Energy Efficiency, Regulation  -  May 11, 2018

Five Fortune 100 companies ask FERC to focus on electric transmission

Cargill, General Mills, Nestle, P&G, and Unilever joined forces to ask the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to intensify its focus on expanding the nation’s electric transmission system as a key part of its push for grid resiliency.

According to a report in Electric Light & Power, the five companies sent a letter to FERC on May 9 requesting the federal grid regulators to seriously consider an improved and upgraded transmission line network in their proceedings on grid resiliency.  FERC is continuing grid resiliency proceedings and received filings from regional transmission organizations and independent system operators in the past month.

  “In the U.S. and around the world, corporate commitments to procure renewable energy are a growing trend, driven mainly by recent sharp declines in cost, and by the price certainty that long-term renewable energy power purchase agreements offer,” read the corporate letter to FERC. "U.S. corporations have purchased over 10 GW of renewable energy from offsite projects to date and have set a goal to purchase an additional 50 GW by 2025."  However, they argue that the nation’s transmission grid is not adapting to future realities.

 "It is now more important than ever that transmission planners take steps to better incorporate the forecasted demand within regional and inter-regional planning processes," the letter continued. "Doing so will make the grid more reliable and resilient, while also ensuring that our companies have access to a pipeline of new, cost-competitive renewable energy generation."

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