The Electricity Law Initiative filed a comment about the value of collaboration in transmission planning in FERC’s ongoing rulemaking proceeding. The comment responds to a February filing by the utility industry that claims competition impedes needed collaboration among utilities, and FERC must therefore restore utility-run transmission cartels that guarantee utilities build all new regional transmission projects.
The Electricity Law Initiative’s comment applauds the utility industry for raising important issues about transmission development but concludes that the industry fails to justify its proposal to end competition in regional transmission development. The comment posits that collaboration is needed among all industry participants and stakeholders to define planning goals, while competition among utilities and other developers will help to identify the most cost-effective transmission solutions for meeting those goals.