Archer and Murdock are considering whether state policy should require more consistent evaluation and reporting of technology already used by electric utilities.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Seven of the Southwest Power Pool’s 10 highest-cost transmission constraints were in Oklahoma during 2025, according to the regional grid operator’s latest market report.
Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, and Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, held a Sept. 23 interim study to examine whether advanced technology could help move more electricity through existing transmission lines as demand grows.
The study revisited House Bill 3183, their unsuccessful 2026 proposal. The measure passed the House but did not receive a Senate vote.
Why congestion matters
Congestion occurs when a transmission line reaches its limit. SPP cannot always send the lowest-cost available electricity where it is needed and may have to use more expensive generation instead.
The SPP market monitor calculated regional congestion costs of $1.4 billion in 2023, $1.9 billion in 2024 and $1.6 billion in 2025 — an average of about $1.6 billion annually.
Those totals are not amounts passed directly to Oklahoma customers. Electric providers receive SPP credits that can offset some or all of their congestion charges.
In 2025, those credits slightly exceeded the charges for providers serving customers as a group, although results varied by company. The report does not provide an Oklahoma-only figure.
Construction costs are handled separately. Projects initiated by an individual utility generally are paid for by its customers. When SPP directs an upgrade, some or all of the cost may be shared across the region, depending on the project.
Utilities already use the technology
The proposal addressed technology that can increase the capacity or efficiency of the existing grid. Examples include sensors that calculate how much electricity a line can safely carry, software that redirects power around bottlenecks and higher-capacity conductors.
Adam Snapp of Oklahoma Gas and Electric told lawmakers that OG&E has used such technology for nearly 20 years and considers it alongside traditional transmission solutions.
Jeff Ellis of Public Service Company of Oklahoma said PSO also uses the technology. He cited a reactor installed at the Tulsa Power Station that has allowed the company to avoid rebuilding a transmission line for at least a decade.
Both utilities described the technology as part of an existing planning toolbox, with the appropriate solution depending on the specific problem.
What comes next
The House-passed version would have required investor-owned utilities to identify their 10 most congested locations, estimate customer costs and develop plans for cost-effective improvements.
The Senate Energy Committee’s version removed the implementation-plan and cost-recovery provisions, placed more of the analysis within SPP’s planning process and specified that utilities would not be required to install the technologies.
It also limited its definition of large power users to new data centers, cryptocurrency mines and artificial-intelligence computing facilities adding at least 75 megawatts at one connection point.
Archer said the proposal was intended to require disclosure of whether the technologies had been evaluated, not mandate their use. Utility representatives said the scope of any additional requirements would determine whether they duplicated existing work or added costs.
No 2027 bill has been released. Archer closed the study by asking lawmakers to consider what state policy should come before them next session.
