Utilities Seize Control of the Coming Boom in Transmission Lines
April 26, 2023
Just about everyone involved agrees that the grid needs an upgrade, including a plan for a new transmission line that would run south of Chicago, across northern Indiana and into Michigan.
What they don’t agree on is whether local utilities should have first priority to build and own these kinds of projects and collect decades of guaranteed income from their use. The alternative is to have a competitive bidding process, usually overseen by the grid operator, to decide who gets the contracts.
The issue is almost as obscure as it is important, with implications for how the grid will add enough transmission lines to accommodate growth in renewable energy.
