According to a new report by Edison Electric Institute, Transmission Projects: At A Glance, electric utility companies invested nearly $58 billion (in 2008 dollars) in maintaining and expanding the nation’s electric transmission network between 2001 and 2008, and plan to invest at least another $56 billion (nominal dollars) from 2009 through 2020. This year marks the fourth publication of EEI’s Transmission Projects: At A Glance report.

This updated report highlights major EEI member company transmission projects either recently completed, currently under construction, or in various stages of the proposal/planning/siting process. Three broad categories of transmission investment are covered by projects in this year’s report: Transmission Line and Non-transmission Line Transmission System Investments, Transmission Supporting the Integration of Renewable Resources, and Transmission Related Smart Grid Projects.

The report includes a subset of future member company projects from 2009 through 2020, representative of various project investment category types, such as long-line, reliability, economic, and resource access (conventional and renewable) to present a broad perspective on the variety of transmission projects that EEI members currently have under construction or are planning.

Large, interstate projects in the report will account for approximately 10,000 circuit miles of transmission and represent $39 billion (nominal dollars) in investment. Highlighted projects that facilitate the integration of renewable resources will represent the addition or upgrade of nearly 12,900 circuit miles of transmission with an accompanying transmission investment cost of approximately $37 billion (nominal dollars). These types of transmission projects have the potential to address an array of purposes, including resource interconnection, reliability and congestion relief.

A brief profile of each participating EEI member company is included along with the representative projects provided. Information included for each project submitted includes a project map, brief description, estimated cost, current status, potential partners and intended benefits.

A low-resolution version of the entire report is available for online viewing. For printing purposes, high-resolution versions of each section of the report also are available.