Transmission is needed to keep the lights on. More than that, transmission can help facilitate the addition of new supply, as it will increase the touchpoints for new resources to plug in to the system and also reduce the financial burdens of those developers who otherwise would have to pay for more substantial transmission upgrades so they can plug in.

Maryland relies heavily on neighboring states to generate up to 40% of its annual electricity needs. However, with rising demand for power and plans to attract energy-intensive industries, such as data centers and manufacturing to the state, Maryland needs new energy infrastructure. This means that the state will need to construct new resources to generate electricity (e.g., solar, wind, natural gas, nuclear) to replace the power plants that have retired in recent in years.

A large swath of the United States is facing a heightened risk of blackouts this summer, a perennial danger as electricity use soars and extreme weather tests the nation’s aging power grid, according to the regulatory authority that monitors the electricity system.

If America wants to fight climate change—or enjoy the benefits of a modern economy—it must get much better at building electricity transmission.

The nation’s already strained power grid is either at a turning point or poised to dash all those clean-power visions as it crumbles under the new stresses being placed on it.

Maryland ratepayers could save hundreds of dollars a year on their electric bills if the regional power grid operator could speed up approval of energy projects.

Analyses show that without proper upgrades, the deactivation of Brandon Shores would cause a severe voltage drop across seven PJM zones, leading to a widespread reliability risk not only in Maryland but in the surrounding zones including Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

Regular rolling blackouts could become a reality for Baltimore-area residents if a lack of energy supplied to the power grid remains unaddressed.