The need to generate more energy to run power-hungry AI data centers and keep electricity costs affordable for everyone gets the most attention of late, but just as important is upgrading the nation’s aging power grid, which is ill-equipped to handle higher transmission loads.
That was the message Christie 55 Solutions Managing Director Bob Martin delivered to more than 400 business leaders at NJBIA’s recent Energy and Environmental Forum.
“Much of the grid was built in the 1960s and 1970s…and 70% of the grid is 25 years or older,” Martin explained. “It's not just about growth and adding more lines; we also have to deal with replacing aging transmission lines, substations, and other key components. The grid is unprepared for the load that we need to support.”
Martin, who served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for eight years under Gov. Chris Christie, emphasized that policymakers must address both energy generation and transmission in tandem. “We can’t separate the generation issue from the transmission issue, but we need to isolate the challenges and solutions for each,” Martin said.
Now with Christie 55 Solutions, a New Jersey-based consulting firm that assists clients with complex public policy and regulatory challenges, Martin underscored the need to expand both regional and interregional transfer capacity.
He cited the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Transmission Plan, which calls for doubling regional capacity and quadrupling interregional capacity by 2050. “Dealing with the regional and interregional transfer of electricity is absolutely critical as we move forward,” he said.
Martin also pointed out that several key areas of the current transmission network lack sufficient injection and withdrawal capacity to meet projected electricity demand. “You can generate all the electricity you want,” he noted, “but if you can’t plug it into the grid, or you can plug it in but can’t deliver it where it needs to go, it doesn’t make a difference.”
Despite the magnitude of these challenges, Martin stressed that there are actionable solutions available today.
He called for long-term planning and stronger cooperation among federal, state, and local stakeholders — including utilities and Regional Transmission Operators such as PJM — as well as innovative public-private partnerships to accelerate investment in grid modernization.
“The electric grid needs to be modernized, it needs to be upgraded, and it needs to be expanded well beyond what it is today,” Martin concluded.
Go here to watch the video of Martin’s presentation, “Investing in American’s Electric Transmission: The Key to Reliability and Affordability.”
