A transmission plan earns its keep when it helps deliver reliable power at a price customers can afford. Katie Jereza’s conversation with Devin Hartman focused on the work between drawing that plan and putting infrastructure into service.
For the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity, that work starts with understanding where the system is constrained. Transmission needs studies and resilience modeling can help identify useful investments, including dependencies on natural gas and water. Coordinated federal permitting can then give developers a clearer schedule and a more predictable route through review. Speed matters, but so does knowing what comes next.
Jereza paired that emphasis on delivery with a demand for accountability. Advanced transmission technologies need testing and validation before utilities deploy them widely. Projects need defined outcomes, milestones, financial controls, and technical verification. Security belongs in the design from the beginning. The federal contribution, in this account, is to improve information, coordinate decisions, and support investment. The payoff comes when companies can use those tools to build a stronger, more affordable grid.
