The Transmission Possible Newsletter |
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Welcome to the November Edition of the Transmission Possible Newsletter! Dive into this month’s issue, packed with the latest breakthroughs in transmission planning, regional updates, and FERC-related news. |
Electricity Affordability Debate Heats Up |
Conversations about electricity affordability are gaining traction — and nuance. Recent research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) sheds light on what’s really driving retail rate increases across the country.
The study emphasizes that price trends vary by region and are influenced by multiple factors — from distribution and transmission investments to fuel costs, extreme weather, and renewable deployment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that electricity prices have risen 5.1% year over year. At Transmission Possible, we’re continuing to track how research like this informs both public perception and policy decisions on transmission planning and oversight. Read the LBNL Report.
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| Federal Transmission Happenings |
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New FERC Chair Laura Swett Named
President Trump appointed Laura Swett as FERC Chair on October 24. Swett previously served as a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff attorney and private-sector energy lawyer. Her early statements signal a continued focus on grid reliability, energy affordability, and infrastructure modernization as key agency priorities heading into 2026.
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DOE Finalizes $1.6B Loan Guarantee for AEP Transmission Rebuild
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office has closed a $1.6 billion loan guarantee with American Electric Power (AEP) to rebuild and reconductor 5,000 miles of transmission lines across Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. This marks the first loan closure under the Energy Dominance Financing Program, established earlier this year. According to AEP, the upgrades will support rising demand from data centers, AI, and manufacturing growth, while improving reliability and saving customers an estimated $275 million in financing costs over the life of the loan. The project is expected to create roughly 1,100 construction jobs. Read More.
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DOE Proposes Rule to Expand FERC Oversight of Large Load Interconnection
The Department of Energy (DOE) issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) to FERC under Section 403 of the DOE Organization Act, proposing to expand federal oversight of large-load interconnections, including data centers and industrial facilities.
The proposal calls for FERC to: - Assert jurisdiction over large loads above 20 MW interconnecting to the transmission system
- Study generation and load together during interconnection,
- Allow participant funding for network upgrades, and
- Streamline interconnection for curtailable large loads.
The move, intended to address surging electricity demand from AI and industrial growth, has drawn mixed reactions from regulators and industry groups. FERC Commissioner David Rosner called it “a major step” toward modernizing interconnection policy. Comments are due November 21, with reply comments due December 5. |
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FERC Orders MISO to Clarify Treatment of Merchant Transmission Projects
FERC has directed the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) to clarify how and when merchant high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission projects—such as Invenergy’s Grain Belt Express—are incorporated into its transmission planning process. The order responds to Invenergy’s 2022 complaint that MISO failed to properly consider its 5-GW Grain Belt project, potentially leading to duplicative regional investments. FERC gave MISO 90 days to file tariff revisions detailing how merchant projects will be reflected in its MISO Transmission Expansion Plan (MTEP), including through base cases or sensitivity analyses. Commissioners emphasized that including merchant projects can improve cost efficiency, transparency, and consumer value in regional planning.
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Regional Transmission Updates |
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ISO-NE to Launch Asset Condition Reviewer Role
In response to state and consumer advocate feedback, ISO-New England is establishing a new independent asset condition review function to evaluate utility “rebuild” projects for demonstrated need and consideration of alternatives. The reviewer role, expected to launch in 2026, will provide independent verification but stop short of regulatory oversight—aiming to improve transparency in regional planning and asset management.
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Lawmakers Urge PJM to Strengthen Interconnection Reforms
A group of 21 US Representatives with PJM’s territory, led by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), sent a letter urging PJM Interconnection to accelerate reforms that make it easier to connect new clean energy projects to the grid. The lawmakers highlighted rising electricity costs in parts of PJM—some exceeding 20%—and called for rules that better incorporate battery storage, grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), and potentially “connect and manage” approaches used in other regions. The letter follows FERC’s July ruling that PJM’s interconnection filing did not fully comply with Order 2023 requirements, particularly around modeling storage and evaluating GETs. Lawmakers warned that PJM’s reliance on outdated study assumptions and high network upgrade costs is slowing progress and contributing to higher customer bills.
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MISO–SPP Seam Study Advances
MISO and SPP are jointly evaluating 30 potential projects along their four-state seam (AR, LA, OK, TX) as part of a coordinated planning effort that could produce the first interregional cost-shared transmission portfolio between the two regions. Draft recommendations are expected by December 12, with analyses focused on Order 1920 benefit categories, including adjusted production costs, reliability improvements, and transfer capability gains. Learn More.
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SPP Advances Consolidated Transmission and Interconnection Reforms
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has filed a proposal with FERC to consolidate its regional transmission planning and generator interconnection processes—an effort to streamline grid expansion and improve coordination across the central U.S. The new approach would integrate interconnection-driven network upgrades directly into SPP’s long-range transmission planning, ensuring more consistent modeling and cost allocation between projects. By merging these separate processes, SPP aims to reduce duplicative studies, shorten queue timelines, and provide greater transparency for developers and states. Learn More.
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SPP Finalizes $8.6 B Transmission Plan
After months of debate and multiple votes, SPP stakeholders approved the 2025 Integrated Transmission Plan, trimming $2.5 billion from the initial $11 billion proposal. The final $8.6 billion portfolio includes several 765 kV projects with benefit-cost ratios between 10:1 and 15:1, marking a record investment year for SPP.
