Reforming Transmission Planning and Cost Management

Featuring:

[Opening Remarks] Mark Christie, Commissioner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Moderator] Devin Hartman, Director, Energy and Environmental Policy, R Street Institute

Sarah Freeman, Commissioner, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission

Kent Chandler, Chairman, Kentucky Public Service Commission 

Jason Stanek, Chairman, Maryland Public Service Commission

Overview

Consumers value prudent electric transmission investment in which costs are justified by greater benefits like reliability and generation cost savings. However, of the $20-$25 billion spent on transmission development each year, over 90 percent is built without competition or economic scrutiny from regulators. For example, local and “reliability need” projects are not subjected to cost-benefit analysis and often displace economically planned regional projects put out for competitive bid. 

State and federal regulators identified a gap in the oversight of most of these projects last October, and consumer groups continue to voice concerns over the lack of economic discipline, transparency and accountability. The R Street Institute, state and federal regulators, and several consumer groups have called for a variety of reforms to fix this. 

Join us for a conversation on the reforms that will get transmission planning and cost management back on track.