Severson attends White House Summit on Modernizing the Power Grid

The White House Summit on Modernizing the Power Grid was held in Washington, D.C., on May 28. The summit highlighted the urgent need for additional transmission capacity to enhance reliability and resiliency and the rapid pace required to achieve this. The Department of Energy (DOE) organized the summit to discuss and showcase advanced technologies that can increase grid flexibility. 

“Recognizing that it takes quite a bit of time to build new infrastructure, the industry is looking to get more out of the existing infrastructure we have installed,” said Jeremy Severson, Basin Electric vice president of Transmission. “This includes utilizing Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) devices like those Basin recently installed in western North Dakota, or reconducting lines with carbon core conductor, like the conductor we are using for our new 345-kilovolt projects.” Basin Electric was highlighted during one of the panels and discussion for its initiative in using carbon core conductors in several new projects to reduce costs on new transmission builds. 

Throughout the day, several panel discussions focused on grid owner and operator deployment experiences, opportunities, and technology provider deployment experiences. A key presentation included a demo of the Reconductoring Economic and Financial Analysis tool, which performs cost-benefit analyses of line upgrade projects for different infrastructure investment options, including full rebuilds or reconductoring. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm emphasized the need to utilize grid-enhancing technologies as this is the lowest hanging fruit at the least cost, and the quickest way to expand the current grid's capacity until additional transmission can be built. 

Current challenges for utilities, such as permitting, right-of-way acquisition, component lead time, and cost allocation, were also discussed. “The DOE has taken steps to accelerate permitting of transmission projects across federal lands and is aiding transmission owners to upgrade existing grid facilities as fast as possible. They are aiming for 100,000 miles of line with either DLR or being reconductored with advanced conductor,” Severson said. “However, we as transmission owners need direction and confidence on several fronts: ensuring that costs incurred for completing these types of grid projects can be recovered through rates, receiving support on the regulatory and environmental permitting processes to expedite projects, as well as direction from Regional Transmission Organizations like SPP and MISO to provide guidance for implementing these directives.” 

Basin Electric has been at the forefront as an innovator and early adopter of critical grid-enhancing technologies, including DLR devices and advanced conductors. A significant obstacle to the widespread deployment of these technologies, as highlighted by some utilities at the summit, is risk aversion to utilizing new technology. “By participating in these events and sharing our success stories of implementation, Basin Electric aims to build confidence among other utilities in these technologies, encouraging their adoption and fostering progress in the transmission sector,” Severson said.