Work in progress. This page is an early draft — the full, sourced deep-dive is still being written.
- ~2×
- Capacity reconductoring can add within an existing right-of-way
- Cheaper
- And, in CAISO's words, less “politically embattled” than new lines
- Proven
- California just canceled a new 500 kV line in favor of these
The idea, in brief
California's own grid operator (CAISO) has found that reconductoring existing lines with advanced conductors can roughly double their capacity within the same right-of-way — among the most cost-effective options available, and “quicker (and often less politically embattled) than greenfield transmission.” Grid-enhancing technologies (dynamic line ratings, power-flow control) add still more capacity without new towers. [1]
This isn't theoretical. In its 2025–2026 plan, CAISO outright canceled a brand-new 500 kV line in the Los Angeles Basin and met the same need with smaller upgrades, storage, and a dozen reconductoring projects. The same scrutiny should apply here. [2]
The honest caveat
Reconductoring isn't a cure-all — it can't always provide every megawatt a region needs, and the review should test where it's sufficient and where it isn't. (Stub — a fuller treatment is coming.)
Sources
- [1]Grid-enhancing technologies & reconductoring as transmission alternatives — CAISO / Utility Dive / GridLab (2035 Report)
- [2]CAISO 2025-2026 Transmission Plan — cancels the Serrano–Del Amo–Mesa 500 kV line — California ISO / Utility Dive