DOE awards $1.3B for three new transmission lines crossing six states
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $1.3 billion for three transmission lines crossing six states, adding 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of additional grid capacity – enough to power approximately 3 million homes.
The projects are part of the $2.5 billion Transmission Facilitation Program, which was created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The three projects selected for awards include the Cross-Tie 500kV Transmission Line, a proposed 214-mile,1500 MW transmission line connecting existing transmission systems in Utah and Nevada to increase transmission capacity, improve grid reliability and resilience, relieve congestion on other key transmission lines, and expand access to renewable energy. The bidirectional nature of Cross-Tie will increase transfer capabilities in the West, unlocking increased access to renewable energy resources. Construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2025.
Another is the Southline Transmission Project, a proposed 175-mile, 748 MW transmission line from Hidalgo County, New Mexico to Pima County, Arizona. It will help unlock renewable energy development in southern New Mexico and deliver clean energy to growing markets in Arizona that currently rely on fossil fuel generation. The project will make smart use of existing transmission rights of way along parts of its route, upgrading aging transmission facilities that are the source of congestion and constraints. Construction is also expected to start in Q1 of 2025.
The third is the Twin States Clean Energy Link in Vermont and New Hampshire. The proposed 1,200 MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) bidirectional line that will expand the capacity of the New England electric grid and improve its resiliency, reliability, and efficiency by providing access to clean firm energy supplies in Quebec, Canada. The bidirectional design of the Twin States line will also allow the New England grid to export power to Canada when New England is producing more energy than it needs to meet its own demand, which is expected to occur as the offshore wind industry in New England expands. Construction is expected to start in the third or fourth quarter of 2026.
“This historic effort to strengthen the nation’s transmission will drive down costs for American families and deliver thousands of good paying jobs for American workers—helping communities keep the lights on in the face of climate change-induced extreme weather events,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said.
Also, the DOE released the final National Transmission Needs Study to provide insight into where the grid would benefit from increased transmission.
The study estimates that by 2035, the United States must more than double the existing regional transmission capacity and expand existing interregional transmission capacity by more than fivefold to achieve economy-wide decarbonization by 2050.
Among the key findings, the study said there is a need for additional electric transmission infrastructure in nearly all regions of the country to improve reliability and resilience, address high energy costs, and reduce congestion and constraints. Regions with historically high levels of congestion — like the Northwest, Mountain, Texas, and New York regions — as well as regions with unscheduled flows that pose reliability risks — California, Northwest, Mountain, and Southwest regions — need additional transmission deployment to reduce this congestion.
Further, it found that increasing interregional transmission is needed to move electricity from where it is available to where it is needed. It added that by 2030 large relative deployments of interregional transfer capacity are needed between the Delta and Plains, Midwest and Plains, and Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions to meet future demands of the power grid. And by 2040 there is a significant need for new interregional transmission between nearly all regions.
