On January 12, 2022, the Department of Energy launched the Building a Better Grid initiative to catalyze the nationwide development of new and upgraded high-capacity transmission lines, as enabled by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.[1] According to the DOE, the initiative will make the power grid more reliable and resilient to climate change and is crucial for achieving President Biden’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035 and a zero-emissions economy by 2050. The program will also increase access to affordable clean energy and create more jobs in the transmission industry, which employs over one million workers across the U.S.

Rebuilding and improving aging roads, bridges, and electric grid is a fundamental goal of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law seeks to address the vulnerability of the nation’s grid transmission lines and power transformers, over 70% of which are over 25 years old. Additionally, the law will help meet the increased interconnection queue waiting times for the many clean energy generation and storage projects expected to be added to the grid. As outlined in the DOE’s January 11 Notice of Intent, the initiative will support the development of nationally significant transmission projects and grid upgrades by:

Early engagement and collaboration with states, tribal nations, and stakeholders to accelerate transmission deployment
Enhancing transmission planning to identify areas of greatest need and conducting longer-term national-scale transmission planning analysis
Deploying more than $20 billion in federal financing tools, which includes the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s new programs and existing funding like the $3 billion Western Area Power Administration Transmission Infrastructure Program
Facilitating an efficient transmission permitting process by coordinating with federal agencies to streamline permitting, using public-private partnerships, and designating transmission corridors.
Performing transmission-related research and development to continue developing and reducing the costs of technologies that enable efficiency.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-launches-new-initiative-president-bidens-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-modernize