It’s no secret that United States’ electrical infrastructure is aging. But it may also be hindering the transition to clean energy. To circumvent issues, the White House announced a new initiative between the federal government and 21 states to make repairs and improvements to the grid more quickly. The unprecedented initiative includes a commitment to build a bigger, more modern grid in the hopes of reducing power outages while increasing transmission capacity, which is seen as the primary obstacle to adding more clean energy sources to the grid.

“Building on the Biden-Harris administration’s legislative accomplishments and executive actions in tackling the grid modernization challenge, the initiative aims to bring together states, federal entities, and power sector stakeholders to help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces in the twenty-first century,” the White House stated in a May 2024 news release.

According to White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi, this is expected to be the “most significant public investment [in the power grid] in a generation.” The investment, totaling tens of billions of dollars, is expected to “drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively,” he said.

The energy industry is ready and waiting. There is more electricity just from solar power waiting to get on the grid than all the energy currently on the grid, but the United States needs more modern high-voltage transmission lines.

The public is also ready and waiting. Research indicates that a significant rise in the number of data centers and increased demand from artificial intelligence and electric vehicles is set to create a surge of electricity usage.

“Our country’s aging grid is being tested in ways that we’ve never seen before,” said Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) chairman Willie Phillips. “Without significant action now, we won’t be able to keep the lights on in the face of increasing demand, extreme weather, and new technologies.”

Unfortunately, historically, the industry has not taken a proactive role in keeping pace with either the technology or demand. That’s about to change, thanks to a recent vote by FERC to approve a new rule that will compel utilities and grid operators to proactively make plans for managing regional electrical transmission. Phillips anticipates this will ease the backlog of clean energy waiting to get on a grid too small to handle it.

Under the initiative, the federal government will ensure states can apply for federal loans to build more transmission lines. The Biden administration has been working with states and private companies to move forward on this initiative. To date, 21 states have committed to modernize their transmission, using new conductors that carry more electricity and passing policy to improve the grid.

The Biden administration has also introduced other grid initiatives in an attempt to upgrade 100,000 miles of existing transmission lines to enable them to carry more power using reconductoring—switching high-voltage lines that carry more electrical capacity onto existing towers.