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State Transmission Updates |
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AB 1280 – Climate Catalyst Financing Expansion
Status: Signed by Governor
Expands California’s Climate Catalyst Revolving Fund Program by creating a dedicated Clean Energy Transmission Financing Account overseen by the Energy Commission and CPUC. Eligible projects include high-voltage (≥200 kV) lines delivering clean resources to CAISO from constrained areas, with priority for projects not already approved in ISO planning. The bill also broadens support for industrial decarbonization and long-duration energy storage (excluding lithium-ion and pumped storage). Financing is conditioned on project labor agreements, prevailing wage, and community benefits. Aligns state financing tools with federal programs, including DOE’s SEFI authority and EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
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Massachusetts DPU & DOER Release Statewide GETs Study
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and Department of Energy Resources (DOER) released their first statewide Advanced Transmission Technologies (GETs) Study, assessing five technology categories: Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR), Advanced Power Flow Control (APFC), Transmission Topology Optimization (TTO), High-Performance Conductors (HPC), and Storage as Transmission. The report identifies HPCs and storage as best suited to the region’s needs but notes barriers including limited congestion, outdated modeling tools, and investor-owned utility business models.
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PUR-2025-00154 – Transmission Rebuild
Status: Filed with Virginia SCC
Dominion Energy Virginia seeks approval to rebuild 28 miles of 230 kV transmission lines in Henrico, Charles City, and New Kent Counties. The $146–186 million project would replace aging wood H-frame structures with steel monopoles and new conductors. Construction is slated for 2026–2028, with costs fully assigned to the Dominion Zone. |
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Updates From Our Coalition Partners |
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Resource: Powering the Fight — Lessons from the Grid at War
Converge Strategies | November 2025
Converge Strategies’ latest report, Powering the Fight: Lessons from the Grid at War, draws from the major wars of the past century to explore how the U.S. can strengthen the power grid for modern defense and resilience needs. The report highlights how collaboration between the federal government and the electricity industry has historically transformed the grid to meet national defense demands—and why that coordination is essential again today.
The paper outlines six key actions for policymakers, defense leaders, and utilities to prepare for future challenges, including interregional transmission expansion, interagency collaboration, and public-private financing tools to build a stronger, more flexible grid. |
Blog: PJM’s Speed to Power Problem and How to Fix It
RMI | November 2025
The mid-Atlantic electricity grid, operated by PJM and home to “data center alley”, urgently needs new generation to meet surging demand. RMI’s new blog, PJM’s Speed to Power Problem and How to Fix It, outlines how long interconnection study timelines and high transmission upgrade costs in PJM are slowing the process of bringing new generation online, contributing to the capacity crisis, and driving up electricity prices for customers. The blog proposes fast, low-cost solutions to bring queued resources online sooner, including implementation of automation software in the interconnection study process, reforming Energy Resource Interconnection Service, rigorous consideration of advanced transmission technologies throughout all study phases, and planning for and building more transmission.
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Blog: How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable RMI | October 2025
With state legislators passing new advanced transmission technologies laws, the ball is now in the hands of regulators and utilities. RMI’s new blog, How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable, explores how to get the most out of new state laws encouraging the deployment of advanced transmission technologies. Many utilities and utility commissions are new to incorporating these technologies in state planning, siting, and permitting processes. RMI’s article helps regulators navigate the evolving policy landscape and points them to resources that can help maximize the benefits of these new laws. Now it’s time to turn policy into performance and deliver the modern grid that the moment demands.
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Report: Eastern Canada–Northeast U.S. Interregional Transmission Planning Roadmap
Northeast Grid Planning Forum | September 2025
The Northeast Grid Planning Forum’s new report, written by Power Advisory, Eastern Canada–Northeast U.S. Interregional Transmission Planning Roadmap, provides a comprehensive framework for improving coordination between Eastern Canada and the U.S. Northeast to unlock clean energy, reliability, and economic benefits. The roadmap highlights how siloed planning across jurisdictions limits efficient power flows and renewable integration, and proposes pathways for aligning regulatory processes, planning tools, and stakeholder governance across borders. Key recommendations include developing a shared planning forum, harmonizing transmission cost-allocation methods, and prioritizing equity and community engagement in cross-border projects.
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Report: Community Powered Progress: A Pathway to Greater Community Participation in Transmission Infrastructure Projects
Northeast Grid Planning Forum | August 2025
The Northeast Grid Planning Forum’s report Community Powered Progress: A Pathway to Greater Community Participation in Transmission Infrastructure Projects, outlines how communities in the U.S. Northeast and Eastern Canada can move from passive bystanders to active partners in transmission infrastructure. The two-part analysis identifies four community‐benefit models—In-Kind Donations, Community Benefit Funds, Direct Ratepayer Benefits, and Ownership Participation—and outlines practical pathways for localities to negotiate equitable outcomes. Additionally, it also highlights that transmission projects spanning multiple jurisdictions require deeper engagement and new frameworks to ensure communities share in decision-making, cost savings, ownership, and long-term value. The report is unique in its approach on how it convened stakeholders, such as First Nations and other key communities, for a discussion on what they would like to see in terms of community benefits and involvement.
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Transmission spending is on the rise, but much of it occurs outside of regional planning and oversight — through local or “supplemental” projects that often receive limited scrutiny. Over the past decade, these investments have steadily increased, potentially costing consumers billions while delivering fewer grid-wide benefits.
In this recorded webinar hosted by Advanced Energy United, expert panelists explore how to close the current regulatory gap and promote smarter, more transparent transmission investment. The discussion highlights policy opportunities to improve accountability, strengthen regional planning, and ensure a more resilient, affordable, and sustainable grid for communities nationwide. Watch the Recording.
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Transmission News Roundup |
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