Electric Grid Operators Tell Panel They May Not Keep Pace With Demand

Reforms relax state policies that restrict fossil fuels but don’t repeal Biden-era incentives for renewable energy development, they say.

Xcel Energy's Comanche Generating Station, a 1,410 megawatt, coal-fired power plant, in Pueblo, Col., is among nearly 200 coal-fired power plants across the United States set to close by 2032. Andy Cross/The Denver Post/TNS

Electric transmission operators told a House panel on March 25 they’re hustling to meet growing demand and that without federal and state regulatory flexibility—especially in the Northeast—many will struggle to expand already-stressed grids to power an electrifying economy.

“The nation’s transmission infrastructure is simply not ready for this accelerating future,” Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Executive Vice President Lanny Nickell said.