Utility Dive: Justice Department, FTC urge FERC to expand competition for building new transmission, deny utility exclusivity

Posted August 18, 2022
Categories: Uncategorized

There is bipartisan support for transmission competition. The FTC voted 5-0 (no more than three Commissioners can be of the same political party. Trump’s DOJ also supported transmission competition. Four of the five FERC Commissioners recently defended competition in a concurrence.

WPR: Utilities set to spend more than $2B on new transmission lines in Wisconsin

Posted August 2, 2022
Categories: Uncategorized

Manufacturers and customer groups are very concerned about MISO’s additional regulatory barriers to transmission competition and the unnecessary costs passed along to the ratepayers.

Four commissioners attached a concurrence that expresses concern “that existing processes may not adequately protect consumers with regard to the selection and construction of many transmission projects. This order has the negative consequence of expanding the scope of projects for which the transmission owner has less incentive to reduce cost and maximize benefits to the greatest extent possible.”