Unlocking HVDC: How Congress Can Enable a More Resilient Grid
- Oct 2, 2025
- 1 min read
Policy and regulatory reforms for interregional HVDC transmission in the U.S.
A 2025 Niskanen Center report argues for federal and state policy reforms to ease HVDC permitting, streamline siting, use federal lands, and clarify cost recovery. Individual HVDC lines deliver benefits even without a full macrogrid.
Many U.S. regions remain poorly connected; HVDC lines would unlock flexibility and resilience.
Benefits accrue line-by-line; don’t need to wait for full macrogrid.
Policy levers: simplify permitting, use federal corridors, clarify compensation, coordinate cross-regional planning.
“A HVDC macrogrid… would unlock the full potential of our nation’s energy resources by providing an interregional transmission superhighway.”
“It can be built piece by piece, because individual HVDC lines offer benefits on their own.”
CONCLUSION
The report highlights how regulatory and policy bottlenecks, not technology, are the biggest drag on HVDC in the U.S.
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