AF1-233 Final System Impact Study (Retool 2) Report

v2.00 released 2026-05-14 11:46

Flemingsburg – Spurlock 138kV

113.1 MW Capacity / 188.5 MW Energy

Introduction

This Final System Impact Study (SIS) Report has been prepared in accordance with the PJM Open Access Transmission Tariff, Part VII, Subpart D, section 314 for New Service Requests (projects) in Transition Cycle 1 (TC1). The Project Developer/Eligible Customer (developer) is AEUG Fleming Solar, LLC, and the Transmission Provider (TP) is PJM Interconnection, LLC (PJM). The interconnected Transmission Owner (TO) is East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc..

Preface

The Final System Impact Study is conducted on an aggregate basis within a New Services Request’s Cycle, and results are provided in both (i) a single Cycle summary format and (ii) an individual project-level basis. The Final System Impact Study Results (for both the summary and individual reports) will be publicly available on PJM’s website. Project Developers must obtain the results from the website.

In accordance with PJM Manual 14H, section 5, Final Agreement Negotiation Phase, the purpose of the Final Agreement Negotiation Phase is to:

  1. Negotiate, execute and enter into the applicable final interconnection related service agreement found in Tariff, Part IX;
  2. Conduct any remaining analyses or updated analyses based on New Service Requests withdrawn during Decision Point III (DP3); and
  3. Adjust the security obligation based on New Service Requests withdrawn during Decision Point III and/or during the Final Agreement Negotiation Phase.
Retool 1:

In accordance with PJM Tariff Part VII.D 314 B(1)(a), Final Agreement Negotiation Phase:

  • PJM will perform a retool (Retool 1) after the conclusion of DP3 considering only the projects moving on in the Final Agreement Negotiation Phase (Removes DP3 withdrawals).
  • The Final System Impact Study reflecting results from the retooled analysis (Retool 1) will be publicly available on PJM’s website; Project Developers and Eligible Customers must obtain the results from the website.
  • PJM will provide updated final electronic agreements to Project Developers and Eligible Customers in the Cycle reflecting updates from the Final System Impact Study after Retool 1 including the adjusted Security requirements.

The AF1-233 Final System Impact Study (Retool 1) Report is available for download here.

Retool 2 (if needed):

If particular New Service Requests do not sign their final agreements after receiving the updated information after Retool 1, there may be the need to run a second retool (Retool 2) to identify if any network upgrades are no longer necessary:

  • PJM will perform Retool 2 (if necessary) considering only the removal of projects from the model which chose not to execute their agreements after Retool 1.
  • The updated Final System Impact Study reflecting results from Retool 2 will be publicly available on PJM’s website; Project Developers and Eligible Customers must obtain the results from the website.
  • If there are any adjustments to the agreements required after Retool 2, the necessary network upgrade or Security changes will be handled via the scope change process post-GIA.

General

The Project Developer has proposed a Solar generating facility located in the East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc. zone — Fleming County, Kentucky. The installed facilities will have a total capability of 188.5 MW with 113.1 MW of this output being recognized by PJM as Capacity.

Project Information
New Service Request Number:
AF1-233
Project Name:
Flemingsburg – Spurlock 138kV
Project Developer Name:
AEUG Fleming Solar, LLC
State:
Kentucky
County:
Fleming
Transmission Owner:
East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc.
MFO:
188.5
MWE:
188.5
MWC:
113.1
Fuel Type:
Solar
Basecase Study Year:
2027

Physical Interconnection Facility Study

Reviewed

The transmission owner has completed the Physical Interconnection Facilities Study. This report is available for download.

Point of Interconnection

AF1-233 will interconnect on the East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc. transmission system tapping the Flemingsburg to Spurlock 138 kV line.

 

Cost Summary

The table below shows a summary of the total cost estimates for this New Service Request project. The Facilities Studies for the Transmission Owner Interconnection Facilities (TOIF) and Physical Interconnection Network Upgrades were performed by the Transmission Owner in Phase II. Facilities Studies are available for download on PJM.com (see General Section for document links). The Interconnected Transmission Owner has performed a Facilities Study for the required System Reliability Network Upgrades in Phase III (see System Reinforcement Section for document links).

