How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable

The document argues that state regulators must actively leverage new legislation to deploy advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), such as grid enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors, to reduce consumer bills and accelerate the interconnection of new generation. It outlines four common legislative approaches—planning, siting and permitting, cost recovery, and study requirements—and provides specific recommendations for integrating ATTs into integrated resource plans (IRPs) and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) processes to overcome utility incentives that favor expensive capital expenditures over cost-efficient ATT solutions.

• Advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), including grid enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors, allow utilities to increase the amount of electricity delivered through existing infrastructure by improving the efficiency and safety of power routing.
• Legislative momentum for ATTs is growing in the United States, with 10 states passing laws to accelerate deployment over the past year, adding to six states that already had such laws. These laws generally fall into four categories: planning laws, siting and permitting laws, cost recovery laws, and study requirements.
• Deploying ATTs can lead to significant financial savings and increased capacity. An RMI analysis of five PJM states indicated that GETs could accelerate the interconnection of 6.6 gigawatts of new generation and save customers over $1 billion annually. Additionally, a dynamic line rating pilot in AEP’s territory cost $0.5 million and generated estimated savings of $11 million, paying for itself in approximately one month.
• Regulators are encouraged to require rigorous cost-benefit analyses during the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) process because cost-of-service regulation may incentivize utilities to prefer expensive capital expenditures over more cost-efficient ATTs. For example, advanced conductors can double transmission flows using existing towers and right-of-way at less than half the cost of a new line.
• GETs, such as topology optimization, dynamic line ratings, and advanced power flow controls, can serve as bridge technologies during the construction of new lines. One study found that power flow reconfiguration could reduce the cost of power at a congested point from $600/MWh to $25/MWh while reinforcements were being built.

APA

RMI (2025). How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable. https://rmi.org/resources/how-state-regulators-can-utilize-the-latest-legislative-trend-to-make-electricity-more-affordable-and-reliable/

Chicago

RMI. How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/how-state-regulators-can-utilize-the-latest-legislative-trend-to-make-electricity-more-affordable-and-reliable/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable |date=27 October 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/how-state-regulators-can-utilize-the-latest-legislative-trend-to-make-electricity-more-affordable-and-reliable/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025how, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{How State Regulators Can Utilize the Latest Legislative Trend to Make Electricity More Affordable and Reliable}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/how-state-regulators-can-utilize-the-latest-legislative-trend-to-make-electricity-more-affordable-and-reliable/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }