As our buildings and transportation become progressively electrified and new energy intensive facilities come online, states must engage in robust planning to ensure this load growth is supplied by clean energy. Our transmission grid today is aging and fragmented, but states have a variety of policy tools at their disposal to plan for a clean, reliable, and affordable energy future. These tools include the creation of transmission authorities, which are state entities dedicated to facilitating the planning, financing, and stakeholder engagement of transmission infrastructure deployment, and the development of energy zones, which are strategic locations where energy resources like wind or solar are abundant and key infrastructure investments could connect them to the grid.
We convened a panel of experts to explore how states are using transmission authorities and energy zones to ensure clean energy resources can connect to the grid and deliver reliable, affordable energy. Our speakers included Cathy Boies, Director at Gridworks, and Abby Watson, Co-Founder and President of The Groundwire Group.
State Transmission Authorities
Learn more by watching the webinar at 04:45.
Cathy Boies provided an overview of state transmission authorities, drawing from her experience working with these entities across the interior West. Highlights from her presentation include:
- States are exploring transmission authorities amidst surging demand, backlogged interconnection queues, approaching clean energy targets, and rising reliability concerns that require new, large-scale transmission investment.
- Transmission authorities are quasi-governmental entities responsible for filling gaps in the system, including for public purpose transmission development, stakeholder convenings, project management, and financing coordination. Examples include:
- Idaho Energy Resources Authority, created in 2005 by the Idaho Energy Resources Authority Act, acts as a lending authority for public power.
- New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority, created in 2005 by the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority Act, supports renewable energy exports.
- Wyoming Energy Authority, created in 2020 by merging existing entities through the Wyoming Energy Authority Act, works as a strategic hub to maintain local energy production industries.
- Colorado Electric Transmission Authority, created in 2021 by the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority Act, bolsters grid reliability, clean energy goals, and economic development.
- States looking to design transmission authorities should prioritize applicability for state needs around financing, permitting and siting, and transmission technologies, and consider the impacts on existing governance structures and entities, as well as available implementation resources and funding.
Energy Zones
Learn more by watching the webinar at 17:08.
Abby Watson provided an overview of energy zones, drawing from her experience advising and convening clean energy stakeholders in various states. Highlights from her presentation include:
- States can utilize energy zones to address energy affordability and reliability. Our aging grid cannot meet rising demand, and as traditional reactive planning tools fail to spur investment quickly and efficiently, we must build new energy infrastructure while minimizing costs, maximizing benefits, and effectively coordinating communities and other stakeholders.
- Energy zones are geographic areas where stakeholders agree that energy investment is both necessary and feasible to implement. Development within these zones can be eligible for economic incentives or expedited permitting, spurring investment that maximizes economic growth while frontloading the engagement of key stakeholder perspectives.
- Energy zone processes are built for engagement with host communities, allowing for real transparency and collaborative projects that ensure least cost and impact. This allows energy developers to build in optimized locations with the fewest upgrade needs and highest buy-in from local stakeholders.
Q&A
Learn more by watching the Q&A at 30:37.
Q: Every state has different priorities and contexts. What are some of the ways states can customize these tools to fit their priorities and goals? What are the aspects of how they were designed in the states you work in that are customized for state-specific needs?
Q: These tools have a key aspect of convening stakeholders, how effective are they in doing this? We hear a lot about how communities feel blindsided by these projects. Can you speak more to the dissemination of information to all stakeholders, not just official partners? How might the goals align or not align with the actual implementation of that engagement?
Q: What does long-term success and benefits look like for these tools?
Q: How are these tools created? Is it through legislation or regulations? For energy zones in particular, what type of state entity is best situated for implementation?
Q: What are the types of partners that are really useful to have as a part of starting these authorities and energy zones? Specifically, what are the groups outside of the typical environmental and energy actors?
