Administration Announces Actions to Strengthen America’s Electric Grid

(WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET) The Biden-Harris Administration is launching a Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative, with commitments from 21 leading states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin. The initiative aims to bring together states, federal entities, and power sector stakeholders to help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces in the twenty-first century.

Participating states have committed to prioritize efforts that support the adoption of modern grid solutions to expand grid capacity and build modern grid capabilities on both new and existing transmission and distribution lines. Historically, expanding the capacity of the U.S. power grid has typically relied on building new transmission lines with technologies that have not changed since the mid-twentieth century. Today, a new generation of modern grid technologies provides a significant opportunity to achieve power system capacity expansion, including through high-performance conductors that have the benefit of being able to carry double or more of the amount of power of conventional transmission wires, as well as Grid Enhancing Technologies that maximize electricity transmission across the existing system through a family of technologies that includes sensors, power flow control devices, and analytical tools. These solutions increase the capacity and throughput based on real-time conditions. Deploying these tools means that renewables and other clean sources of power can be integrated sooner and more cost-effectively than waiting for new transmission construction, which will address load growth challenges more rapidly, create good-paying jobs, and lower Americans’ utility bills.

Alongside this announcement, the U.S. Climate Alliance announced the availability of policy, technical, and analytical assistance to help participating members advance state-level efforts to carry out these commitments. In conjunction, the Department of Energy is elevating the host of technical assistance programs that can support varying levels of analysis for utilities, policy makers, regulators, state energy offices, and other stakeholders.

In particular, the 21 states signing on as inaugural members will focus on:

• Meeting the shared challenges and opportunities of increased load growth, a rapidly changing energy landscape, aging infrastructure, and new grid-enhancing technologies – while delivering reliable, clean, and affordable energy to consumers.

• Deploying innovative grid technologies to bolster the capacity of our electric grid and more effectively meet current and future demand, maximize benefits of new and existing transmission infrastructure, increase grid resilience to the growing impacts of climate change, and better protect consumers from variability in energy prices.

NEMA’s President and CEO Debra Phillips issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement of its Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative:

Yesterday’s announcement from the Biden Administration echoes our view that urgent and widespread action is necessary to ensure our grid can function from top to bottom. Grid distribution is just as important and deserving of attention and investment as transmission. The Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative is an encouraging signal to unleash American ingenuity to better deliver electricity to all corners of the country to power our communities, boost our economy, and reduce emissions.

NEMA is appreciative that the Initiative specifically encourages a strong federal focus on grid innovation and awareness. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration on strengthening certain aspects of the Initiative to make it more comprehensive and holistic in its approach to emerging technologies.

NEMA member companies are at the forefront of grid innovations and manufacture the technologies that will enable a more efficient, resilient, and connected grid. When committed to common goals, innovative solutions can solve many of the transmission and distribution challenges our grid faces.