The Biden administration’s plan announced yesterday to pump $20 billion into expansion of the nation’s transmission networks will target “shovel ready” projects that deliver clean energy, at the same time a nationwide grid expansion is planned and advanced, according to an administration official.
The official, who spoke on background to E&E News, said the Energy Department would seek partnerships with utilities, transmission developers and state government in creating routes for new power line projects that could overcome traditional siting roadblocks. The transmission plan was announced alongside other clean energy initiatives, including an offshore wind sale off the coast of New York (Greenwire, Jan. 12).
“This is going to be a collaborative process from the beginning to the end. You get better projects … that way too,” the official said of the transmission plan. “We don’t think it’s about shortcutting the questions you’re asking or trying to rush through a process that needs time to figure out answers. It is about thinking about it in the right way from the beginning.”