Our Work

Developing a robust and effective grid requires encouraging investment, developing advanced and coordinated planning, removing barriers to a more streamlined siting process, and sharing costs equitably across all beneficiaries of new or upgraded transmission lines.

WIRES encourages federal, regional, and state policymakers and regulators to provide adequate rates of return, incentives, and other tools that send the right signals to get needed transmission built.

We accomplish this by conducting and disseminating critical industry research, providing educational briefings with policy makers, and submitting comments and testimony on relevant legislative bills, regulatory proposals, and policy ideas before Congress, FERC, EPA, DOE, the White House, and relevant state and provincial agencies.

NPR

Grid experts also generally agree the country needs to build more transmission lines to get electricity from where it’s produced to where it’s needed. That makes it possible to add cleaner sources of power, like wind turbines, solar projects and batteries to store energy. That will be key to meet the Biden administration goal of net-zero carbon emissions from the power sector by 2035.

 

“In the world of building transmission, it’s really not that far off when you think you need a good ten-year lead time in order to get there,” says Larry Gasteiger, executive director WIRES, a trade group advocating for more high-voltage transmission lines.

WIRES Reports

Primer on Transmission Formula Rates

A new primer from WIRES on Transmission Formula Rates (TFRs). This comprehensive overview prepared by London Economics International explores what TFRs are, describes how FERC applies such rates; and assesses in an objective manner the positive...

Value of Local Transmission Planning

As we seek to build the grid of the future, discussions and debate about improving transmission planning has become a central topic, with an emphasis on regional and interregional transmission planning. With this new report from Charles River Associates (CRA), WIRES...