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The West of Devers Upgrade Project involved rebuilding 48 miles of 220 kilovolt transmission lines in Southern California to increase renewable energy deliverability. After years of contentious relations, Southern California Edison (SCE) and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians reached an agreement allowing the Tribe to invest in the project through Morongo Transmission LLC. This arrangement made the Morongo Tribe the first federally recognized Tribe to be a participating transmission owner, receiving a share of transfer access charges. The project was completed in May 2021, five months ahead of schedule and under budget, avoiding the need to reroute the line through wilderness areas, which would have cost an additional $500 million to $1 billion and added seven years to the timeline.

The report examines community benefits frameworks (CBFs) across six completed U.S. transmission projects, finding that early, meaningful engagement and tailored benefits—such as infrastructure upgrades, land conservation, and co-ownership—are essential for reducing opposition and avoiding costly delays. It highlights that while financial compensation is common, non-monetary benefits and innovative financing models, including Tribal co-ownership and nonprofit partnerships, provide more sustainable value. The analysis warns that delayed engagement or narrow benefit distribution can lead to litigation and community friction, emphasizing the need for regulatory flexibility and the use of trusted local messengers to build trust.

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.

The document examines the critical backlogs in interconnection queues in the U.S. and UK, where over 2,500 GW and 750 GW of generation and storage are awaiting connection, respectively. It details a shared shift toward 'first ready, first served' principles, utilizing cluster study approaches and stricter financial requirements to eliminate speculative projects. However, it highlights a key divergence: while the U.S. generally maintains an open-access model based on readiness, the UK's 'first ready and needed, first connected' approach allows the government to prioritize resources that align with national policy targets. The primer also notes the emergence of hybrid models in constrained U.S. regions like California, where the CAISO uses a 'first ready, first scored' system to align connections with state resource plans.

The report highlights the critical role of grid reliability and 'smart grids' in sustaining ASEAN's economic growth and clean energy transition. While the region has seen improvements in outage duration and frequency, challenges remain regarding transmission capacity and the integration of solar and wind power. The document warns that failure to invest in digital intelligence and infrastructure could lead to nearly $2.3 billion in annual economic losses by 2040.

The briefing explains that the western grid operates as an interconnected web where electricity flows across state and utility boundaries to balance supply and demand. It highlights that most major utilities in the West acted as both importers and exporters of electricity in 2024, providing a critical safety net during emergencies. Case studies from 2024 illustrate how the Pacific Northwest relied on imports from the Southwest and Rockies during a January cold snap, and how Montana imported 59% of its demand during a July heat wave and generator outage. The document concludes that increasing demand from AI and manufacturing necessitates further investment in regional transmission planning and projects like SunZia and Greenlink.

Chile faces significant renewable energy curtailment due to limited transmission and storage capacity, with 5,642 GWh of solar and wind energy curtailed in 2024. The report recommends a National Curtailment Reduction Plan, the mass installation of Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) systems, minimum storage requirements for new projects in congested areas, and the creation of a formal demand response market. It also suggests strengthening electricity exchange markets with Argentina and Peru to improve system flexibility.

Chile faces significant energy curtailments due to transmission bottlenecks and a lack of system flexibility, with 2024 curtailments reaching 19% of solar and wind generation. The document argues that while large infrastructure projects like the Kimal-Lo Aguirre line are planned for 2029, immediate action is needed through a 'Clean Flexibility Kit' including battery storage, Dynamic Line Rating (DLR), and demand response markets. It compares Chile's situation with other high-renewable systems like China, Ireland, and California to provide a roadmap of short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations to improve grid efficiency and reduce economic losses for investors.

The policy brief outlines five strategic recommendations for Western U.S. governors to address rising energy demand driven by electrification, industrial reshoring, and AI data centers. It advocates for the deployment of clean firm energy technologies, the acceleration of interstate transmission, the fostering of private investment through policy innovation, the implementation of multi-use public land planning, and the modernization of regulatory frameworks and federal coordination.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reports that utilities in seven PJM states passed over $4.3 billion in data center connection costs to all customers in 2024. This occurs because large data centers (100–1,000 MW) require high-voltage transmission infrastructure, which falls under federal FERC jurisdiction and is typically allocated across all customers, unlike low-voltage distribution connections. UCS finds that in 95% of cases, these costs are not paid by the data center owners. The brief recommends that FERC and state PUCs require utilities to track and assign these specific costs to the customers causing them.

