Power grid modernization program announced by White House, 21 states

The Biden administration is set to announce a new effort to modernize the U.S. power grid in partnership with 21 states on Tuesday, ahead of a summer that is expected to strain the nation’s power grid’s capacity.

Under the plan, participating states will prioritize grid modernization efforts aimed at increasing capacity and efficiency. States led by Democratic governors will also commit to exploring ways to expand transmission capacity through both legislative and executive action.

Meanwhile, the federal government will work to help states access technical assistance and loan programs, according to a White House fact sheet.

The Biden administration has set ambitious goals for renewable energy deployment, aiming for a carbon-neutral grid by 2035. Reaching that goal will require a massive buildout of modernized transmission lines to accommodate the expansion. Without this buildout, the administration will face a bottleneck in adding renewable capacity to the grid. The April report said the backlog is about 2,600 gigawatts, a 30 percent increase last year, driven mostly by demand for solar and wind. report From Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Congress’ infection control efforts have been futile, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying earlier this month, “I [Sen.] Joe Manchin [D-W.V.] “It’s going to be virtually impossible to get anything done in 2024,” he said, specifically citing opposition to transmission reform by the House Republican majority.

The White House has taken some steps at the executive level, announcing a plan in April to eliminate the backlog by reducing interconnection cost gaps and latency.

Around the same time Schumer spoke, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent agency, approved a rule aimed at eliminating delays to regional transmission projects that disproportionately, but not exclusively, affect renewable energy.

With power grid reliability a top concern for many Americans after the storm left about 750,000 homes without power in the Dallas area, which is part of Texas’ independent power grid, Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have introduced a bill to add the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, an independent power grid, to the national grid.