Based on the Final SIS results, the AF1-233 project has the following allocation of costs for interconnection. The Security amount required after the Final SIS and revised agreements is also shown below.

Cost Summary
DescriptionCost Allocated to AF1-233Cost Subject to Security*
Transmission Owner Interconnection Facilities (TOIF)$1,090,000$1,090,000
Other Scope$0$0
Option To Build Oversight$0$0
Physical Interconnection Network Upgrades
Stand Alone Network Upgrades$12,618,000$12,618,000
Network Upgrades$5,306,352$5,306,352
System Reliability Network Upgrades
Steady State Thermal & Voltage (SP & LL)$0$0
Transient Stability$0$0
Short Circuit$0$0
Transmission Owner Analysis
SubRegional$0$0
Distribution$0$0
Affected System Reinforcements
AFS - PJM Violations$0$0
AFS - Non-PJM Violations$6,187,500 **$0 **
Total$25,201,852$19,014,352

* Contributes to calculation for Security. See Security Requirement Section of this report for additional detail.

** This value reflects the results at the time of the report posting and it is subject to change. AFS – Non-PJM Violations are not subject to Security. For latest AFS – Non-PJM Violations, please refer to the latest Affected System Study Report for your project.

Definitions

Transmission Owner Interconnection Facilities: Facilities that are owned, controlled, operated and maintained by the Transmission Owner on the Transmission Owner’s side of the Point of Change of Ownership to the Point of Interconnection, including any modifications, additions or upgrades made to such facilities and equipment, that are necessary to physically and electrically interconnect the Generating Facility with the Transmission System or interconnected distribution facilities.

Stand Alone Network Upgrades: Network Upgrades, which are not part of an Affected System, which a Project Developer may construct without affecting day-to-day operations (e.g. taking a transmission outage) of the Transmission System during their construction.

Network Upgrades: Modifications or additions to transmission-related facilities that are integrated with and support the Transmission Provider’s overall Transmission System for the general benefit of all users of such Transmission System. Network Upgrades have no impact or potential impact on the Transmission System until the final tie-in is complete.

Notes

Note 1: PJM Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT), Part VII, Subpart D, section 307.5 outlines cost allocation rules. The rules are further clarified in PJM Manual 14H, section 4.2.6. PJM shall identify the New Service Requests in the Cycle contributing to the need for the required Network Upgrades within the Cycle. All New Service Requests that contribute to the need for a Network Upgrade will receive cost allocation for that upgrade pursuant to each New Service Request’s contribution to the reliability violation identified on the transmission system in accordance with PJM Manuals.

Note 2: There will be no inter-Cycle cost allocation for Interconnection Facilities or Network Upgrades identified in the System Impact Study costs identified in a Cycle; all such costs shall be allocated to New Service Requests in that Cycle.

Note 3: For Project Developers with System Reinforcements listed: If this project presents cost allocation to a System Reinforcement indicates $0, then please be aware that as changes to the interconnection process occur, the cost responsibilities can change and a cost allocation may be assigned to this project. In addition, although this project presents cost allocation to a System Reinforcement is presently $0, this project may need this system reinforcement completed to be deliverable to the PJM system. If this project desires to come into service prior to completion of the system reinforcement, the Project Developer will need to request PJM to perform an interim deliverability study to determine if they would be deliverable for all or a portion of their output for each delivery year until the system reinforcement is complete.

Security Requirement

Per Tariff Part VII, Subpart D, section 314 (Final Agreement Negotiation Phase) A.1 and PJM Manual 14H, Section 5, if a Transition Cycle 1 New Service Request is withdrawn during Decision Point III and/or the Final Agreement Negotiation Phase, PJM shall remove the New Service Request from the Cycle and adjust the Security obligations of other New Service Requests based on the withdrawal. The Final System Impact Study results will reflect the updated Security amount for this project. Security may be in the form of cash, letter of credit, or other form of Security acceptable to PJM (see PJM M14H, Section 6.4).

