US reforms grid permitting, invests US$331 million in Western transmission line

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
MISO-transmission-lines
The Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Programme will pool environmental reviews and permitting processes under a federal “integrated interagency process”. Image: Corey Coyle

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has established a new programme to “significantly improve” permitting and environmental processes for electricity transmission projects.

The Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Programme will pool environmental reviews and permitting processes under a federal “integrated interagency process”. It will require that developer submissions for federal approval are considered within a two-year window without compromising the US’ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The DOE will serve as a coordinator between federal agencies and developers. Furthermore, it said that it will work with “relevant agencies” to produce a single document for NEPA-compliant environmental approvals that suits each agency and removes the need to duplicate administrative work.

More broadly, the CITAP programme will require a “comprehensive public participation plan” to encourage developers to engage with communities and tribes in their proposed development areas “at the outset of the project”. This will be conducted via an online portal, which will also allow federal agencies to view and provide input on documents in the early stages of grid project development.

Eric Beightel, permitting council executive director, said: “The ambitious clean energy goals of the Biden-Harris administration cannot be achieved without the transmission infrastructure needed to deliver renewable energy to consumers. This rule is a significant step forward in bringing coordination and accountability into the permitting review of these vital projects.”

Biden invests in the west

On the same day as the CITAP announcement, the Biden Administration said that it would invest US$331 million to add up to 2GW worth of new grid capacity across the Western US.

The money will go to the Southwest Intertie Project (SWIP-N), a 285-mile transmission line that will link Idaho and Nevada and join the existing One Nevada line that connects the state with consumers in California. Construction of the line is expected to begin in 2025 and will transmit wind energy from Idaho to Southern Nevada, as well as allow solar resources in the Southwest to “ meet evolving reliability needs in the Pacific Northwest.”

The US$331 million funding is delivered through the Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), part of the government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The TFP is a US$2.5 billion revolving fund dedicated to upgrading and building new transmission lines.

John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for International Climate Policy, said: “In order to reach our clean energy and climate goals, we’ve got to build out transmission as fast as possible to get clean power from where it’s produced to where it’s needed.”

According to a report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory earlier this month, the interconnection queue for grid access in the US grew to 2.6TW in 2023. Solar PV formed the largest portion of this capacity with over 1TW.

This report followed analysts from Wood Mackenzie telling PV Tech Premium that reforms and expansions to grid and transmission access were paramount to the access of global renewables expansion efforts, and that the sometimes 15-year wait for new infrastructure developments “poses a significant risk of being derailed before completion”.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

September 17, 2025
US renewables developer Longroad Energy has reached financial close for its 400MW 1000 Mile solar project in the US state of Texas.
September 17, 2025
Spanish renewables developer and operator Acciona Energía has commissioned its 412MWp Juna solar PV plant in Kawani village in the western state of Rajasthan. 
September 17, 2025
Nexamp has secured US$350 million through a long-term financing facility to expand its 6GW utility-scale solar and battery storage pipeline in the US. 
September 17, 2025
The California State Legislature has passed two bills that aim to reduce energy prices in the state, AB 825 and SB 302.
September 17, 2025
QatarEnergy has signed an EPC agreement with Samsung C&T for its 2GW Dukhan project. 
September 16, 2025
Sunotec has launched Sunotec Nordic to spearhead solar and hybrid renewable project development across the Nordic region.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA