Eric Olson

Dec 23, 2024 | realclearenergy.org | Eric Olson

As artificial intelligence, data centers, and electric vehicles drive unprecedented electricity demand, our aging transmission infrastructure struggles to keep pace. At the center of this crisis lies an obscure but powerful legal provision: the Right of First Refusal, or ROFR. These laws grant incumbent utilities exclusive rights to build new transmission projects, effectively creating regional monopolies that stifle innovation. The current level of electricity demand is unprecedented.