Midwest utilities are lobbying FERC to pause competitive bidding for regionally planned, high-voltage transmission projects. (E&E News)
Xcel, Ameren, ITC, and ATC want to suspend “Order 1000,” the landmark rule behind the traditional bidding process. Their POV? It’s too slow to meet data center demand.
A bidding shift would essentially hand incumbent utilities a "right of first refusal," potentially enabling them to monopolize the construction of highly lucrative regional power lines within their service territories.