Contact: Louisa Tavlas
Email: ltavlas@niskanencenter.org
Washington, D.C., September 14, 2023 – The Niskanen Center applauds Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Representative Scott Peters (D-CA) for introducing the Building Integrated Grids With Inter-Regional Energy Supply (BIG WIRES) Act.
The BIG WIRES Act designates a minimum electricity transfer capacity between regions, paving the way for increased efficiency and reliability in power market operations. By requiring regions to unlock increased transfer capability, this legislation expands the grid operator toolbox for preventing power outages and achieving monetary savings for consumers and businesses.
The BIG WIRES Act would mark a turning point in power market regulation, advancing significant gains in interregional connectedness that have eluded our electricity sector for years. This legislation promises to update power market operations, bringing us closer to a more reliable and consumer-friendly energy future.
“Senator Hickenlooper and Congressman Peters approached the challenge of interregional transfer capabilities creatively and thoughtfully. The BIG WIRES Act will break the logjam that has stifled infrastructure investment for enhanced power exchange between regions,” says Kenneth Sercy, Niskanen’s energy abundance policy manager.
Sercy adds, “This is an opportunity to boost assistance from neighboring power grids during reliability emergencies while enabling more interregional trading on a day-to-day basis that saves customers large sums of money.”
The Niskanen Center is a 501(c)(3) advocacy organization established in 2014 to change public policy through direct engagement in the policymaking process.
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