What is the Vermont Long-Range Transmission Plan? And why should you participate? 

The electric transmission system plays critical role in powering Vermont’s communities. Electric transmission lines serve as electron highways, transporting electricity from generation sources to Vermont’s eighteen distribution utilities that then supply homes and businesses with the energy they need.

Maintaining a reliable transmission system requires careful and thoughtful planning. Every three years, VELCO publishes our Vermont Long-Range Transmission Plan, providing insights into the emerging needs of the changing grid on a 20-year horizon. The Vermont Long-Range Transmission Plan serves several vital purposes. Firstly, it identifies potential reliability concerns within the transmission system as we continue to advance a clean energy future. By pinpointing these issues, we can proactively develop solutions to address them and maintain the grid's reliability as our energy landscape evolves.

Additionally, the plan acts as a foundation for exploring alternative solutions to transmission upgrades. We recognize that building additional transmission infrastructure is not always the best option. Therefore, we seek collaborative partners to investigate alternatives such as grid enhancing technologies, energy efficiency initiatives, storage solutions, and demand response measures. These alternatives may offer more sustainable and affordable ways to meet Vermont's energy needs while ensuring reliability.

We value the input of Vermonters in shaping this plan and invite all who are interested to please join any of our four public outreach meetings in May. We welcome your insights and perspectives on transmission and other solutions to help meet Vermont's emerging electric reliability challenges. Your contributions will make the plan stronger and more reflective of Vermont's needs. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to ensure a reliable, resilient, and affordable energy future for Vermont.