Regional power transmission providers in the US would have to extend planning over a 20-year horizon to identify building needs based on developing changes in generation and demand—under a proposed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rule the agency approved April 21 to gain feedback for the country's needed grid infrastructure upgrade and expansion to accommodate new and cleaner energy sources.
Last year, $15 billion in transmission projects entered into service, according to a FERC market report. In a post-meeting statement, newly-named Commissioner Willie Phillips said some 1,300 GW of solar, wind and energy storage capacity awaited interconnection as of last December. The PJM Interconnection system, which serves all or parts of 13 eastern and midwest states, has some 250 GW of power projects backlogged for connection and announced a recent major change in its approval process.