Trump infrastructure priority plan includes transmission, wind, energy storage

on January 26, 2017

energy storage utility driveTrump’s infrastructure wish list includes many provisions observers would expect — the document is heavy on the bridges and road projects he promised throughout the campaign would create jobs for Americans. 

Those in the utility industry who hoped that affinity for big infrastructure projects would translate into power sector programs may take heart in the document released by McClatchy on Tuesday. Just how the Trump administration plans to encourage the projects remains unclear, but it could give an indication of the White House’s priorities.

Of the 50 infrastructure projects, seven focus on the electricity sector:

  • #9: The Plains and Eastern transmission lines, which aim to move wind power from the Oklahoma panhandle to load centers in Tennessee;
  • #12: Hydroelectric Plants operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, many of which are slated for upgrades;
  • #16: The TransWest Express Transmission line, which would deliver renewable energy produced in Wyoming to load centers in California, Nevada and Arizona;
  • #17: The Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind projects, an up-to 3,000 MW wind energy project in Wyoming;
  • #20: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a multi-utility project that would transport gas from West Virginia down through North Carolina;
  • #21: The Champlain Hudson Power Express, a hydropower project that could bring up to 1,000 MW of clean power to the New York metro, and;
  • #49: Energy Storage and Grid Modernization in California, which highlights the mitigation efforts taken during the Aliso Canyon natural gas shortage.

It’s not clear whether the document is a draft or finalized edition, nor whether it has been submitted to congressional lawmakers. But according to McClatchy, the National Governors’ Association asked state governments for input on an infrastructure program list for the transition team last month, and that list is nearly identical to the one compiled by the White House. 

Though the NGA list was preliminary, the association’s letter to state governments pledged “there will be a more formal process for states to submit information” once Trump takes office. 

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Utility DiveTrump infrastructure priority plan includes transmission, wind, energy storage