11 Aug
(Washington, D.C.) On August 1, ACEG submitted comments to the Department of Energy (DOE) recommending ways to improve its Title XVII Innovative Technologies Loan Guarantee Program and to implement recent federal legislation that expanded and modified DOE’s authority.
Title XVII authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make loan guarantees for projects that avoid, reduce, or sequester pollutants and employ “new, or significantly improved,” technologies. This includes authority to fund electric generation and transmission projects. ACEG emphasized in its comments that large-scale transmission buildout will be critical to decarbonizing the electric power and transportation sectors, and that while the costs associated with these projects are significant, so are the benefits as every dollar spent on high-speed regional transmission can reduce generation costs by $3 to $4.
ACEG’s comments stress that the Title XVII Loan Program can play a pivotal role in supporting modernization of the country’s transmission system, but note that, to date, the program has funded only one transmission project. ACEG encourages DOE to review Title XVII rules that may be overly restrictive or confusing, and thus, act as a deterrent to transmission developers seeking federal funds. ACEG’s comments offer several suggestions to help DOE remove potentially onerous burdens and include a request that DOE provide further clarity on eligibility guidelines specific to transmission applications.
ACEG hopes DOE will consider and incorporate these recommendations when planning for the future of the Title XVII Loan Program. To view our full comments, click here.
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