The briefing outlines how regional financing ecosystems—comprising regional banks, community lenders, economic development organizations, and governments—can unlock capital for clean energy by structuring local projects into investable portfolios. It highlights that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, citing specific high-feasibility opportunities in Minnesota (green steel and transmission) and New Orleans (green buildings and hydrogen). By coordinating diverse financial actors and using public or philanthropic funds to absorb first-loss risk, these ecosystems can address persistent barriers such as lack of predevelopment capital and underwriting friction to ensure inclusive economic benefits from the energy transition.

The briefing challenges the notion that coal plants are necessary for grid reliability amidst a data center boom in the US. It asserts that coal plants are prone to unplanned outages, lack the ramp speed required for voltage-sensitive loads, and create grid congestion. The author suggests that over 95 percent of future demand can be met using scalable clean solutions such as battery storage and demand flexibility.

The report outlines strategies for clean energy developers to mitigate local resistance by prioritizing early, transparent, and inclusive community engagement. Using five case studies across various technologies, it emphasizes the importance of flexible siting, aligning projects with local economic goals, and establishing equitable community benefit programs. It also recommends policy reforms at the state level to streamline permitting and integrate clean energy into broader land-use planning.

The Union of Concerned Scientists finds that major transmission projects in California are experiencing significant delays, averaging an additional 6.1 years beyond original estimates. These delays, driven by utility reprioritization and permitting hurdles, hinder the integration of clean energy and threaten grid reliability. The brief recommends expanding competitive solicitation, increasing agency permitting capacity, implementing public financing, and deploying grid-enhancing technologies.

The document critiques the Supreme Court's decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County and other government efforts to curtail NEPA, asserting that these actions create uncertainty and primarily benefit fossil fuel infrastructure rather than accelerating clean energy. It recommends improving agency capacity, aligning jurisdictional requirements, and enhancing community and Tribal engagement to streamline permitting.

The report examines how smarter grid strategies can unlock digital infrastructure investments, particularly for AI and data centres. It highlights that long grid connection queues in Europe are deterring developers, but suggests that phased connections, non-firm (flexible) agreements, and strategic siting in priority zones can significantly reduce wait times and infrastructure costs. The document emphasizes that data centres often underutilize their contracted capacity and can offer flexibility to the grid, which could potentially double available capacity if implemented.

The report highlights a critical shortage of grid connection capacity in Türkiye, where 65% of unlicensed project applications (7.5 GW) were rejected between February 2024 and April 2025 due to regional constraints. Globally, 1.65 TW of wind, solar, and hydroelectric capacity is awaiting connection approval as of July 2024. The document identifies high investment costs, inflation, exchange rate fluctuations, and cautious technical planning assumptions as primary drivers of these bottlenecks. It also notes procedural delays in Europe, where wind farm connection permits can take up to 9 years, and suggests that improving data transparency and tightening application criteria—as seen in France, Greece, and Romania—could accelerate the energy transition.

The paper emphasizes that Canada's transition to clean energy depends on expanding electricity transmission, which requires the active inclusion and ownership of Indigenous communities. It highlights the 'triple advantage' of Indigenous ownership—economic, social, and environmental—and provides five pragmatic recommendations for policymakers to support this integration. These include implementing a '5 Cs' framework (capital, clarity, capacity, corruption-free champions, and community champions), integrating traditional knowledge from Elders, and avoiding prescriptive, one-size-fits-all participation models. The authors argue that without such partnerships, the country cannot effectively move renewable energy from remote resource-rich areas to urban centers or eliminate persistent energy poverty in remote communities.

The document advocates for a shift in focus from Indigenous clean energy generation to transmission infrastructure, presenting it as a critical 'anchor' for Canada's climate goals. It outlines a '5 Cs' framework (cash, clarity, capacity, corruption-less, and community champions) to support deployment and provides five recommendations for policymakers to foster Indigenous-centric transmission integration, emphasizing the role of Elders, flexible participation models, and the alignment of transmission projects with Indigenous values of land preservation.

California possesses vast untapped geothermal potential, particularly in superhot rock resources, which could significantly support the state's clean energy goals. However, the industry faces substantial barriers, including a lack of long-term strategic planning, complex and lengthy permitting processes, outdated regulations, and interconnection uncertainties. The report recommends the creation of a statewide strategic plan, streamlining environmental reviews, updating well regulations, and establishing a clean energy infrastructure financing fund to attract private capital and accelerate deployment.