An interregional transmission overlay is essential infrastructure to unlock renewable scaling, support exploding data-center demand, and harden the grid against climate disruptions, revealing a critical but under-discussed bottleneck in the energy transition (Wiley White Paper, 2024).

The Wiley/IEEE white paper states the U.S. grid faces aging infrastructure beyond 50-year lifespans, coal retirements, and data-center demand projected to grow 160% by 2030 under a regionally structured system (IEEE Spectrum/Wiley, 2024). DOE National Transmission Needs Study (2023) identifies insufficient interregional transfer capacity as causing $4.7-7.1 billion in annual congestion costs and blocking 300 GW of renewables. Original coverage lists five challenges (planning coordination, permitting, market harmonization, HVDC supply chain, regulatory uncertainty) and cites FERC Order 1920 but understates AI-driven load spikes that multiple forecasts now tie to hyperscale computing exceeding initial projections (DOE, 2023; FERC, 2024).

Coverage missed explicit linkages to historical events such as Winter Storm Uri, where ERCOT isolation due to limited seams capacity led to widespread outages (FERC/NERC, 2021). Brattle Group (2022) calculated benefit-cost ratios above 3:1 for HVDC overlays between MISO, PJM, and SPP; European interconnected HVDC patterns demonstrate 20-30% cost reduction and improved extreme-weather resilience, a comparator absent from the primary source. FERC Order 1920 requires long-term interregional planning yet implementation data through 2024 shows only partial state alignment on cost allocation (Brattle Group, 2022; FERC, 2024).

NREL and DOE models indicate an overlay enabling 400 GW additional renewables by 2035 could lower total system costs 25% while addressing supply-chain lead times exceeding 36 months for specialized equipment. Utilities are directed to use DOE Transmission Facilitation Program funding and identify strategic corridors; without accelerated action the documented regional bottlenecks will persist as primary constraint on both clean-energy deployment and new industrial load (NREL, 2023; DOE, 2023).