Competition in Transmission Development and Ownership Delivers Benefits for Consumers

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May 28, 2026 — In April 2026, a complaint filed by a group of utilities at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) asked for a moratorium on transmission competition in the MISO and SPP regions. In response, LS Power joins other industry voices in support of competition in regional transmission planning.

Paul Thessen, president of development for LS Power, stated: “Competition drives down costs, transfers risk from consumers to developers, and incentivizes innovation in the transmission sector, all of which deliver real benefits to American families and businesses. Competition does not slow down transmission development. Instead, it creates cost and schedule accountability for consumers. LS Power has successfully developed 6 competitive transmission projects nationwide, with an excellent track record of delivering them on time and in compliance with binding cost commitments that protect consumers – and we have another 9 competitively awarded projects in development.”

Sharon Segner, senior vice president of transmission policy for LS Power, stated: “The complaint should be soundly rejected. First, the complainants have not established that the competitive bidding process causes delays in delivering regional transmission projects on time. Second, SPP and MISO can further shorten their competitive windows today without any rule change. Third, what the complainants are asking for is unreasonable – they want the exclusive right to build all transmission lines in their existing territories across 18 states, a right that both federal appeals courts have already called “cartel-like.” Along with other independent developers and pro-consumer organizations, LS Power continues to stand for efficient competition in transmission planning and ownership because common sense and the evidence published by independent studies is clear – competition lowers costs, reduces consumer risk, and delivers greater reliability and schedule accountability for the infrastructure that powers American homes and businesses.”

Founded in 1990, LS Power is a premier development, investment, and operating company focused on the North American power and energy infrastructure sector, with leading platforms across generation, transmission and energy expansion solutions. Since inception, LS Power has developed or acquired 50,000 MW of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, battery energy storage, and natural gas-fired facilities. Through its transmission business, LS Power Grid, the company operates 7 transmission utilities, has built 780+ miles of high-voltage transmission with another 400+ miles currently in construction or development. LS Power actively invests in and scales businesses that are meeting the growing needs of the energy expansion, including electric vehicle charging, demand response, microgrids, renewable fuels and waste-to-energy platforms. Over the years, LS Power has raised more than $78 billion in debt and equity capital to support North American infrastructure. For information, please visit www.lspower.com.

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