A large renewable energy project cancelled in New York and threatened Trump Administration growth curbs are raising market jitters, but more federal project approvals are pushing forward.
Projects selected by the U.S. Dept. of Energy would add nearly 1,000 miles of transmission development and 7,100 MW of capacity in Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Invenergy Transmission plans to appeal the decision and is working to start construction next year on a separate portion of the total 800-mile line that is located in Kansas and Missouri.
Long-anticipated FERC rules require power providers to conduct 20-year-ahead plans for long-term transmission needs and give agency backstop siting authority for projects that cross grid boundaries.
Investment in 26 transmission projects would accommodate an added 85 GW of generating capacity to meet state load growth and greenhouse gas reduction goals by 2035, state grid operator CAISO said.
Quanta Services' 550-mile transmission line under construction in Arizona faces pushback from tribes, others over claimed threats to historic and cultural sites in San Pedro River Valley.