Security is calculated for a New Service Request based on the Network Upgrade costs allocated pursuant to the Final System Impact Study results.

Note 1: "Network Upgrades" referred to in the calculation include both (i) the Physical Interconnection Network Upgrades and (ii) the System Reliability Network Upgrades as shown in the Cost Summary table.

Security Due for AF1-233

Security has been calculated for the AF1-233 project(s) based on the Final System Impact Study results and is shown in the table below. This Security must be provided at Final SIS through either a wire transfer or letter of credit or other form of Security deemed acceptable by PJM per Manual 14H, Section 6.4.

Security Due for AF1-233
Project(s): AF1-233
Final Agreement Security (A): $19,014,352
Portion of Costs Already Paid (B): $6,676,320
Revised Net Security (C): A B = $12,338,032
Security on Hand with PJM (D): $18,429,403
Additional Security Due at Agreement Execution (E): C D = $0
Note:

In accordance with Tariff, Part VII, Subpart D, section 314(B)(4)(a) (Final Agreement Negotiation Phase) failure to provide any required adjustments to Security within the 15 Business Day period will result in the New Service Request project being terminated and withdrawn.

Please see the cover letter for more details on Letter of Credit/Wire details to satisfy the additional Security requirement.

If no additional Security is required, please coordinate with your assigned Project Manager to initiate any refunds of Security reductions.

Transmission Owner Scope of Work

EKPC will construct a 138 kV switching station and a new 138 kV loop-in tap from the EKPC Spurlock-Flemingsburg-Goddard 138 kV line to accommodate the direct connection of the PD’s substation facilities to the EKPC transmission system.  EKPC will also construct a 138 kV disconnect switch structure which will be the POI interface. EKPC will also complete the required network upgrades at existing EKPC substations, which are system protection changes necessary at the Spurlock, Goddard, Plumville, and Rowan County substations to accommodate the addition of this new facility, and installation of OPGW on the existing 138 kV line section from the new West Flemingsburg switching station to the Goddard and Spurlock substations in order to provide necessary communications infrastructure for EKPC. Also, EKPC will modify the ground grid as necessary at the existing Flemingsburg distribution substation to accommodate the generation facility addition.

The total preliminary cost estimate for the Transmission Owner scope of work (including TOIF and Physical Interconnection Network Upgrades) is given in the table below. These costs do not include CIAC Tax Gross-up.

Transmission Owner Scope
Network Upgrades
RTEP IDDescriptionDirectIndirectTotal Cost ($USD)Allocated Cost ($USD)
LaborMaterialsLaborMaterials
n9610.0

Revise Relay Settings at Goddard Substation

$120,000$2,000$11,000$1,000$134,000$134,000
n9609.0

Revise Relay Settings at Spurlock Substation

$120,000$2,000$11,000$1,000$134,000$134,000
n9608.0

Fiber Installation in Existing ROW: Install overhead optical ground wire (OPGW) on the Spurlock-Flemmingsburg-Goddard line section (32.1 miles).

$2,988,223$928,129$171,000$19,000$4,106,352$4,106,352
n9607.0

Interconnection Substation Tie-In: Cut and loop Spurlock - Flemingsburg 138 kV line into new interconnection substation with two (2) total new guyed steel 3-pole dead-end structures.

$531,000$256,000$54,000$6,000$847,000$847,000
n9606.0

Grounding Study at Flemingsburg Dist. Sub.

$70,000$5,000$5,000$5,000$85,000$85,000
Stand-Alone Network Upgrades
RTEP IDDescriptionDirectIndirectTotal Cost ($USD)Allocated Cost ($USD)
LaborMaterialsLaborMaterials
n9611.0

West Flemingsburg Substation

$6,533,000$5,022,000$957,000$106,000$12,618,000$12,618,000
Transmission Owner Interconnection Facilities
RTEP IDDescriptionDirectIndirectTotal Cost ($USD)Allocated Cost ($USD)
LaborMaterialsLaborMaterials
(Pending)

Install one (1) 138 kV line monopole dead-end structure and foundation, a 3-pole disconnect switch mounted to the monopole dead end structure, line conductor, and installation of two (2) 48-strand fiber optic cables between new substation control house and Project Developer facility.

