Coalition signs Statement of Principles on modernizing electric transmission grid

A coalition of U.S. and Canadian electric power organizations recently signed a Statement of Principles for advancing the development of a modern electric transmission grid.

The Statement follows the International Summit on the Electric Transmission Grid held last month at the Embassy of Canada.

“The Summit brought together diverse industry voices to address the pressing need for advancing the inter-regional and cross-border grid of the future,” Brian Gemmell, president of WIRES and a vice president of transmission asset planning at National Grid. “The coming electrification of transportation and heating in the U.S. will require major new electric transmission infrastructure. We are calling for more leadership, cooperation, and investment at the federal, state, and regional levels to address the barriers that have inhibited the planning and execution of critical transmission projects that will be absolutely necessary to support the new electrified economy.”

The signatories of the Statement include WIRES, the Edison Electric Institute, the Solar Energy Industries Association, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, the Canadian Electricity Association, the Energy Systems Integration Group, the Great Plains Institute, GridWise Alliance, Inc., the National Electric Manufacturers Association and WaterPower Canada.

“ACEG is pleased to sign onto this statement of principles,” John Jimison, executive director of Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG), said. “We look forward to collaborating with our fellow signatories and other diverse interests to advance a more affordable, resilient, and sustainable grid.”

The agreed-upon principles urge policymakers in the United States and Canada at all levels to review and improve the regulation of the infrastructure that comprises the electrical grid. The principles encourage improvements to streamline economic and environmental review processes where possible, promote economic and energy efficiency, deliver environmental benefits, and ensure equitable sharing of the cost of necessary infrastructure as appropriate.

The principles also state that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Department of Energy and state economic regulators should, as applicable, evaluate the need to improve and revise regulatory processes, regulations and policies that govern the planning and cost allocation of high voltage electric transmission while balancing the public’s interest in expedition, cost savings, protection of the environment and an equitable sharing of burdens.

The organizations also agreed that the U.S. states and Canadian provinces and territories that adopt renewable electric generation requirements for their domestic utilities and other generators should take into account the extent to which these policies necessitate additional transmission lines and the deployment of advanced technologies.

The principles also state that industry leaders and public policymakers in both countries must ensure that investment in grid infrastructure responds effectively to threats from extreme weather and cyber intrusion.