Unregulated transmission lines

In recent years the monopoly that utilities previously possessed over electricity generation has eroded. Cogenerators, small power producers, and independent power projects have become common components of many utilities' generation mix. Utilities are increasingly including non-utility generators (NUGs) in their resource planning. This paper reports that although NUGs have become more common, ownership of the transmission system has remained firmly in utility hands. Regulators, utilities and NUGs have held extensive discussions regarding the questions of transmission access and pricing. There has even been discussion of bidding for access to transmission lines. But transmission ownership by non-utilities, other than for radial lines used to connect a NUG project to the grid, has been outside the bounds of most discussions of the rapidly changing electric power market