Power Grid Under Pressure: Is U.S. Transmission Infrastructure Ready for the Surge in Energy Demand?

The demand for power is growing, but is the bulk transmission’s infrastructure ready for it? This past summer saw peak demands setting records followed by next-day power prices setting their own records, but there weren’t any records set for adding to the transmission infrastructure. Interestingly a slew of experts said we needed more technology. Granted technology has helped us keep our heads above water, but as the old-timers have always said, “there’s no substitute for wire in the air.”

That’s not to say grid-enhancing technologies aren’t really needed, they are. But how can technology bring clean energy from remote generation where there’s not a transmission line in sight? How can technology move nearly 12,000 renewable generation and storage projects out of the interconnection queue logjam? If it gets out of the queue it meets a power grid that’s not ready for it. There’s lots of competition for the limited capacity available from all of the other grid clients.

Another issue is the variability of load growth forecasts. They’re all over the scale when it comes to yearly growth rates utilities can expect. Projections range anywhere from two to three percent, up to five or six percent per year. One thing is certain, the era of flat power demand is over. One other talking point affecting this picture is that our aging power grid is being challenged to meet everyone’s needs. Basically, it’s still a case that we need more wire in the air.

A new approach is needed

Unfortunately the traditional processes used for adding that wire to the bulk transmission infrastructure are handicapped. The average transmission line project takes about ten years to go from start to finish, and that’s with no issues. If the transmission line crosses state lines or are interregional, all bets are off. That’s a can of worms that increases the order of difficulty exponentially, since states have been known not to play well with each other. Several novel approaches have been suggested for speeding up the system, but the “priority” transmission corridor seems to be the most promising.

It’s an approach that’s a combination of common sense and innovation. It’s a proactive method to identify specific problem rights-of-way (ROW) and get them preapproved as priority corridors. It’s a positive approach to sensitive issues that interregional and/or multiple state transmission projects represent. This tactic is a proven method for streamlining and expediting these critical processes. It’s being used by developers with experience transporting large blocks of power over extreme distances in Europe, China, and Great Britian to name a few.

With the push for energy independence, there’s growing interest in priority corridors that has attracted federal attention. Interestingly, FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) has jurisdiction over permitting of interstate oil and gas pipelines, but that doesn’t extend to electric transmission lines. Several experts point out permitting for new gas/oil pipelines is more efficient and happens much faster than electric transmission lines do. Some see that FERC not having authority for electric transmission lines is a deterrent for interregional renewable energy transmission projects.

Growing regulatory support

This is illustrated in several topical publications from the DOE (Department of Energy) like the DOE’s October 2023 “National Transmission Needs Study.” It reported there’s a pressing need for more transmission infrastructure in nearly all of the regions of North America. DOE indicated some regions were enduring consistently higher prices for electricity. It went on to say, this transmission shortfall is “harming consumers and affecting grid resilience.”

In early May of this year, the DOE followed up with a proposal for a “national interest” electric transmission corridor (NIETC) designation process. The DOE’s strategy started with ten NIETCs. They represented the most critical transmission pathways prone to congestion. Those ten NIETCs total roughly 4,000 miles of designated transmission pathways. They provide a framework for rapidly expanding the bulk transmission system and could qualify for direct loans under DOE’s Transmission Facility Financing program.

A few days later, FERC published its Order 1920 (Final). It addresses improvement of North America’s regional and interregional planning transmission policy. It’s the longest order FERC has written to date with over 1,300 pages. It’s easy to get lost in it, but it does have some far reaching changes that make it worth the effort. It’s focused on making the long-term transmission planning process more efficient. Modernizing regional and interregional planning approaches are seen as one of the most critical processes for the fast and efficient means of increasing the transmission infrastructure.

In the months following the Order 1920, there was both support and questioning from the states about implementing the Order. One example of support was a letter written in June by the governors of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersy, and Illinois to PJM. It recognized FERC’s Order 1920 and asked PJM to support FERC’s directive and coordinate with states and stakeholders. Shortly after that, PJM announced “they were beginning the development of scenarios for long-term transmission planning as a first priority in complying with Order 1920.”

On a related note, FERC issued its Order 2023 streamlining the interconnection process. It also addresses the backlog of renewable generation and energy storage projects in the interconnection queue. NIETCs will help those clean energy projects clearing the queue and being readied for construction and operation. The projects and the NIETCs are needed by utilities and grid operators to meet their growing requirements for clean energy and transmission assets. This would be a good opportunity for “Charging Ahead” to talk with an expert on renewable energy transmission projects in defined power corridors.

Purposeful expansion 

We contacted David Getts, the general manager of SouthWestern Power Group (SWPG) to talk about the RioSol Transmission and SunZia Transmission lines, which are currently the largest parallel energy delivery projects in the U.S. Mr. Getts started the discussion

saying, “RioSol Transmission and SunZia Transmission were conceived and developed by SWPG. The two lines were co-developed in the planning, permitting, and their parallel routes. They share a history, and will be built in the same transmission corridor, but each transmission line serves a unique purpose. The SunZia project is VSC-HVDC (volt source converter - high-voltage direct current), and the Rio Sol project is HVAC (high-voltage alternating current).”

Getts continued, “SunZia is rated ±525 kV, 3,000 megawatts (MWs) transmission line and is owned by Pattern Energy. Being an HVDC line, it will transport wind generated electricity directly from New Mexico to the Pinal Central substation in Arizona. From this point, Pattern Energy has firm transmission rights on the existing transmission system to deliver the energy to the Palo Verde hub for sale to California. The RioSol project is rated 500 kV, 1,500 MWs transmission line and is owned by SWPG. It too will be operating as a regional transmission project also likely transporting wind generated electricity from New Mexico to Arizonia, but with an important difference.”

Mr. Getts explained, “Being an HVAC transmission line, RioSol offers some unique opportunities for the utilities along its right-of-way that HVDC does not. It can be easily tapped to deliver this clean energy to utilities along the way. Interconnection requests have been made with El Paso Electric, Tucson Electric Power, and Arizona Public Service. In addition, RioSol is considering to interconnect with some other power companies in New Mexico and Arizona. Also a project review group has been formed. Preliminary studies have begun, and FERC has given the project approval for negotiated rate authority and an open solicitation to select anchor tenants. There is a great deal of interest from utilities and from the wind/solar communities in the project.”

Rapid expansion

Ultra-high capacity transmission lines are ideal for NIETC pathways. One such is Invenergy Transmission’s Grain Belt Express project. It’s a VSC-HVDC transmission line that will transport 5,000 megawatts of clean energy from Kansas to Indiana when completed. DOE’s Midwest-Plains NIETC gives a rough approximation of the total project’s ROW for interested readers.

Phase 1 is approximately 542 miles (872 km) long running from windfarms in Kansas to Missouri. The transmission line is ±600 kV 2,500 megawatt HVDC bi-pole, bi-directional VSC-HVDC with technology supplied by Siemens Energy. Construction is expected to begin in 2025. Phase 2 runs approximately 278 miles (447 km) continuing on from Missouri to Indiana. It will be rated 2,500 megawatts giving the project’s total capacity of 5,000 megawatts of clean energy.

FERC has recognized the advantages of integrating regulatory reform with grid enhancing technologies and their latest Orders offer a lot of potential when it comes to modernization of the power grid. Order 1920 and 2023 along with the NIETC proposal have a lot going for them. There’s a variety of reforms, changes and the encouragement to implement available advanced transmission technologies in new projects for expanding the bulk transmission infrastructure. The biggest hurdles are legacy thinking and political obstacles, but we need to use common sense and innovation to improve the power grid!