Our products and services differ based on state. Please select your state (or the state you're interested in) from the list to the left.
Why do our products and services differ based on state? Because our business is regulated by state. We have regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern states. The different regulatory body for each state we serve determines what products and services we deliver in that state.
Electric Transmission - Safety and Ed
Electric Transmission
The interstate highway system for electricity
Think of transmission lines as an “interstate highway system” for electricity: They are a vital link used to deliver electricity over long distances from power sources to transmission substations closer to homes and businesses.
There are about 160,000 miles of overhead transmission lines 230 kilovolt or higher in the United States (based on a 2002 Department of Energy study); primarily because of cost, less than 1 percent is underground. The lines interconnect 750,000 megawatts of generating capacity nationwide.
A strong transmission system assures reliable electricity. Utilities connect their transmission systems to neighboring systems run by other utilities. These interconnected systems form regional grids that allow power to flow from one area to another, ensuring reliable and efficient electric delivery to customers, even during emergencies.
Electricity also cannot be stored; it has to be generated, transmitted and distributed the moment you turn on your computer or any other appliance. Traveling at almost the speed of light – 186,000 miles a second – electricity arrives where it’s demanded at almost the same time it’s produced.
