The electric power industry has for decades defined its mission in three words: Safe, affordable and reliable.
Now, a fourth term — one not typically associated with utility planning and regulation — is creeping its way into the lexicon: fast.
The latest example of how the quest for speed is playing out in the power sector came Thursday. The grid operator for the central U.S. gave the go-ahead for high-voltage transmission projects totaling $12.3 billion across its 14-state footprint — projects considered necessary to reliably meet growing electricity demand.
Of the 432 individual power lines representing almost 2,000 miles of high-voltage power lines approved by the board of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), 49 were projects totaling $5 billion of investment through “expedited” requests.
