The High-Capacity Grid Act establishes new standards for electrical transmission equipment used in power grid projects. It requires that when utility companies build new transmission lines or upgrade existing ones, they must use "best-available transmission conductors"—the most efficient and highest-capacity cables commercially available for a given voltage level. The bill creates financial incentives by requiring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to presume that using these better conductors is a prudent and reasonable cost that utilities can recover through customer rates, while presuming that using lower-capacity alternatives is not prudent and cannot be easily recovered. FERC must develop detailed rules defining what qualifies as "best-available" within 180 days of the law's enactment and must periodically update these standards as technology improves. The requirement applies to public utility companies and covers new construction as well as upgrades and replacements of existing transmission lines under federal jurisdiction.
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