Full Title: Unlocking U.S. Transmission Upgrades – Are We On the Cusp of Real Progress? - Bridging the Gap Between Planning and Permitting
Author(s): Chris Jones, Adrienne Thompson, Josh Combs, Judy Jagdmann, Bill Derasmo, Fred Wilson, and Andy Flavin
Publisher(s): Troutman Pepper
Publication Date: November 27, 2023
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
In recent decades, the U.S. has not been able to construct the volume of high-voltage backbone transmission facilities needed to support the country’s move to a ‘greener’ power system. The fact remains, though, that power generation infrastructure in the U.S. is changing fast with the growth of technologies including solar and wind power generation, as well as energy storage. Facilitating that change will require a grid that is able to reliably and cost-effectively deliver power to users. The inability to build backbone transmission infrastructure thwarts customer demands for a ‘greener’ power mix.
This report offers perspectives from a range of transmission experts about where the major roadblocks exist. They also examine the latest regulatory and legal changes that promise to bring greater unity between the divergent federal planning and state siting and permitting processes; and give hope that the U.S. can, belatedly, bridge the gaps that have delayed much-needed upgrades to the transmission system.