Building More, Smarter, and Faster: CEN Responds to DOE’s 2026 Transmission Needs Study
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The Conservative Energy Network (CEN) submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Draft 2026 National Transmission Needs Study, offering a consumer-focused approach to strengthening America’s electric grid.
CEN agrees that the United States needs additional transmission capacity to meet rising electricity demand, maintain reliability, and support economic growth. As manufacturing facilities, data centers, and other energy-intensive industries expand, America must be able to deliver power where and when it is needed.
CEN’s recommendations center on three principles:
Build More
America needs transmission infrastructure that supports reliability and economic growth. Investments should be based on measurable benefits to consumers, including lower congestion costs, improved reliability, access to affordable power, and greater capacity to serve new businesses and industries.
Build Smarter
Every dollar invested should deliver as much reliability, capacity, and consumer value as possible. CEN encourages planners to consider competition, grid-enhancing technologies, reconductoring, storage, targeted upgrades, and existing infrastructure corridors before defaulting to more expensive new construction.
Greater connections between regions can also help move electricity where it is needed during extreme weather, outages, and other periods of grid stress.
Build Faster
Identifying a transmission need means little if the solution cannot be completed on time. More predictable permitting, earlier coordination among federal and state agencies, and greater use of existing rights-of-way can help reduce delays while respecting property rights and maintaining meaningful review.
America should build the transmission infrastructure it needs in a way that protects consumers, strengthens reliability, supports economic growth, and promotes competition and accountability.