Grid expansion plans get traction in the Northeast and West

By Peter Behr | 10/25/2024 06:50 AM EDT

But a report says utilities in the Southeast are ignoring the benefits of longer lines to import power.

Transmission lines in California are pictured.

Transmission lines in California are pictured. Oran Viriyincy/Flickr

Large-scale expansions of high-voltage electricity transmission are increasingly on the table for grid operators across most of the U.S., but a new analysis says the financial and regulatory hurdles remain significant.

The report, released Friday by Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG), gives its highest marks to grid planners in California and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the grid operator for 15 central U.S. states and Canada’s Manitoba province.

The report concluded that transmission planning by utilities in the Southeast was the least advanced.

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ACEG is supported by more than 60 utilities, energy industry suppliers and climate policy advocates. The group advocates for a significant grid expansion to help meet surges in demand from data center projects and new manufacturing plants. The group argues transmission would bolster regional defenses against extreme weather and boost the nation’s ability to ship more renewable energy to urban centers.

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