Billions in capital spending taking place to prepare for electrification, natural disasters

There is a renewed interest in construction of high-voltage direct-current transmission lines as they are viewed as an ideal solution to deliver far away wind and solar energy, and to stabilize intermittent renewable power, concepts backed by a recent report prepared for the Energy Information Administration.

With Northern California’s deadly wildfires mostly contained, investigators are moving to preserve evidence in the search for the cause of the blazes. Affected homeowners have filed lawsuits alleging that inadequate power-line maintenance may have played a role.

Investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure would be a better way to make the electric grid more resilient and reliable, representatives of a variety of energy interests told the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s energy subcommittee at recent hearings.

Power has been restored to about 5% of customers in Puerto Rico after nearly all of the island’s 1.57 million customers were left in the dark on Sept. 20, when Hurricane Maria left the power grid in shambles.