Americans for a Clean Energy Grid (ACEG) and Grid Strategies released the ‘2025 Transmission Planning and Development Report Card’, assessing transmission planning across ten US regions. Building on the 2023 edition, the report evaluates how regions are preparing for growing electricity demand from data centres, industrial expansion, and electrification and considers the early impacts of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Order No. 1920, which promotes long-term transmission planning practices. Grades reflect current progress rather than final outcomes due to compliance extensions.
Transmission planning has improved incrementally, driven by reforms in regional planning processes, but many regions still lag behind best practices. The report emphasises interregional transmission planning, which enhances reliability, affordability, and resilience, yet remains a weak area. Many regions still rely on reliability-driven studies rather than proactive scenario-based planning and clear cost-allocation frameworks.
Performance is evaluated across regional planning, interregional planning, engagement, and outcomes. California, the Midwest, and the Plains show advantages of proactive long-term planning. The report highlights the Southwest Power Pool’s consolidated planning process, which aims to integrate transmission planning with generator interconnection once approved by federal regulators. Notable improvements are seen in New England and the Mid-Atlantic through long-term planning reforms and state collaboration. Regions without regional transmission organisations (RTOs) face gaps, often relying on individual utility projects. Meanwhile, initiatives like the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition (WestTEC) offer promising interregional models.
The report concludes that while progress in planning high-capacity regional transmission projects remains encouraging, it is not yet decisive. Planned transmission capacity is broadly aligned with the US Department of Energy’s 2023 National Transmission Needs Study, but significant challenges in siting, permitting, and implementation – particularly for interregional lines – could delay projects. To achieve stronger outcomes, the report highlights the need for holistic planning practices, including proactive 20-year demand and generation forecasts; robust scenario analysis, including extreme weather, multi-value benefit assessments, portfolio development, consideration of all business models and advanced transmission technologies, integration with other planning processes, and durable project selection and cost-allocation frameworks. It must also include strong state participation, alignment with state policies, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and the ability to build infrastructure at the pace required by rising demand.
While FERC Order No. 1920 shows early improvements, incremental changes alone are insufficient. Future editions will track project completion, lasting interregional frameworks, and whether lower-performing regions turn policy momentum into coordinated development.
The full report can be accessed here.
