Interview: Rob Gramlich and Francis Slingsby on Shovel-Ready Interconnects That Unlock $180B in Potential Savings

In this OpenMinds interview, Communications Director Will Bernholz talks with Rob Gramlich, president of Grid Strategies, and Francis Slingsby, who leads OpenMinds' Grid Vision project, about the Shovel-Ready Interconnects tool. Slingsby explains that Grid Vision looks at meeting load growth through 2035, about 800 GW of additional capacity, and that these projects are the biggest near-term opportunity to do it affordably and reliably.

Key points

• Grid Strategies narrowed about 4,000 publicly reported transmission projects to 18 that are mature enough to deliver by 2030.
• Together, the 18 projects could unlock 65 GW of capacity and $180 billion in lifetime savings for consumers.
• Gramlich explains that new lines let neighboring regions share power when weather strains one grid, which improves reliability and cuts production costs soon after the lines are built.
• The remaining hurdles fall under what Gramlich calls the three Ps of transmission barriers: planning, permitting and paying.