State Legislators Call on FERC to Require Dynamic Line Ratings for Increased Grid Capacity

Today, 136 legislators from 37 states submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regarding its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Dynamic Line Ratings. State legislators are committed to ensuring their constituents have access to clean, affordable, and reliable electricity. Dynamic line ratings (DLR) can be applied to increase transmission capacity without building new lines, which allows lower-cost power to be delivered to households. 

Together, these legislators call on FERC to:

• Continue working on a requirement to deploy DLR on highly congested thermally-limited lines. 
• Continue the investigation of incentive structures that would orient utilities towards maximizing transmission capacity using grid enhancing technologies (GETs) where they would be cost-effective. 

Utilities forecast significant load growth in the coming years, but it will be difficult to build transmission for new electricity demand while maintaining low rates for constituents. GETs deployment and continued transmission planning are essential for getting the most value out of the existing power grid. 

Dynamic Line Ratings support grid reliability by monitoring line temperature and sag – operators can then identify reliability and safety risks on critical spans. PPL Electric Utilities reports that DLR on two lines saved over $60 million in congestion year-over-year, and is projected to resolve over $23 million in annual congestion in 2025. Addressing these constraints also improves economics for the lowest-cost energy sources by supporting competition and potentially expanding development.

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Created by and for state legislators, the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes over 1,300 environmentally-committed state legislators from all 50 states and both parties. NCEL provides venues and opportunities for lawmakers to share ideas and collaborate on environmental issues.