As utilities face unprecedented electricity demand growth from data centers, AI, electrification and new manufacturing facilities, traditional transmission planning timelines are increasingly under pressure.

According to J.D. Sitton, CEO of CTC Global, the industry is entering a period where utilities, regulators and large customers must reconsider long-standing approaches to grid expansion and make greater use of proven technologies that can deliver capacity more quickly.

Speaking with T&D World following the IEEE PES T&D Conference & Exposition in Chicago, Sitton said one of the strongest themes emerging across the industry is the urgency surrounding "speed to power" and the need to connect new loads faster than traditional transmission development timelines allow.

IEEE PES T&D Reflects Industry Momentum

Sitton said three themes stood out during this year's IEEE PES T&D event: the scale and energy of the conference, the level of innovation on display and the increasingly international nature of the industry gathering.

"The scale of the show and the number of companies that were there was amazing," Sitton said. "There was a lot of innovation, and the show was very international."

He also observed a growing focus on how utilities and industry suppliers can respond to rapidly increasing electricity demand.

"The companies that were there are approaching the growth in demand and the sophistication of the people behind that growth as a real opportunity," he said.

According to Sitton, utilities in faster-growing economies have already been forced to find ways to deploy capital more efficiently and add grid capacity more quickly. Similar pressures are now emerging in the United States.

Demand Growth Is Changing the Conversation

The rapid expansion of AI-driven data centers, hyperscale computing facilities, electrification initiatives and industrial development is creating new challenges for utilities.

While Sitton stopped short of calling reconductoring a mainstream planning tool today, he said adoption continues to accelerate.

"We've had very good success with state public utility commissions and state legislators," he said. "We've had good success in Washington, D.C., with DOE, with the White House, with FERC and with Congress on things that would compel utilities to at least consider advanced reconductoring."

He added that utility executives are becoming increasingly willing to evaluate the technology as part of their long-term planning efforts.

Hyperscalers Becoming Active Participants

Another notable trend is the growing involvement of hyperscale data center operators in understanding transmission constraints and grid infrastructure requirements.

Sitton said many large technology companies are becoming more engaged in supply-chain considerations and grid planning discussions as they pursue faster access to electricity.

"What we see in our work with the hyperscalers is they're all working to be good grid citizens," Sitton said. "They want to do their part. They just need much faster action and much clearer paths to being able to get their proposed facilities hooked up."

He noted that similar dynamics have emerged in other countries where large energy users and generation developers have become active participants in finding solutions that enable faster and more cost-effective grid connections.

Reliability, Speed and Cost Drive Utility Decisions

When utilities evaluate transmission upgrades, Sitton said three factors consistently rise to the top.

"The three that we see most often are reliability, speed and cost," he said.

Utilities first want assurance that any upgrade will maintain or improve reliability. They also want solutions that can be deployed quickly enough to meet growing demand, while ensuring economic benefits for customers and other stakeholders.

Those priorities are increasingly influencing conversations around transmission planning and grid modernization.

Digitalization of Transmission Assets

Looking ahead, Sitton expects advanced reconductoring and transmission asset digitalization to play major roles in future grid operations.

He believes utilities will gain access to significantly more information about the condition and performance of transmission lines, allowing operators to optimize existing infrastructure more effectively.

CTC Global recently introduced GridVista System, a system designed to combine advanced conductor technology with line monitoring capabilities.

According to Sitton, the platform can provide visibility into operating temperature, capacity, sag and other conditions affecting transmission performance.

"The stakeholders will have much more information about the actual condition of the lines themselves," he said. "That will in itself accelerate the optimization of the grid."

A Message for Utility Leaders

As utilities prepare for continued demand growth through the second half of 2026 and beyond, Sitton believes the industry must make greater use of available technologies and reconsider traditional project priorities.

"They need to make better use of the existing proven tools that are available to them," he said. "They need to rethink the batting order of their projects and the way they're going about saying yes to these loads and also to some of the generators that are wanting to attach."

If utilities do that, Sitton said, they may find opportunities to lower costs, improve responsiveness and enhance system reliability while addressing the next wave of electricity demand.