SUPPORTING ADVANCED CONDUCTOR DEPLOYMENT: BARRIERS AND POLICY SOLUTIONS

The report argues that reconductoring existing transmission lines with advanced conductors can rapidly increase grid capacity and reduce costs, but is hindered by utility incentive structures, rigid equipment standards, and planning gaps. It recommends aligning utility incentives, updating regional planning horizons, establishing efficiency standards, and expanding federal funding and workforce training to overcome these hurdles.

• Widespread reconductoring with advanced conductors could quadruple the projected transmission capacity added by 2035, potentially unlocking a 90 percent clean electricity system by that year and saving $85 billion in energy system costs.
• Advanced conductors are generally two to three times more expensive than conventional conductors, but reconductoring with them can be 50 to 75 percent cheaper than building a new transmission line to achieve similar capacity increases.
• Utility adoption is slowed by a capital expenditure bias, where the lower cost of reconductoring compared to new greenfield builds reduces the opportunity for utilities to earn returns under current regulatory models.
• Institutional barriers include rigid equipment vetting processes, where utilities like the Bonneville Power Administration may spend months or years on physical testing rather than relying on peer data.
• Technical limitations exist for 'long lines' (typically over 50 miles), as advanced conductors only increase thermal limits and do not address stability or voltage drop limitations.
• A critical supply chain bottleneck exists for large power transformers, with the U.S. manufacturing only 20 percent of its demand, which can stall reconductoring projects that require substation upgrades.
• Permitting for reconductoring is often assumed to be simple, but it can trigger lengthy environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, particularly for older lines in dense urban areas.
• Montana has implemented a legislative solution via House Bill 729, allowing the state Public Service Commission to establish cost-effectiveness criteria and return-on-investment adders for advanced conductors.
• Federal funding through the IIJA's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program has underutilized advanced conductors, with only two of 58 projects in the first tranche explicitly mentioning conductor upgrades.

APA

O’Boyle, M., Baker, C., & Solomon, M. (2024). SUPPORTING ADVANCED CONDUCTOR DEPLOYMENT: BARRIERS AND POLICY SOLUTIONS. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Supporting-Advanced-Conductor-Deployment-Barriers-and-Policy-Solutions.pdf

Chicago

O’Boyle, Mike, Casey Baker, and Michelle Solomon. SUPPORTING ADVANCED CONDUCTOR DEPLOYMENT: BARRIERS AND POLICY SOLUTIONS. Energy Innovation, 2024. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Supporting-Advanced-Conductor-Deployment-Barriers-and-Policy-Solutions.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=O’Boyle |first1=Mike |last2=Baker |first2=Casey |last3=Solomon |first3=Michelle |title=SUPPORTING ADVANCED CONDUCTOR DEPLOYMENT: BARRIERS AND POLICY SOLUTIONS |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=9 April 2024 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Supporting-Advanced-Conductor-Deployment-Barriers-and-Policy-Solutions.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{oboyle2024supporting, author = {O’Boyle, Mike and Baker, Casey and Solomon, Michelle}, title = {{SUPPORTING ADVANCED CONDUCTOR DEPLOYMENT: BARRIERS AND POLICY SOLUTIONS}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Supporting-Advanced-Conductor-Deployment-Barriers-and-Policy-Solutions.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }