Grant County PUD Commissioners on March 24 hosted a public hearing on the Washington State PUD’s Open Access Transmission Tariff, a standardized master plan that will foster the most-efficient use of the capacity on the Grant PUD transmission system, the PUD said on March 30.
Some five years in the making, the OATT will establish Grant PUD as a “Transmission Services Provider” operating under guidelines that meet federal standards, are non-discriminatory, establish uniform cost structures, and are similar to the OATTs of other utilities nationwide.
The system is expected to go live in June 2026.
The OATT will not affect existing transmission rates or apply to those transmission customers on legacy contracts, Susan Manville, Grant PUD's Director of Transmission Strategy & Development, told commissioners.
Together with a specialized, internet-based interface, prospective customers, such as solar energy firms seeking to build generation plants in Grant County, will be able to check available transmission capacity and learn about and sign up for transmission services that fit their needs.
The period for public comment on the proposed OATT began at the March 24 commission meeting and extends through March 31.
Commissioners are scheduled to vote on adoption of the OATT during their April 28 business meeting.
