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In 2013 the U.S. added 4,000 miles of high‑voltage transmission lines; as of 2026…

Brief

The U.S. electric grid faces deep underinvestment: in 2013 the country added 4,000 miles of high‑voltage transmission lines, but today only a few hundred miles are built annually, the post warns. It attributes rapid electricity price increases to scattershot planning and points readers to Jane A. Flegal's 'The Grid as Platform Infrastructure' for policy solutions.

Why it matters

In 2013 the U.S. added 4,000 miles of high‑voltage transmission lines; as of 2026 we're building only 'a few hundred' miles per year, according to @curious_founder.

Key details

  • The author says chronic underinvestment and 'scattershot, inefficient' planning of the grid are primary reasons electricity prices are rising quickly.
  • @JaneAFlegal's essay 'The Grid as Platform Infrastructure' (link: clcouncil.org/publications/...) is recommended as an unorthodox, policy-focused roadmap for scaling grid investment.
Source evidence

In 2013, the US added 4,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines. Today, we're building a few hundred miles per year.

It's hard to overstate how important the electric grid is to our economy and society. But we're not investing in it. And when we are, we're doing so in scattershot, inefficient ways.

This underinvestment and poor planning is one of the primary reasons electricity prices are rising so quickly.

@JaneAFlegal has been doing some interesting work on what it would take to actually invest in the grid. Her work is unorthodox and original.

For those interested in wonking out on grid policy, her latest essay "The Grid as Platform Infrastructure" is worth a read.

clcouncil.org/publications/b…