$628,000$374,000$79,000$9,000$1,090,000$1,090,000

Based on the scope of work for the Interconnection Facilities, it is expected to take 36 month(s) after the signing of a Generator Interconnection Agreement (as this is a FERC connection) and construction kickoff call to complete the installation of the physical connection work. This assumes that there will be no environmental issues with any of the new properties associated with this project, that there will be no delays in acquiring the necessary permits for implementing the defined interconnection work, and that all system outages will be allowed when requested.

Note that the TO findings were made from a conceptual review of this project. A more detailed review of the connection facilities and their cost will be identified in a future study phase. Further note that the cost estimate data provided should be considered high level estimates since it was produced without a detailed engineering review. The Project Developer will be responsible for the actual cost of construction. TO herein reserves the right to return to any issues in this document and, upon appropriate justification, request additional monies to complete any reinforcements to the transmission systems.

Remote Terminal Work: During Phase II of the PJM interconnection process, TO’s System Protection Engineering Department will review transmission line protection as well as anti-islanding required to accommodate the new generation and interconnection substation. System Protection Engineering will determine the minimal acceptable protection requirements to reliably interconnect the proposed generating facility with the transmission system. The review is based on maintaining system reliability by reviewing TO’s protection requirements with the known transmission system configuration which includes generating facilities in the area. This review may determine that transmission line protection and communication upgrades are required at remote substations.

EKPC anticipates that it will take 36 months after the signing of the Generator Interconnection Agreement and the project kickoff call is subsequently held to complete the physical interconnection projects.  This assumes no delays due to permitting or environmental issues, and that all necessary outages can be taken as needed to maintain this schedule.

Transmission Owner Analysis

No Transmission Owner impacts identified.

 

Developer Requirements

The developer is responsible for all design and construction related activities on the developer’s side of the Point of Change in Ownership. EKPC interconnection requirements can be found here.

To the extent that these Applicable Technical Requirements and Standards may conflict with the terms and conditions of the Tariff, the Tariff shall control.

Revenue Metering and SCADA Requirements

PJM Requirements
The developer will be required to install equipment necessary to provide Revenue Metering (KWH, KVARH) and real time data (KW, KVAR) for their generating Resource. See PJM Manual 01, PJM Manual 14D, and PJM Tariff Part IX, Subpart B, Appendix 2, section 8.
Meteorological Data Reporting Requirement
The solar generation facility shall provide the Transmission Provider with site-specific meteorological data including:
  • Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Atmospheric Pressure (hectopascals)
  • Irradiance
  • Forced outage data
Transmission Owner Requirements
The Project Developer will be required to comply with all interconnected Transmission Owner’s revenue metering requirements located at the following link: PJM - Transmission Owner Engineering & Construction Standards.

Summer Peak Analysis

The New Service Request AF1-233 was evaluated as a 188.5 MW (113.1 MW Capacity) injection in the EKPC area.

Note: The capacity portion of Generation Interconnection Requests are evaluated for single or N-1 contingencies. The full energy output of Generation Interconnection Requests are evaluated for multiple facility contingencies (double circuit tower line, fault with a stuck breaker, and bus fault).

The following flowgates remain after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No impacts were found for this analysis)

The following flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.)

Summer Potential Congestion due to Local Energy Deliverability

PJM also studied the delivery of the energy portion of this interconnection request. Any problems identified below are likely to result in operational restrictions to the project under study. The developer can proceed with network upgrades to eliminate the operational restriction at their discretion by submitting an Upgrade Request into the New Service Request process.

Note: Only the most severely overloaded conditions are listed below. There is no guarantee of full delivery of energy for this project by fixing only the conditions listed in this section. With an Upgrade Request, a subsequent analysis will be performed which shall study all overload conditions associated with the overloaded element(s) identified.

The following flowgates remain after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No impacts were found for this analysis)

The following flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.)

