"US energy regulators are poised to finalize two major rules next Monday aimed at accelerating the planning and permitting of long-distance electric transmission lines and ironing out disputes over who pays for those projects.

The first Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rule, on regional planning and cost allocation, is expected to require grid planners to consider wider benefits of transmission and craft at least 20-year plans.

The proposed rule called for the plans to factor in changing power-and-demand mix, extreme weather events, and technologies that can get more power out of existing lines at a fraction of the cost of building new projects. The rule will be a sprawling update to a 2011 order that is widely seen to have failed to spur investment in regional lines at a time when the US power grid is coming under stress.

The commission’s second rule, if finalized as proposed, opens a pathway to federal permitting of transmission lines within certain national interest corridors established by the Energy Department. The DOE released a preliminary list of potential corridors on May 8."

Daniel Moore reports for Bloomberg Environment May 10, 2024. [2]