WASHINGTON, DC – Earlier this month, the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition (ETCC) sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Paul N. Cicio, Chairman of ETCC stated:

We urge the U.S. Department of Energy to aggressively support electricity transmission competition, especially for projects that are 100 kV and larger, as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proceeds to address electricity transmission planning in 2022. Studies show that only about 3 percent of electric transmission projects are competitively bid.¹

Transmission competition reduces costs to consumers and combats inflation. From 2014 to 2020, RTO/ISO transmission costs increased by $74.9 billion or 79 percent, while electricity demand was flat. Nationwide demand in 2014 was 3.76 billion MWh and 2020 was 3.72 billion MWh.²

The request is consistent with President Biden’s comments during the State of the Union address on March 1, 2022 when he stated, “Capitalism without competition is exploitation” and his Executive Order on “Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” In fact, across the country, consumers are being exploited by incumbent electric utilities that have circumvented FERC Order 1000.

You can read the full letter here.

About the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition

The Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition (ETCC) is a broad-based, nation-wide coalition committed to increasing competition in America’s electricity transmission infrastructure. We advocate for common-sense policies and solutions that result in competitively priced transmission projects, which reduce energy costs for all ratepayers – from large manufacturers to residential consumers. The ETCC represents a diverse group of more than 70 companies and organizations from all 50 states, including manufacturing groups, retail electric consumers, state consumer advocates, public power representatives, think tanks, and non-incumbent transmission developers.

For more information, visit: www.electricitytransmissioncompetitioncoalition.org.

Press Contact: 

Marnie Satterfield
(202) 223-1420
msatterfield@ieca-us.org

¹Brattle Group: Cost Savings Offered by Competition in Electric Transmission, https://www.brattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/ /16726_cost_savings_offered_by_competition_in_electric_transmission.pdf
²Electricity, U.S. Energy Information Administration, https://www.eia.gov/electricity/