Kavya Balaraman | Utility Dive Link to article
Dive Brief:
- The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) approved a transmission plan Thursday that includes 23 projects, estimated to cost nearly $3 billion, to cope with the dramatic increase in renewable generation and forecasted load growth in its footprint.
- The plan represents a massive increase in spending, compared to an average of $217 million earmarked for transmission in the last five years. The current package of transmission projects will be an important addition of infrastructure to kick off the next phase of build-out to meet California’s clean energy goals, CAISO President and CEO Elliot Mainzer said at a Thursday meeting.
- Earlier this year, CAISO issued for the first time a draft transmission outlook plan which foresaw the need for $30.5 billion worth of transmission build-out in its system over the next two decades.
