Media Contact
Donna Brutkoski
612-491-8334
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 20, 2026
Modernized policy can speed up projects needed to avoid a power supply crunch
The electric grid in Oregon and its neighboring states is facing unprecedented strain. A study released last year warned that by 2030, the Pacific Northwest could see a power supply gap of as much as 9 GW — Oregon’s entire current power system load. The rise in demand from electrified heating and transportation, as well as the rapid construction of data centers, are all putting pressure on policymakers to speed up the building of planned electric transmission projects.
One solution to building transmission as quickly and affordably as possible, while avoiding unnecessary impacts, is to consider co-locating projects in existing rights-of-way — such as along interstate or state highways. Unfortunately, the Oregon Department of Transportation’s current policy essentially prohibits co-location along interstates in practice. Today, NextGen Highways is launching a coalition of diverse interests to promote opening Oregon’s freeways to siting the transmission needed to meet the state’s energy goals.
“The forecasts for Oregon’s energy needs in the coming decades all come to the same conclusion — we’ll need more transmission and it’ll need to be built faster,” said Randy Satterfield, NextGen Highways’ executive director. “Opening up interstate and other freeway corridors can be an important new tool in the toolbox for the people planning and building the power grid of the future in Oregon.”
Co-location in freeway rights-of-way can allow Oregon to benefit from a streamlined permitting process that will speed up the construction of much-needed transmission projects. Working with a single landowner, the Oregon Department of Transportation, can save ratepayers money while protecting farms and natural landscapes from unnecessary development or use of eminent domain. Over time, co-location of transmission can also be a tool to help develop electric vehicle charging hubs and modernized communications networks across Oregon’s highway networks.
NextGen Highways’ work in Oregon builds on policy successes the initiative has achieved most recently in Iowa, where a bill opening highway rights-of-way to transmission siting was signed into law in March, as well as Colorado and Minnesota, where similar bills became law over the past two years. In Virginia, newly passed legislation supported by NextGen Highways will convene a working group to study co-location opportunities in that state. Similar legislative and policy efforts are underway with stakeholders across the country, including elsewhere in the western states.
Organizations seeking to join the coalition and move forward with modernizing transmission siting policy in Oregon can visit nextgenhighways.org to learn more and inquire.
More from Coalition Members:
Lauren Link, climate program director, The Nature Conservancy in Oregon
“As Oregon works towards building an affordable, reliable, and modern grid that works for Oregonians, it’s essential to upgrade and build transmission in already-disturbed areas — like highway corridors — to minimize impacts on people and nature.”
Joshua Basofin, clean energy program director, Climate Solutions
“Oregon must urgently expand our grid to interconnect renewable energy resources and maintain reliability. At the same time, we must protect cherished ecological, cultural, and agricultural resources. Co-locating transmission lines with freeways accomplishes both goals and is a common-sense approach.”
###
About NextGen Highways
NextGen Highways is a collaborative initiative promoting the use of highways and other existing rights-of-way as infrastructure corridors where electric and communications infrastructure are strategically and safely co-located in existing highway rights-of-way.