According to a new report released on March 15, 2022, by Grid Strategies, reconductoring and rebuilding existing transmission pathways using Advanced Conductors could lower costs and accelerate the decarbonization of the power grid.[1] The report, titled Advanced Conductors on Existing Transmission Corridors to Accelerate Low Cost Decarbonization, was prepared for the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), CTC Global Corporation, Lamifil Inc North America, Natural Resources Defense Council, Taihan Electric USA Ltd., and TS Conductor Corporation.

Roughly 70% of transmission and distribution lines are well into the second half of their 50-year life expectancy, and some lower voltage components are over 100 years old. New transmission construction is needed to interconnect large amounts of renewable energy, but these projects can take more than a decade to bring online. Outfitting existing transmission infrastructure with advanced conductors can quickly create more capacity, reduce emissions, save consumers money, and boost resiliency. The report makes several recommendations, such as requiring transmission service providers to consider advanced conductors in generator interconnection planning rules, that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) could adopt in its upcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) on transmission planning, cost allocation, and interconnection queue reform. The report also includes recommendations for transmission planners and owners, public utility commissioners and legislators, and the Department of Energy (DOE).

[1] https://acore.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Advanced_Conductors_to_Accelerate_Grid_Decarbonization.pdf