A report from The Brattle Group, commissioned by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Coalition (MAREC Action), has outlined seven strategies to help the US Mid-Atlantic states improve their transmission systems. The report emphasizes the need for proactive planning to lower costs, provide greater certainty for generation development, and help states achieve their clean energy targets, including ambitious offshore wind goals.
ACORE president and CEO Ray Long highlighted the urgency: “Time is of the essence, and our report lays out the opportunities for states to maximize the benefits of proactive planning, particularly for offshore wind.” The study underscores that by expanding transmission infrastructure, the US can deliver affordable, clean power to a broader range of consumers while achieving reliability.
The report identifies various pathways, including state-led efforts and multi-state collaboration, that could accelerate transmission development and reduce the costs of achieving energy policy goals. Joe DeLosa III of The Brattle Group noted, “Coordinated transmission development can reduce the cost of achieving state policy goals.”
While the broadest benefits come from a multi-state, proactive planning approach, the study stresses that delayed planning will erode these advantages. MAREC Action executive director Evan Vaughan called for immediate action, stating, “Building offshore wind at scale in the next decade is essential to meeting electricity demand in a clean and reliable manner, but transmission planning must start today.”
The report concludes by urging policymakers to work closely with neighboring states and focus on multi-value transmission planning to ensure long-term energy security and economic growth.