Winter Peak Analysis

PJM will start performing Winter Peak analysis in Transition Cycle 2.

Winter Potential Congestion due to Local Energy Deliverability

PJM will start performing Winter Peak analysis in Transition Cycle 2.

Light Load Analysis

The New Service Request AF1-233 was evaluated as a 188.5 MW injection in the EKPC area.

Note: The capacity portion of Generation Interconnection Requests are evaluated for single or N-1 contingencies. The full energy output of Generation Interconnection Requests are evaluated for multiple facility contingencies (double circuit tower line, fault with a stuck breaker, and bus fault).

The following flowgates remain after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No impacts were found for this analysis)

The following flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.)

Light Load Potential Congestion due to Local Energy Deliverability

PJM also studied the delivery of the energy portion of this interconnection request. Any problems identified below are likely to result in operational restrictions to the project under study. The developer can proceed with network upgrades to eliminate the operational restriction at their discretion by submitting an Upgrade Request into the New Service Request process.

The following flowgates remain after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No impacts were found for this analysis)

The following flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.

(No flowgates were eliminated after considering the topology reinforcements required by the cycle.)

Short Circuit Analysis

Based on PJM’s Short Circuit Analysis, this project did not contribute >1% fault duty to previously identified overdutied breakers, nor did it cause any new overdutied breakers.

Stability Analysis

Analysis Complete - No Issues

Executive Summary

 

New Service Requests (projects) in PJM Transition Cycle 1, Cluster 24 are listed in Table 1 below. This report will cover the dynamic analysis of Cluster 24 projects.

 

This analysis is effectively a screening study to determine whether the addition of the Cluster 24 projects will meet the dynamics requirements of the NERC, EKPC and PJM reliability standards.

 

The load flow scenario for the analysis was based on the RTEP 2027 summer peak load case, modified to include applicable projects. Cluster 24 projects have been dispatched online at maximum power output and the voltage schedule set to achieve near unity power factor at the high side of the main transformer.

 

Cluster 24 projects were tested for compliance with NERC, PJM, Transmission Owner and other applicable criteria. Steady-state condition and 154 contingencies were studied, each with a 20 second simulation time period. Studied faults included:

       a)       Steady-state operation (20 second run);

       b)       Three-phase faults with normal clearing time;

       c)       Single-phase bus faults with normal clearing time;

       d)       Single-phase faults with stuck breaker;

       e)       Single-phase faults placed at 80% of the line with delayed (Zone 2) clearing at line end remote from the fault due to primary communications/relay failure;

       f)       Single-phase faults with loss of multiple-circuit tower line.

 

No relevant high speed reclosing (HSR) contingencies were identified for this study.

 

For all simulations, the Cluster 24 projects under study along with the rest of the PJM system were required to maintain synchronism and with all states returning to an acceptable new condition following the disturbance.

 

For all of the fault contingencies tested on the 2027 peak load case:

       a)       Cluster 24 projects were able to ride through the faults (except for faults where protective action trips a generator(s)),

       b)       The system with Cluster 24 projects included is transiently stable and post-contingency oscillations were positively damped with a damping margin of at least 3%.

       c)       Following fault clearing, all bus voltages recovered to a minimum of 0.7 per unit after 2.5 seconds (except where protective action isolates that bus).

       d)       No transmission element tripped, other than those either directly connected or designed to trip as a consequence of that fault.

 

AF1-233 and AF2-307 meet the 0.95 leading and lagging PF requirement.

 

The IPCMD and IQCMD states in the REGCAU model of AF1-233 GEN and AF2-307 GEN showed erratic behavior for some contingencies in which these generators have been disconnected as part of the contingency event. Since the machine is disconnected and no active or reactive power is injected into the system, these plots are ignored.

