§ 18715b — Interregional And Offshore Wind Electricity Transmission Planning, Modeling, And Analysis

(a) In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Secretary for fiscal year 2022, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $100,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2031, to carry out this section. (b) The Secretary shall use amounts made available under subsection (a)— (1) to pay expenses associated with convening relevant stakeholders to address the development of interregional electricity transmission and transmission of electricity that is generated by offshore wind; and (2) to conduct planning, modeling, and analysis regarding interregional electricity transmission and transmission of electricity that is generated by offshore wind, taking into account the local, regional, and national economic, reliability, resilience, security, public policy, and environmental benefits of interregional electricity transmission and transmission of electricity that is generated by offshore wind, including planning, modeling, and analysis, as the Secretary determines appropriate, pertaining to— (A) clean energy integration into the electric grid, including the identification of renewable energy zones; (B) the effects of changes in weather due to climate change on the reliability and resilience of the electric grid; (C) cost allocation methodologies that facilitate the expansion of the bulk power system; (D) the benefits of coordination between generator interconnection processes and transmission planning processes; (E) the effect of increased electrification on the electric grid; (F) power flow modeling; (G) the benefits of increased interconnections or interties between or among the Western Interconnection, the Eastern Interconnection, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, and other interconnections, as applicable; (H) the cooptimization of transmission and generation, including variable energy resources, energy storage, and demand-side management; (I) the opportunities for use of nontransmission alternatives, energy storage, and grid-enhancing technologies; (J) economic development opportunities for communities arising from development of interregional electricity transmission and transmission of electricity that is generated by offshore wind; (K) evaluation of existing rights-of-way and the need for additional transmission corridors; and (L) a planned national transmission grid, which would include a networked transmission system to optimize the existing grid for interconnection of offshore wind farms.