WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee, Senator Angus King (I-ME) spoke about the rising costs of electric bills in Maine and the path forward to address these rising costs via transmission upgrades and battery storage for renewable energy sources. In his exchange with Rob Gramlich, the President of Grid Strategies LLC, King highlighted that while battery storage capabilities exist today, the demand is only growing greater. King also shared that by simply upgrading existing transmission lines, the United States can lower the cost of home energy in places like Maine.

Senator King began, “The word transmission has come up numerous times a day and how important it is and what an important part it is of this discussion. Unfortunately, this morning, the Department of Energy terminated a loan program for a major interregional transmission system in the Midwest. So, here we are talking about how important transmission is, and here is the Department of Energy – and it was not a grant, it was a loan guarantee program. I just think the timing is somewhat ironic.

“We all know that solar and wind are intermittent. We understand that [and] everybody knows that. I was in the hydro business, that is also intermittent. It doesn't always rain. As well as wind, biomass and large-scale conservation. What is really happening is really dramatic in terms of energy storage,” Senator King continued. “If you have adequate energy storage, solar and wind are baseload, because you have something to make up the difference. I used AI … to check on where we are on batteries. As of five minutes ago, the U.S. added a record 10.4 gigawatts of utility scale battery storage in 2024, marking a 66% increase from the prior year. In 2025, the EIA anticipates a record-setting year with another 18 gigawatts of utility scale battery storage on the grid. Looking ahead, the EIA forecast the U.S. battery storage will nearly double, reaching 65 gigawatts by the end of 2026.

Senator King continued, “In other words, the battery industry is no longer a fantasy or a distant dream. It is happening right now in a very substantial scale. As you point out come Mr. Gramlich, it saved the day in Texas and California, and is already working, the idea of integrating batteries with solar and wind. Let me talk for a minute though about transformation. Mr. Gramlich, this is what worries me, it used to be an electric bill in Maine was 25% transmission and distribution and 75 source of energy. It is now about 50/50 and transmission is getting more and more expensive. Everybody knows we have to rebuild the grid. My concern it’s going to be done in an expensive way that will add dramatically to ratepayers’ cost. Mr. Gramlich, you are nodding. I take it you agree. The record doesn’t show nodding.

Gramlich responded, “Absolutely. We are doing transmission in sometimes the most expensive way possible now and we can change that.”

As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King has repeatedly emphasized the importance of permitting reform to deliver carefully considered, timely approvals of sorely-needed clean energy projects. Senator King has also been one of the Senate’s most vocal advocates for improving energy storage technologies and development and worked to include significant storage investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Most recently, Senator King reiterated the importance of an “all of the above” energy policy strategy during an ENR hearing considering the nominations of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

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