelationships with cost allocation; reliability management under mandatory reliability provisions; environmental impacts; national-interest electric transmission corridors. regional planning challenges; NERC’s ERO role.

BUSINESS MODELS FOR TRANSMISSION
INVESTMENT AND OPERATIONS
Overview of the RTO structure issues; review of international experiences; the role and the nature of incentives for the new transmission asset investments.

MARKET DESIGN AND CONGESTION
MANAGEMENT
Presentation of the key aspects of designing efficient market structures, the interrelationships between markets, the role of ancillary service markets and how congestion is managed including the role of financial transmission rights.

THE SMART GRID POTENTIAL, CHALLENGES AND STATUS
The key drivers for making the grid smarter; basic definition and nature of the smart grid; the key building blocks – architectural design, communication infrastructure and standards: policy and cost recovery issues and the roles of the US Department of Energy, FERC and state regulatory agencies; advanced metering infrastructure; status of implementation.

THE NEW TRANSMISSION BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
Evaluation and assessment of the principal thrusts of the EPACT 2005 on transmission; PUHCA repeal aftermath; impacts of Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements; impacts of new mergers and acquisitions provisions; transmission bottlenecks and national-interest electric transmission corridors; adequacy of financial incentives to stimulate transmission investment and modernization.

MODERNIZATION OF THE AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER (AEP) GRID
AEP is one of the largest electric utilities in the US with a vast transmission grid in 11 states and serves directly or indirectly about 10 % of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection and approximately 11 % of the electricity demand in ERCOT. The presentation will focus on the nature and scope of new develop-ments in the AEP transmission network and the effective deployment of new technology advances.