The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) has collaborated with eight Northeast states to issue a strategic action plan to identify specific steps for state and federal policymakers and regional transmission organizations to pursue interregional transmission solutions to reduce costs for consumers and make energy systems secure.
The plan outlines various actions over the next several years to improve interregional transmission planning and interconnection across three different grid planning regions in the Northeast. The near-term actions include issuance of a Request for Information (RFI) for potential interregional transmission projects that provide reliability benefits and cost savings for consumers.
The plan also identifies transmission equipment standardization efforts to support a unified and comprehensive approach to transmission investments.
In 2023, New York participated in a request to the U.S. Department of Energy to convene a multi-state group, called the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission, a Northeast effort, to explore mutually beneficial opportunities to increase the flow of electricity between the ISO New England, New York ISO, and PJM Interconnection planning regions.
The Collaborative included Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont. In summer 2024, the multi-state group signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a framework for coordinating its activities and identified the action plan as the next step.
The Collaborative has engaged relevant federal agencies and organizations with technical expertise to identify and assess shared areas of focus for interregional transmission cooperation and coordination. The group looks to remove regulatory and technical barriers to greater interregional transmission planning and engagement for the benefit of consumers and grid reliability.
The Collaborative hosted a webinar to discuss the strategic action plan’s near-term and mid-term focus areas.
