What’s the hold-up? That figure is included in the draft of the DOE’s latest National Transmission Needs Study, which breaks down line constraints and traffic jams throughout the country. What’s driving these (literal) gridlocks? 1) price variance between day-ahead and real-time markets 2) high net load 3) cold weather and 4) intermittent generation.
The fix? Interregional transmission is especially handy during peak periods, the DOE wrote, in addition to reducing electricity costs throughout the year. (It’s particularly valuable for ERCOT and its neighboring regions.)
Big spenders: Transmission investment over the past decade “varies considerably” by region, the agency pointed out. Who’s leading the charge: PJM East and ERCOT spent the most over that period ($3.5B and $2.1B per year), and ERCOT installed the most circuit-miles (over 20K)...more on that below.
Molly Glick
Energy Central Team
Thu, Jul 9