More than 100,000 Maine residents were left without power for over 48 hours in March due to damaged transmission lines caused by an ice storm. While extreme weather can make power outages seem random or unpreventable, insufficient transmission is increasingly becoming a challenge facing the energy grid.
A poorly supported, planned, and maintained transmission grid will threaten reliability and result in higher electricity prices for everyday people. According to the Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office, 70% of our nation’s existing transmission lines are over 25 years old. This means the vast majority of America’s grid infrastructure is approaching the back half of its 50-year-average lifespan and is desperately in need of an upgrade.
It is abundantly clear that we need additional transmission. In fact, even more moderate projections estimate that capacity will need to increase by close to 60% by 2035 to meet increasing demand. Unfortunately, as load growth projections continue to rise faster than anticipated, the construction of new transmission lines is not keeping pace. This is particularly true for larger regional and interregional transmission lines, which can take more than a decade just to get permitted.
For context, since 2014, China has built 260 gigawatts of high-capacity interregional transmission, while the United States has only built three gigawatts — not to mention that we have 2,600 gigawatts of generating capacity waiting to be approved and finalized. Considering a single gigawatt is enough energy to power about 750,000 homes, that’s a significant amount. It’s clear we will need more transmission to meet demand, ensure reliability, reduce costs, and support the effort to bring cleaner energy sources online.
Improving and expanding transmission diversifies the energy generation sources available to the power grid. This reduces our reliance on any single type of energy and provides vital support during times of crisis by mitigating the impact of transmission line failures or outages caused by congestion, which overloads the line and limits the amount of electricity that can be delivered.
For example, if one region is experiencing extreme weather and dealing with exceptionally high demand or increased congestion, a neighboring region could supply energy as a backup to avoid supply shortfalls and price surges. This diversification of energy sources and their geographical locations is the cornerstone of resilience, reliability, and energy security.
Moreover, a well-connected grid encourages healthy competition among electricity generators, ultimately driving down costs for consumers. By allowing different types of generators to vie for market share, utility companies can select the most affordable options, translating to savings for households and businesses alike. It also opens up the market during times of high demand, allowing lower-cost energy to flow into areas with increased demand and avoid the aforementioned congestion.
A study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab looking at long-term annual averages found the economic benefit of a single regional or interregional transmission line to be $130 million. Further, a more robust transmission grid could lower energy bills by 2%, and for every $1 billion invested in large-scale transmission infrastructure, we can create $2 billion to $3 billion in customer benefits. Not to mention that, with a broader transmission network, rural communities can more readily sell their surplus electricity to densely populated city centers, providing a robust economic opportunity for these communities.
Lastly, it’s crucial to understand that investment in our transmission infrastructure is not just about convenience or cost savings — it is about safeguarding America’s critical infrastructure. Military installations, fire departments, hospitals, and police stations — our front lines in times of crisis — all rely on uninterrupted power to fulfill their essential roles. Strengthening our transmission grid protects these vital institutions, ensuring they can continue to serve and safeguard our communities without interruption.
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Despite the debate about the type of energy the U.S. should be using, there should be near unanimous agreement that increasing generation, from natural gas to renewables to nuclear energy, goes hand-in-hand with transmission buildout. We need a more robust transmission infrastructure to carry more electricity to more places, and we must make it easier to do so by streamlining the government red tape that’s holding these important projects back.
Investing in transmission is not just a matter of convenience — it is a strategic move that can increase the reliability of the grid and present us with substantial economic opportunities. It is time we recognize the pivotal role of our country’s transmission infrastructure and acknowledge its ability to shape a more secure, efficient, clean, and reliable energy landscape for all.
Morgan Brummund is the government affairs director for the American Conservation Coalition. Connor Marley is the policy manager for the Conservative Energy Network.