Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG)

"Federal transmission policy needs to adapt to this changing world. As we rebuild from the most recent storms, we can’t rely on the same old process and priorities; we need to make sure that we do it in a way that enhances the grid’s reliability and interconnection. That will take federal action from both the executive and legislative branches of the government — ideally before January," says Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) Executive Director Christina Hayes in a new op-ed. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/esJJZSEv

America’s economic future depends on a resilient, interconnected grid. The Organization of MISO States, Inc. (OMS) and the ORGANIZATION OF PJM STATES INC (OPSI) sent a second letter to MISO and PJM, pushing for a deeper commitment to "greater collaboration on interregional transmission."  Their message is clear: smaller, incremental projects won’t be enough to address today’s challenges. The U.S. needs large-scale transmission lines to strengthen the grid and connect low-cost resources to help meet growing demand. Notably, OMS and OPSI called on the grid operators to split their interregional study into two phases and to use a 20-year planning horizon in future studies beyond Phase I. In short: align future interregional planning requirements with Order 1920. A longer-term planning horizon can help lay the foundation for a future-ready grid, helping ensure long-term resilience, support economic growth, and drive consumer savings. In fact, a study from the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and Grid Strategies LLC found that expanded transmission between MISO and PJM could save consumers more than $15 billion by reducing the need for power plant capacity, as well as ongoing savings that could exceed $1 billion per year by allowing more affordable power to flow across a broader geographical area. Big lines can deliver big benefits. "The need to reliably serve retail load during normal and emergency circumstances requires us to better collaborate and jointly plan with neighboring balancing authorities to ensure reliable power systems are resilient and affordable." -OMS President Joshua Byrnes and OPSI President Emile Thompson Other key recommendations: ⚡ Evaluate increased numbers of interfaces ⚡ Consider using a joint model for future studies ⚡ Issue a bimonthly report on study milestones ⚡ Continue evaluating all solutions to improve interregional efficiencies Check out the full letter here ➡ https://lnkd.in/e2RECwAe And the ACORE/Grid Strategies study here ➡ https://lnkd.in/e6Avsyaw

ICYMI: Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) hosted a webinar yesterday about how regions are shaping up in their compliance with FERC Order No. 1920, with a particular focus on the new interim regional planning report card from ACEG and Grid Strategies LLC. Read more about what was said in the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/ec3f8QiZ

An excellent Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) report assessing regional progress on planning for a 21st century grid that can meet new load growth, provide reliable power in a world with greater grid disruptions from extreme weather, and drive rural economic development. While some progress, American needs a lot more.

A year after our initial report card on transmission planning, we’re seeing encouraging progress across several regions, with promising steps toward long-term reform. However, many reforms are still in early stages, and it remains to be seen how they’ll shape future transmission development outcomes. Read more in our new interim report card: https://lnkd.in/ePgRDs5T

🗓 WEBINAR: Join us on Monday, October 28 for a conversation on regional transmission planning. A year after publishing the initial transmission planning and development report card, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) is issuing a new interim review of regional transmission planning processes updates planning practices and reforms that are underway. Transmission planners are supposed to comply with the long-term regional transmission planning requirements in FERC Order No. 1920 by June 2025. This webinar will check in on the current state of transmission planning and highlight how each region is handling compliance so far. Featuring a great lineup of speakers: ➡️ Christy Walsh, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) ➡️ Larry Gasteiger, WIRES ➡️ Rob Gramlich, Grid Strategies LLC ➡️ Christina Hayes, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) Register now! https://bit.ly/4eNJEEE

More frequent extreme weather events like winter storms and hurricanes demonstrate the need for more interregional transmission. "This ability to get electricity from one part of the country to another is ever more important as America’s grid is lashed by increasingly extreme weather. The grid has been hit over and over by powerful storms this year. Taken together, hurricanes Helene and Milton knocked out power for nearly 11 million customers across the Southeast, and thousands are still in the dark," says a new article from CNN. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gHe4Nf6S

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the second round of Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program awardees, totaling up to $2 billion across 38 projects and impacting more than 950 miles of transmission. These projects will create nearly 6,000 new jobs and enable the addition of more than 7.5 GW of grid capacity.   Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/e_EzBjRc

🔌Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decided on rehearing requests related to Order No. 1977 (FERC backstop siting) and ruled on Public Service Company of Colorado, et al. and Association of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity, et al. Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/eND_4gYa

Be sure to tune in Oct. 28 1-2pm for an update on the status of regional transmission planning compliance. Insightful commentary from transmission policy experts, including WIRES Executive Director Larry Gasteiger. #gridofthefuture #transmission #cleangrid #grid #gridreliability