America’s Electric Power Transmission Crisis

Energy Policy Now

Long-distance electric transmission lines are a critical to the energy transition, yet construction of new lines has come to a near standstill in the U.S. Rob Gramlich of Grid Strategies discusses recent market and regulatory action to resurrect transmission development.
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Electric transmission line mileage will need to triple by the middle of this century to make a net-zero carbon grid a reality, according to estimates cited by the U.S. Department of Energy. Yet new transmission development has plummeted over the past decade, while efforts to spur new construction of long-distance power lines have largely come up short.

Rob Gramlich, president of power sector consultancy Grid Strategies and a frequent expert witness on grid issues before Congress, discusses transmission’s critical role in making the grid of the future clean and reliable, and the reasons behind the development slowdown. He reviews the results of a recent report card analysis of transmission development activity across the country, and highlights efforts among grid operators and regulators to incentivize new development.

Rob Gramlich is president of power sector consultancy Grid Strategies.

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