News

Introduced today in the Senate and the House of Representatives, the bill would support the buildout of much-needed electric transmission infrastructure

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, national business association Advanced Energy United endorsed the Building Integrated Grids With Inter-Regional Energy Supply (BIG WIRES) Act, introduced today by Senator Hickenlooper and Representative Peters. The bill would address the need for more reliable transmission infrastructure to reduce power outages and upgrade power sector infrastructure.

In an opinion piece to CommonWealth Magazine, Advanced Energy United’s Jeremy McDiarmid and Kat Burnham stressed the importance of a robust and resilient grid, highlighting the role New England governors have in building on state commitments to clean energy goals by taking a regional, holistic approach to developing the grid.

The utter devastation of summer flooding in New England and New York and the Canadian wildfire smoke that shrouded the Northeast in an orange haze in June shouts an inescapable truth louder than any voice: Climate change knows no geographic boundaries. Like it or not, the climate crisis is a global and regional issue. We’re in it together, and we’ll have to get out of it together.

Most New England states are committed to making progress on climate action, but states won’t meet their goals without a holistic approach. We need a drastic cut in carbon emissions and no amount of solar, wind, or electric vehicles will get us there without a robust, resilient, and dynamic grid across our states. Getting to 100 percent clean energy requires regional solutions, and New England governors should take the opportunity to show how it’s done.

New rule would establish the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits Program

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Advanced Energy United, a national association of businesses united in their mission to achieve 100% clean energy and electrified transportation in America, applauded a newly proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Energy that would create a program to streamline federal permitting processes.

In particular, the new program would put the Department of Energy in charge of coordinating all agencies involved in the environmental review process, and cap the process at two years.

“Transmission developers are facing inefficient and lengthy review processes to getting projects permitted and approved, leading to increased costs and delayed timelines,” said Caitlin Marquis, Managing Director at Advanced Energy United. “Electric transmission lines are the essential backbones of our power grid, and building more transmission leads to lower energy costs and improved grid reliability. A more efficient permitting program that maintains essential review processes will provide more certainty for developers and support a stronger, more resilient power grid.

1,350 more miles of electric transmission lines needed to meet Texas’ growing energy needs 

AUSTIN, TX – A new report by Texas-based energy analysis group IdeaSmiths LLC has modeled the most cost-effective path for the Texas electric grid to meet the state’s growing electricity needs by 2040, aiming to more effectively guarantee lower pricing for consumers. According to the report, keeping up with the demand for electricity will require the construction of approximately 1,350 miles of new transmission lines.

"The report lays out a clear, actionable roadmap for the ERCOT grid," says Matt Boms, Executive Director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA), which co-funded the report with national business association Advanced Energy United. "Our findings underscore the urgent need for modernizing Texas’s electricity infrastructure. Adopting this roadmap will lower electricity bills for millions of Texans, bolster grid reliability and create thousands of jobs in the Lone Star State." 

Utility Dive examines the role grassroots can play in leading the nation through its transmission obstacles, quoting Verna Mandez on the need for states to take more initiative.

As clean energy production ramps up, transmission reform is becoming a major priority for the renewables industry. Tens of thousands of megawatts of wind and solar capacity are in the interconnection queue, waiting to be able to connect to the grid.

The debt ceiling agreement reached by Congress and the White House earlier this month contained reforms to permitting, but not transmission. It instead requires the North American Electric Reliability Corp., or NERC, to study interregional transmission capacity needs between regions over 18 months.

“That will take time, it will take at least two years for that study to be completed,” Kasotia said in an interview. “So, personally, I do believe it’s going to delay meaningful action on transmission reform. I felt it was not a genuine request to address the transmission understanding or transmission knowledge that congressional members don’t have.”