Seventy-Two Diverse Consumer Organizations from Across the Nation Urge FERC to Support Competition on Electricity Transmission Projects to Reduce Costs to Ratepayers

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Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition

Oct 14, 2021, 18:52 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In its filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the ANOPR "Building for the Future Through Electric Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generation Interconnection," consumer organizations representing thousands of manufacturing companies and residential consumers urge FERC to ensure that new electricity transmission projects are competitively bid and reduce ratepayer cost increases. Competition in the development of new transmission projects is the only means to achieve greater reliability at lower costs in a manner that results in fewer emissions.

Annual transmission spending has increased from $95 billion in 2014 to $170 billion in 2020, a 79 percent increase, while electricity demand increased only 2.3 percent (see figure 1).[1] Only about 3 percent of electric transmission projects face competition. Transmission additions subject to competition have projected cost reductions of up to 33 percent.[2]      

Figure 1: Comparison of Transmission Investment by Region 2014 – 2020 ($ millions)[3]

Year

CAISO

FRCC

ISO-NE

MISO

NYISO

PJM

SERC

SPP

WECC

Yearly Total

2014

$7,964

$1,646

$6,347

$15,373

$22,896

$20,373

$7,504

$6,015

$7,044

$95,163

2015

$11,533

$2,228

$7,043

$17,187

$23,858

$24,957

$8,007

$6,622

$7,395

$108,831

2016

$13,015

$2,472

$7,665

$20,072

$24,303

$29,554

$8,616

$7,265

$7,859

$120,821

2017

$15,137

$2,700

$8,259

$22,846

$25,645

$33,877

$9,003

$7,832

$8,227

$133,526

2018

$15,594

$2,851

$8,823

$25,197

$26,660

$37,542

$10,067

$8,508

$8,543

$143,784

2019

$16,217

$3,030

$9,545

$27,206

$27,740

$42,319

$10,834

$8,931

$8,950

$154,773

2020

$17,481

$3,115

$10,269

$30,532

$29,796

$48,799

$11,568

$9,292

$9,240

$170,092

Grand Total

$96,941

$18,042

$57,950

$158,414

$180,899

$237,421

$65,600

$54,465

$57,257

$926,989

About the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition

The Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition is a broad-based and diverse coalition of large intensive energy users, non-incumbent transmission developers, state consumer advocates, public power representatives, and others, that support transmission competition in electric transmission planning.

[1] Electricity, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), www.eia.gov
[2] "Cost Savings Offered by Competition in Electric Transmission," The Brattle Group, April 2019, page 19, https://brattlefiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/15987_brattle_competitive_transmission_report_final_with_data_tables_04-09-2019.pdf
[3] S&P Global Market Intelligence Regulatory Research Associates Regulatory Focus:  An Overview of Transmission Ratemaking in the U.S. – 2021 Update

SOURCE Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition

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