#EnergyTwitter I'm excited to announce my first RMI report, "Mind the Regulatory Gap: How to Enhance Local Transmission Oversight." In this 🧵, I explain why this is such a critical issue harming Tx planning and customer bills across the US.

My team @RockyMtnInst just launched a webpage explaining our work. Take a look! 🧵 There's also a downloadable resource library Excel file of major reports on transmission published in the past ~10 years, compiled by yours truly 🤓 https://t.co/InmECbJvKj

2 months later, I finally got a chance to review @ethree_inc's new paper on interregional transmission that they wrote for @NARUC. It's a good summary of the issues interregional Tx faces, albeit a bit repetitive of the extensive literature out there on this topic already 🧵

A plug for RMI's States in Sync report to learn more about why regional cooperation on transmission planning and leadership from states is so important:

Important leadership from the Governors of Arizona and New Mexico on the urgent need for regional cooperation on transmission planning in the West! Highlighting the critical work of WestTEC, CREPC, and merchant developers. https://t.co/fqKTIdXkat https://t.co/uczNSMGiao

Great reporting by @jacobmaranda5 and Albuquerque Business First on the value of inter-state transmission for New Mexico!

New analysis from @RockyMtnInst finds Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming could make $50 billion exporting clean electricity by 2050 -- but only if we find a way to start building new power lines a lot faster:

Link to RMI report:

Great reporting by @WMyskow and Inside Climate News on our recently released report, States in Sync!

Finally, I'll be speaking more about our report at the CREPC-WIRAB Spring Conference on April 25th. You can also tune in to our webinar on May 8th at 12pm MST/2PM EST. Thank you to everyone who played a role in advising and supporting this work. (8/8) https://t.co/DlWJOhgWMI

Luckily, there is momentum in the West, and we want to make sure that the public and policymakers are aware of the economic potential of expanding regional transmission to capitalize on the positive moves already taking place across the region. (7/8)

The most significant savings come from the widest planning that maximizes regional diversity. States with similar characteristics have lower benefits (NV-AZ 3%), while states that are far apart with different characteristics have high benefits (WA-NM 32%). (6/8)

We quantify savings by optimizing clean energy portfolios in pairs of states in two scenarios: Isolated (using only in-state generation to meet 100% clean energy goals) and In-combination (combining different generation options from both states to achieve the same goal). (5/8)

Second, we find that states can reduce the costs of meeting their clean energy goals by over 30%. The key to these savings comes from unlocking regional diversity by leveraging neighbors with different but complementary load, resources, and weather patterns. (4/8)

However, traditional energy export states like Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana will be constrained by the region's existing electrical grid. Together, these states will only be able to access 7% of the market's potential (only $2.6 billion per year). (3/8)

First, we find that investment in new energy markets will grow rapidly over the coming decades with the market peaking at over $45 billion per year by 2050. The key to accessing this market will be inter-state transmission to move electricity to these new markets. (2/8)

The western US is on the cusp of two multi-billion-dollar economic opportunities that rely on one thing: more regional electric transmission. In this report, @ChazTeplin and I show how transmission expansion is a win-win opportunity for all states: (1/8) https://t.co/dSghXJfG3v

#energytwitter do you like big transmission lines & you cannot lie? @RMIElectricity is recruiting six early- to mid-career candidates for our new yearlong Transmission Fellowship program. Applications due 3/22/24. Take a look!

🚨 My latest @RMIElectricity blog with @katie_siegner on PJM's new Long-Term Regional Transmission Planning (LTRTP) process just dropped! Read more about PJM *finally* adopting long-term, scenario-based Tx planning & what room for growth remains👇 https://t.co/Ns3pOvMNSc

For example: PacifiCorp performed a present value revenue requirement analysis for Gateway South, found in the Oct 7, 2021 CPCN. I have already found analyses on MISO MVP, MISO LRTP, ERCOT CREZ, and Gateway South - PAC. (2/2)