A new report from The Brattle Group has highlighted how the US Mid-Atlantic states have multiple avenues for developing critical transmission lines they can act on.
The study, commissioned by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition (MAREC Action), identifies seven pathways for proactive transmission planning to reduce consumer, system-wide, and generator interconnection costs; create more certainty for generation development; and help states achieve clean energy goals, including offshore wind timelines.
“The benefits of expanding the US grid to deliver affordable, clean power to all Americans are clear, and there are a lot of options to help plan and execute these upgrades,” said ACORE president and chief executive Ray Long.
“Time is of the essence, and our report lays out the opportunities for states to maximize the benefits of proactive planning, particularly for offshore wind.”
Pathways to Coordination: Proactive, State-Led Transmission Development to Reduce Costs and Achieve Goals in PJM explores the importance of state leadership in proactive planning and opportunities for multi-state collaboration, including: Benefits of proactive planning, pathways and legal authority for state-led transmission planning and how to avoid the long timelines associated with the current reform efforts in the PJM (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection) region
“Coordinated transmission development can reduce the cost of achieving state policy goals,” said The Brattle Group manager Joe DeLosa III.
“Available options range from targeted single-state procurements to broader interregional opportunities, providing states several lower-cost pathways to more-effectively meet individual and collective near-term needs.”
Of the seven scenarios identified, a multi-state, multi-driver approach to proactive planning would produce the broadest benefits, but according to the report, states will ultimately need to evaluate each option in their ongoing efforts to achieve their public policy goals.
The study also evaluates potential options to extend planning collaboration beyond regional borders to further maximize its benefits, such as through the ongoing progress of the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission.
While the benefits from proactive planning are significant, the report emphasises these benefits erode as planning is further delayed.
“The goal of this report is to empower states to set their own direction on transmission planning to address multiple needs – reliability, economic growth, clean energy deployment, extreme weather resilience – in the most efficient way possible,” said MAREC Action executive director Evan Vaughan.
“Building offshore wind at scale in the next decade is essential to meeting electricity demand in a clean and reliable manner, but transmission planning must start today.
“This report offers policymakers pathways to work more closely with neighboring states and to insist on proactive, multi-value transmission planning through PJM.”