House panel backs bill encouraging transmission "grid‑enhancing" technologies

The Utah House Public Utilities and Energy Standing Committee on Jan. 30 unanimously approved a substitute for House Bill 212, a measure that would require utility service providers to evaluate advanced transmission technologies to increase how much electricity existing transmission lines can carry and to encourage the Utah Public Service Commission to support such technologies when they are cost‑effective.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Watkins, told the committee the measure targets near‑term, lower‑cost options to increase usable transmission capacity and relieve congestion, which can reduce costs for ratepayers and lower wildfire risk. "These advanced transmission technologies known as ATTs are software and hardware solutions that increase the amount of electricity existing transmission lines can carry," Watkins said.

The bill’s supporters said the policy focuses on transmission rather than distribution. Josh Brown of The Pew Charitable Trusts said the bill “is really looking at the overall transmission, not so much the distribution to the houses,” and is intended to improve movement of electricity from generation through the transmission system.

Officials and witnesses described different technology types and use cases. Harry Hansen of the Office of Energy Development described a regional example — a partnership with Rocky Mountain Power to replace conductors on existing towers to increase capacity roughly twofold while improving wildfire resistance. Josh Kraft of Utah Clean Energy said the bill is a near‑term, cost‑effective way to increase effective transmission capacity while longer‑term new transmission is planned.

Committee members asked technical and finance questions. Representative Peck sought clarity that the measure would not authorize devices attached to customers’ homes; Brown and Watkins both said the bill addresses transmission-level equipment and not end‑user attachments. Committee members also asked whether the state would bear costs; witnesses said the bill establishes an evaluation requirement and that costs, if incurred, would flow through the utilities’ standard ratemaking processes and ultimately to ratepayers when projects are approved by the Public Service Commission.

The committee first adopted the substitute and then voted to pass HB 212 out of committee with a favorable recommendation; both actions passed unanimously.

Supporters called the bill "low‑hanging fruit" that can be deployed faster and cheaper than new lines; critics raised no formal objections during the committee session. The bill now moves to the next stage in the legislative process.