"I think members of Congress are overestimating the federal government's ability to approve transmission lines in a speedy manner while underestimating the controversy this will foment amongst constituents," said Tony Clark, a Republican former FERC chair.

But strengthening FERC's hand in permitting may not resolve those issues and could even create new ones, former FERC member Clark said. Intervenors will still be able to challenge new projects at the federal level, according to Clark. And allowing FERC to override states' decisions not to condemn private property in support of a transmission developer's plans could put the agency "in a difficult position."

"It looks to me like a nightmare scenario for FERC," Clark said.

Some market participants have also expressed concern with the anchor tenant program. Transmission developer ITC Holdings Corp. said the Senate improved the proposal by specifying that projects funded through the program should not conflict with projects emerging through the regional transmission organization stakeholder process. But the bill still risks subsidizing uneconomic projects, while overall program funding of $2.5 billion "is small," ITC's vice president of federal and regulatory affairs Nina Plaushin said.

A project to generate electricity using wind turbines in Kansas and distribute the power in the Midwest and east coast is moving forward.
Invenergy has purchased nearly half of the land it needs in northern Missouri for the construction project that will begin in earnest in 2023. All of those deals have been the product of voluntary negotiations with landowners willing to sell, according to the company, although Invenergy could have used eminent domain to acquire the land.

In certain circumstances, for example when landowners have stated their intention not to
engage in a voluntary negotiation process or have repeatedly refused attempts to be contacted by the Project, the only option available to Grain Belt Express is to pursue a legal proceeding for right-of-way acquisition. Missouri law requires landowners be notified in writing no less than 60 days in advance of the intended initiation of any right-of-way acquisition legal proceeding. Kansas has no prior notice requirement, however the Project intends to inform landowners prior to beginning any legal proceedings. To be clear, this letter is being mailed to all landowners for informational purposes and does not constitute such notice.

If we are not able to come to terms on an easement agreement within 60 days of this letter, Grain Belt intends to file a condemnation action regarding the referenced property.

As it relates to the proposed acquisition, under the Missouri law, you have the right to:

b. Make a counteroffer and engage in further negotiations;

The issue could come up again next year, but Luckey said the company isn’t concerned with that, as Invenergy is open to talking with lawmakers.
“It’s about coming to the table and letting them know we respect their point of view and the constituents they represent,” Luckey said. “We want to be a partner with them, and we are going to continue education and outreach with citizens and lawmakers.”

Luckey said linking the Grain Belt Express to the power grid could have helped avoid the massive power outage Texas experienced in February.
“The line would have made it possible to import substantial amounts of excess electricity to supply from other regions to address those outages,” Luckey said.

Invenergy also lists benefits to Missouri including  the possibility of using the infrastructure to improve broadband internet connectivity to underserved areas.

The California power grid operator told the public to prepare to conserve energy next week if needed as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners to escape what is forecast to be a brutal heatwave.

But the ISO said it will notify the public if it needs to take steps to reduce electricity use, including a call for public conservation and if the grid becomes seriously stressed, rotating outages.

The group responsible for North American electric reliability has already warned that California is the U.S. region most at risk of power shortages this summer because the state increasingly relies on intermittent energy sources like wind and solar...

Texas's embattled electrical grid operator warned residents to cut electricity use "as much as possible" for the rest of this week, as several days of heat over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32°C), combined with generation outages, could strain the grid even before summer officially starts.

ERCOT was "supposed to have enough reserves to meet peak demand this summer, yet here we are in mid June with the first bout of high temperatures and they are already seeking conservation," said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData, a provider of commodities data and analytics.
"It does not bode well for the months ahead," Smith said.

Hacking Gang Threatens to Leak Billionaire's "Spicy" Secrets -- Chicago-based Invenergy vowed that it would not capitulate and pay cybercriminals...

Ever since President Xi Jinping pitched the idea of a “global energy internet” to the United Nations six years ago, China’s been trying to persuade the world to build the high voltage highways that would form its backbone. That plan to wrap the planet in a web of intercontinental, made-in-Beijing power lines has gone pretty much nowhere. Yet the fortunes of so-called supergrids appear to be turning, if not on quite the spectacular, Bond-villain scale Xi first envisaged.

The panelists agreed that regulatory entities will need to alter their policies to accelerate transmission projects and facilitate their interconnection to the grid.

“(I)t is essential to our democratic system, to our design of government, that we maintain the process as fair in appearance and in practice,” Frost wrote. “At least then the disappointment of the losing party is in having lost, not in being cheated by an unfair process or decision maker. Disappointment is acceptable. Distrust is dangerous.”