November/December 2008 / Cover Story
Businesses Must Help Make the Case for a Robust Transmission System
According to the author, the importance of new electrical power transmission projects is often lost on the public. The consequences of transmission-driven blackouts can be severe. According to a joint U.S. and Canadian task force, a major blackout in 2003 affected an estimated 50 million people. The estimated costs in the U.S. were $4-10 billion. In Canada GDP was down 0.7 percent the month the blackout occurred.
The electrical systems in the United States and Canada east of the Rockies, except Quebec and most of Texas, are connected to form a grid called the Eastern Interconnect. Those west of the Rockies, except Alaska, form the Western Interconnect. Power routinely flows back and forth between both systems. The transmission facilities of each interconnected system affect the movement of power on the others. The North American grid can be seen as one large, interconnected electrical machine.
One way to guard against blackouts is to augment the transmission system, but these projects often face strong opposition, especially if the public thinks the new line will not actually be delivering power into the area where it will be located. The author urges businesses to organize support based on the need for robust transmission to assure reliable power. High-voltage electric transmission lines, he says, are vital to our way of life and the functioning of the economy.