Utility Dive의 연구에 따르면, Eastern Interconnection 내 약 12건의 지역 간 및 지역 내 송전 확장 프로젝트가 소매 요금을 낮추고 그리드 신뢰성을 강화할 수 있는 것으로 나타났다.
A set of 13 “high value” inter- and intraregional transmission projects across the Eastern Interconnection could generate up to $15.3 billion in net system value through 2050, according to a study released Tuesday. The report, titled *Powering Growth and Affordability: The Role of Transmission in Economic and National Security*, was prepared by S&P Global’s CERA Consulting for the Electricity Customer Alliance, National Grid, and Converge Strategies. Beyond the financial returns, the proposed transmission upgrades would lower retail electricity rates, enhance grid reliability, and improve resilience against extreme weather events.
Unlike previous analyses, the study adopts a customer-centric perspective on transmission expansion. “Customers need more transmission capacity,” said Jeff Dennis, executive director of the Electricity Customer Alliance. “But they're in this conundrum because they see transmission costs going up. A lot of that is things like supplemental projects in [the PJM Interconnection] and local builds in other regions, and so this study really does show how we can start to address that by refocusing our attention on the [transmission] that provides the most net benefits.”
These findings align with research from the U.S. Department of Energy and other experts demonstrating that targeted interregional and intra-regional transmission projects reduce costs by creating pathways for cheaper electricity to flow into higher-cost markets. The expanded transmission links can also eliminate the need to construct new power plants and localized transmission infrastructure to serve constrained areas.
To reach these conclusions, CERA Consulting evaluated potential transmission corridors across the Northeast, the PJM Interconnection, the Southeast, the southern region of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), and the Southwest Power Pool. The modeling incorporated both base and high-demand scenarios alongside constrained and unconstrained transmission conditions. The constrained scenario assumes no new interregional transmission projects are developed. Under this framework, the study identified 12 high-value transmission projects under the base demand case and 13 under the high-demand case.
Across the Eastern Interconnection, the unconstrained base demand scenario yields approximately $12.4 billion in net present value at a 1.77 benefit-to-cost ratio. The results indicate that excluding interregional transmission significantly diminishes these projected benefits. “The biggest contributor to NPV is [a change in generation capital expenditures], followed by production cost savings and avoided transmission costs, as transmission expansion enables access to lower-cost remote resources, reducing the need for more expensive local generation builds,” the study’s authors said.
In the unconstrained base demand scenario, PJM captures $6.7 billion in benefits over a 40-year period, followed by the Southwest Power Pool and MISO South at $1.9 billion, the Southeast at $851 million, and the Northeast at $393 million. These benefits increase substantially under the high-demand scenario, particularly for the Northeast and Southeast. Additionally, the study notes that deploying advanced transmission technologies, such as dynamic line ratings, could deliver significant long-term advantages that likely outweigh higher upfront costs.
The push for transmission expansion comes as U.S. power supply construction reaches historic levels. Currently, 67 gigawatts of capacity are under development nationwide, comprising 27 GW of solar, 17 GW of battery storage, 15 GW of wind, and 9 GW of natural gas-fired generation.
To accelerate interregional transmission development, Dennis outlined several strategies, including allowing large commercial customers to invest directly in transmission infrastructure, expanding merchant transmission opportunities, and streamlining permitting processes. As former deputy director of transmission at the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office during the Biden administration, Dennis emphasized the regulatory changes needed. “We need those permitting reforms that Congress is talking about,” Dennis said. “And we need some transition policy reforms too to really open up opportunities to invest in the system and ensure that our planning processes are aligned around projects that deliver the most future value to customers and encouraging those projects — not encouraging smaller projects that may be adding cost, but not adding a lot of capacity.”