 

Dynamic simulations showed that AF2-307 inverter reactive power output was being limited by the inverter controls (REECA1) below the 0.95 dynamic power factor requirement. The issue was resolved in consultation with the developer  by adjusting the inverter control parameters as follows:

•       REECA1:

o       CON(J+15) = 2 (VMAX (pu), Max. limit for voltage control) from 1.1

o       CON(J+16) = 0 (VMIN (pu), Min. limit for voltage control) from 0.9

 

AF2-111 exhibited slow reactive power recovery within the 20 second simulation window for several contingencies. This issue did not cause instability in the system.

 

No mitigations were found to be required.

 

Table 1: TC1 Cluster 24 Projects

Cluster

Project

Fuel Type

Transmission Owner

MFO

MWE

MWC

Point of Interconnection

24

AF1-233

Solar

EKPC

188.5

188.5

113.1

Flemingsburg – Spurlock 138kV

AF2-307

Solar

EKPC

64.2

64.2

39.6

Hope – Blevins Valley Tap 69 kV

 

 

Reactive Power Analysis

The reactive power capability of AF1-233 meets the 0.95 leading and lagging PF requirement at the high side of the main transformer.

Steady-State Voltage Analysis

Steady State Voltage Analysis is Not Required.

New Service Request Dependencies

The New Service Requests below are listed in one or more dispatch for the overloads identified in this report. These projects contribute to the loading of the overloaded facilities identified in this report. The percent overload of a facility and cost allocation you may have towards a particular reinforcement could vary depending on the action of other projects. The status of each project at the time of the analysis is presented in the table. This list may change as other projects withdraw or modify their requests. This table is valid for load flow analyses only.

(No dependencies were identified)

Affected System - PJM Identified Violations

As part of PJM's analysis, PJM evaluated the potential impacts on tie line facilities between PJM and an affected system entity, which were identified per PJM planning analysis criteria. This upgrade may be required on the affected system portion of the tie line along with cost allocation of such upgrade if applicable, in coordination with the affected system. Depending on the affected system, this project may not be contingent on upgrade based on PJM planning analysis criteria, but may be contingent on this upgrade based on the Affected System Operator's planning criteria, provided in the Affected Systems Study Section, herein.

Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO)No Impact
New York Independent System Operator (NYISO)No Impact
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)No Impact
Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E)No Impact
Duke Energy Carolinas (DUKE)No Impact
Duke Energy Progress – East (CPLE)No Impact
Duke Energy Progress – West (CPLW)No Impact

Affected System - Non-PJM Identified Violations

In coordination with other Affected System Operators, PJM has determined that the Affected System Operator for this project that requires an Affected System Study. For the latest Affected System Study results pertaining this project, please refer to your Affected System Study report by the Affected System Operator. If the Affected System Operator identified the need for a system reinforcement on their system due to their planning criteria, Project Developer must follow the Affected System Operator Tariff for construction of the network upgrade. PJM lists any required network upgrades identified by the Affected System Operator in the PJM Project Developer’s GIA under Schedule F.

Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO)No Impact
New York Independent System Operator (NYISO)Not required
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)Not required
Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) Identified Impacts
Note: Please communicate with the Affected System Operator regarding the status of the Affected System Study for your project.
Duke Energy Carolinas (DUKE)Not required
Duke Energy Progress – East (CPLE)Not required
Duke Energy Progress – West (CPLW)Not required

System Reinforcements

No cost allocated system reinforcements were identified for this project in the Final System Impact Study load flow analysis.

Conversion from Impacts into Topology or Eliminated Reinforcements into Region Topology Contingent Reinforcements for AF1-233


AF1-233 Contributions into Topology or Eliminated Reinforcements:
TypeTORTEP ID / TO IDTitleTopo or ElimMW ImpactPercent AllocationCategoryAllocated Cost ($USD)
Contributions into Topology or Eliminated Reinforcement Total:$0
AF1-233 Contingent Region Topology Upgrades:
TORTEP IDTitleCategoryAllocated Cost ($USD)
Region Topology Upgrade Total:$0

Attachments

AF1-233 One Line Diagram

AF1-233 One Line Diagram.jpg
The state in which the generator or merchant transmission facility is located.
The Transmission Owner of the facility where the New Service Request project interconnects to the transmission system.
Winter load flow analysis will be performed starting in Transition Cycle 2.