Icon representing the Grid Deployment Office's transmission division

GDO's Transmission Division evaluates national transmission needs, works to develop new and updated tools for transmission modeling, analysis and planning efforts, and implements DOE policies and programs to provide commercial facilitation support to advance transmission deployment. In addition, the Transmission Division leads the implementation of transmission-related statutory authorities in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Federal Power Act and engages in policy coordination and stakeholder outreach to accelerate the deployment of transmission infrastructure. Much of this Division’s work also directly supports DOE’s Building a Better Grid Initiative.  

Transmission Planning

Identifying nationally significant interregional and regional transmission needs and supplementing industry-led planning processes is critical to ensuring transmission development is efficient and timely, as well as adequate to meet national needs now and into the future. This Division engages in priority transmission planning efforts, including: 

  • The National Transmission Needs Study, a statutorily required analysis identifying major electric delivery congestion and constraints. This division also coordinates with national, regional, state, and local organizations and utilities to assess strategies for reducing transmission congestion. 
  • The National Transmission Planning Study, an initiative to develop new grid-scale planning and analysis tools to identify transmission options that will provide broad-scale benefits to electric customers; inform regional and interregional transmission planning processes; and identify interregional and national strategies to accelerate decarbonization while maintaining system reliability. 
  • Providing Offshore Wind Transmission Federal Planning and Support in the Atlantic, West Coast, and Gulf Coast areas, including conducting offshore wind transmission planning studies and convening and engaging with stakeholders to develop action plans for the development of offshore wind transmission networks to bring valuable offshore wind resources to customers while maintaining and improving the reliability and resilience of onshore transmission systems.

Commercial Facilitation

Investing in transmission creates broad benefits across the country and is critical to addressing our aging grid. With this in mind, this Division leads the deployment of existing DOE tools and programs, and assessment of new tools and programs, to provide commercial and financial support to transmission projects. Flagship Commercial Facilitation programs include: 

  • The $2.5 billion Transmission Facilitation Program, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, that supports the development of nationally significant transmission lines to increase resilience by connecting regions of the country, expand transmission capacity needed by customers to maintain reliability and reduce consumer costs, and contribute to national and sub-national goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in target markets. 
  • The Transmission Facility Financing loan program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, which will provide $2 billion in direct loan authority for facility financing for projects designated by the Secretary as National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors under section 216(a) of the Federal Power Act. 

Technical Assistance, Stakeholder Engagement, and Strategic Initiatives 

The Transmission Division also leads the provision of technical assistance and grants to states, Tribes, local communities, and other entities to support stakeholder engagement in transmission analysis and planning and the execution of transmission siting and permitting activities. This work includes managing the $760 million Transmission Siting and Economic Development Grants program, funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, to support states and local communities in siting and permitting of interstate or offshore electricity transmission lines. In addition, the Transmission Division works to identify and designate National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors under section 216(a) of the Federal Power Act. 

Another key part of this outreach is convening stakeholders to support the development of priority interregional and OSW transmission facilities. This entails convening a broad range of interregional and OSW transmission stakeholders, including policymakers, Tribes, local communities, and others to identify strategies to support sustainable and equitable development of OSW transmission while minimizing impacts to communities, sensitive resources, ocean co-users, and marine environments while creating benefits for coastal and underserved communities and the Nation as a whole.