FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18th, 2025
Consumers Urge FERC to Take Action to Require that Electric Utilities Compete with one Another to Build New Transmission Lines to Reduce Costs to Consumers.
Edison Electric Institute (EEI) projects capital spending on transmission projects will increase to $37.8 billion in 2025 and increase to $43.4 billion in 2027. Unless the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission takes action, very few of these projects will be competitively bid between electric utilities. Without competition, the electric utility monopoly does not have an incentive to reduce costs. Competitively bid projects have been shown to lower costs by as much as 40%, and yet fewer than 5% of transmission projects are competitively bid.
The latest data shows that electricity prices increased by 6.5% on an annualized basis compared to 2.7% for the CPI and 1.9% for groceries. Electricity inflation has consistently outpaced other goods and services since 2021, and 2025 was a continuation of the trend. According to independent research, 14 million Americans have severe utility debt, and past due balances to utility companies climbed 9.7% to $789.
In a statement, Paul Cicio, Chair of the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, said: “Affordability is the key political issue of the moment and electricity prices are the driving force behind that. The policy fix is simple, and it is FERC’s job to tackle this crisis by enforcing Order 1000 and require the utilities to compete with one another. This is the American way!”
See examples of projects that were competitively bid and the cost savings, as well as projects that were not subject to competition and the cost overruns 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 95 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:
Julian Graham
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