As Maryland has grown and the economy has changed, the amount of electricity used by the state’s residents, businesses and institutions has increased – just as it has across the country and around the world. Maryland has long been a net-importer of electricity, which means the state uses more power than it has the capacity to generate.

Many Maryland ratepayers already pay significantly more than regional counterparts for power. As electricity use grows and the state shifts to a focus on cleaner, greener power generation, the transmission infrastructure must be bolstered to ensure grid reliability and affordability.

According to PJM, the Regional Transmission Organization, a failure to respond to current grid congestion, projected increases in the amount of power used, and a lack of sufficient in-state generation facilities would mean even higher prices and the potential for rolling brownouts or blackouts.

The MPRP is the first of several transmission line projects across Maryland that aim to bolster the reliability of the state’s power grid. The lines are part of a plan developed by PJM to provide reliability and alleviate congestion to support affordability for Maryland’s electricity consumers.