Electric Grid Operators Tell Panel They May Not Keep Pace With Demand

Electric transmission operators told a House panel on March 25 they’re hustling to meet growing demand and that without federal and state regulatory flexibility—especially in the Northeast—many will struggle to expand already-stressed grids to power an electrifying economy. “The nation’s transmission infrastructure is simply not ready for this accelerating future,” Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Executive Vice President Lanny Nickell said. SPP, a regional transmission organization (RTO) that serves 18 million ratepayers in 14 states, will need “five times the investment” it anticipated three years ago, he said in his testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Energy Subcommittee, adding, “Our industry is at a pivotal moment.”...