TRANSMISSION TURNS THE CORNER

By most any measure, the US requires investment in transmission. Because of the size of the country and the embedded state regulatory framework, one should not expect one national solution to all matters relating to transmission investment. Nevertheless, different investment models can help the industry move forcefully in the right direction. Several investment models -- a mixture of basic, traditional applications and cutting-edge ones -- offer a good demonstration on how electric companies have been addressing transmission needs. These include: 1. utility planning, 2. stand-alone transmission companies, 3. independent transmission companies, 4. merchant transmission, 5. political transmission entities, and 6. federal transmission. A multifaceted approach to transmission investment is best. There are challenges to determining optimal investment, but with increasing company, regulatory, and political attention, and with the industry trends, business approaches, and societal perspectives, there is an increasing likelihood of getting it pretty darn close to right.