Sign up for updates
Who benefits from a stronger electric transmission grid?
What is meant by "transmission grid congestion"?
Is congestion a costly problem?
What is a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor?
Who determines where new transmission lines are needed?
What do the experts say?
Do we have enough electricity to meet future demand?
Who pays for transmission lines?
Does the federal government have the right to force states to build transmission lines?
Are Environmental Impact Studies Required?
How safe are transmission lines?
Why not build the lines underground?
How will land be acquired for these types of projects?
Will the construction of transmission lines result in increased emissions from coal-fired power plants?
Will increased transmission lines help or hurt the move toward renewable energy sources?
Many environmental advocates say that new transmission lines are not needed. They say that energy conservation, demand-side management and the development of renewable energy sources will eliminate the need for new transmission lines. Is this an accurate statement?
Q: Who benefits from a stronger electric transmission grid?
Anyone who relies on an affordable and dependable supply of electricity to run their homes, power their businesses and enjoy the benefits of today's technologies.
Back to Top
Q: What is meant by "transmission grid congestion"?
Congestion describes the situation when the flow of electricity on the transmission system is constrained by the physical capacity of the line or associated equipment, such as transformers. These congestion points or "bottlenecks" can limit the flow of power from one region to another, in much the same way that a three-lane highway reduced to two lanes will restrict the flow of traffic.
Back to Top
Q: Is congestion a costly problem?
Electricity congestion directly translates into higher electricity bills and reduced reliability. In fact, a national study by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), urges that "we do everything we can to facilitate investment in new generation and transmission capacity." DOE has estimated that congestion costs U.S. consumers about $8 billion per year.
Back to Top
Q: What is a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor?
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 required the DOE to designate National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) in areas with significant transmission congestion and granted the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to oversee their utilization. State regulatory commissions continue to have primary decision-making power to authorize transmission projects within such corridors.
Back to Top
Q: Who determines where new transmission lines are needed?
In the Mid-Atlantic States, regional transmission organizations (RTOs) have been established and regulated by FERC. These RTOs have planning authority for deciding that new lines are needed. After an RTO decides that new lines are needed, electric utilities must then ask state utilities commissions for permission to build the lines.
Back to Top
Our region has been designated a "Critical Congestion Area" by DOE. Various industry experts have concluded that regional electric reliability could be compromised as early as 2011 without new transmission lines. This also would affect the cost and availability of electricity.
Back to Top
Q: Do we have enough electricity to meet future demand?
The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) predicts a 19-percent increase in peak electric demand over the next decade and warns that investment is needed in all areas of the electric system, from power plants to transmission lines. NERC indicates that as congestion on the transmission grid increases, the ability to meet demand will become increasingly difficult even if the needed power plants are built.
Back to Top
Q: Who pays for transmission lines?
Ultimately, all electricity consumers pay for transmission services as part of their electric bills. Across the nation, there are many different cost allocation processes involved that control who pays for new investments in transmission.
Back to Top
Q: Does the federal government have the right to force states to build transmission lines?
No. Under EPAct '05, the federal government in the form of FERC has the authority to approve transmission line projects if states are unable to do so and FERC determines that those lines are vital to electric reliability in the region. But the provision that gives FERC such authority is intended as a "last resort" in the event that transmission congestion is not being addressed in a timely manner by the states involved.
Back to Top
Q: Are Environmental Impact Studies Required?
Definitely. The final route selection for a proposed transmission line is based on extensive engineering studies and assessments to determine the route that will have the least environmental impact. These evaluations must show that the proposed line will comply with all federal and state environmental requirements
Back to Top
Q: How safe are transmission lines?
They are perfectly safe. There have been countless studies over the years, including one by the National Academy of Sciences, to determine possible health effects from transmission lines and no ill health effects have been documented.
Back to Top
Q: Why not build the lines underground?
There are no underground lines of the size needed — 500 kilovolts — built in the US for a number of reasons. It takes six underground lines to equal the capacity of a single overhead line. What's more, if damaged, underground lines can take weeks to repair; a fact which could seriously jeopardize the stability of the grid. Moreover, underground lines are not invisible. Each underground line requires 30 to 50 feet of rights-of-way stripped of all vegetation and trees and the amount of excavation needed is far greater than that needed for an overhead line. For this reason, underground lines can cost up to ten times more to build.
Back to Top
Q: How will land be acquired for these types of projects?
Typically, utilities negotiate directly with private property owners to acquire the necessary rights-of-way and experience shows that fair and reasonable agreements are reached after an extensive appraisal process that takes into account the features of each particular property. It is in the interest of the utility to make every effort to reach agreements quickly and fairly.
Back to Top
Q: Will the construction of transmission lines result in increased emissions from coal-fired power plants?
No. Emissions of are controlled by the federal Clean Air Act which sets specific operating limits and parameters for coal-fired power plants. In addition, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has recently passed the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) which will result in significant further reductions in such emissions over the next eight years. Emissions from existing coal-fired plants will be limited independent of any transmission projects. In addition, any new coal-fired plants must comply with even more stringent Clean Air Act emissions controls. Accordingly, new transmission lines will not result in greater air emissions due to these independent, federally-mandated reductions in emissions to which all generators are subject. Emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and various oxides of nitrogen will significantly decrease under CAIR in the eastern United States whether or not new transmission is constructed.
Back to Top
Q: Will increased transmission lines help or hurt the move toward renewable energy sources?
New transmission lines will mean an increased capacity to distribute electricity from sustainable energy sources like solar, wind, hydro power and biomass as well as from new clean coal technologies. There is very large potential for wind power generation in the middle of the U.S. Unfortunately, there is little transmission capable of delivering that energy to large population centers in the Mid-Atlantic States.
Back to Top
Q: Many environmental advocates say that new transmission lines are not needed. They say that energy conservation, demand-side management and the development of renewable energy sources will eliminate the need for new transmission lines. Is this an accurate statement?
No. We believe that three key elements are critically needed to maintain and continue the reliable delivery of electricity to customers. Those three elements are; 1) effective energy conservation, and development of renewable energy sources, 2) construction of local electric generation plants and, 3) construction of new transmission lines. Each element is absolutely necessary to ensure that customers will continue receiving reliable power in the future.
Back to Top