The American electric grid stands at the precipice of the largest infrastructure expansion in its history. Demand from AI, data centers, cryptocurrency mining, electric vehicles (i.e. "the electrification of everything") is driving exponential growth.
While utilities only built or upgraded less than 1,500 miles of high voltage transmission lines in 2024, an average of nearly 5,000 new or upgraded miles need to be built each year for the next five years, according to data from Power Insights.
Source: Yes Energy's Infrastructure Insights
This effort will stress every aspect of the construction supply chain, including site access mats, which are essential to transporting the people, equipment and materials needed to build transmission lines, as well as the labor to install them.
For decades, utilities could rely on historical demand patterns (which were very modest) to forecast resource needs and plan construction schedules. That approach is now dangerously inadequate. Chief Procurement Officers at utilities have already concluded that "looking back" for future demand signals won't work in this new environment.
The thousands of miles of new high-voltage lines represent the largest grid expansion ever attempted. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by 2035 we must more than double the existing regional transmission capacity and expand existing interregional transmission capacity fivefold.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) has already approved what it calls the largest portfolio of transmission projects in the nation's history" -- 488 projects spanning more than 5,000 miles across 15 states. This includes approximately 3,600 miles of new transmission lines, including more than 1,800 miles of advanced 756 kV transmission lines.
While every aspect of transmission line construction will face constraints, site access represents a critical vulnerability. Without access mats, a project's excavators, cranes and other specialized equipment simply cannot reach work sites across wetlands, sensitive terrain, and challenging topography.
Site access mats enable installation of towers in complex and sensitive environments
The numbers tell a stark story. MISO alone signals the need to double access mat production over the next 5 years. Add ERCOT, SPP and other Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) to the equation, and supply challenges become inevitable.
Boosting mat production isn't as easy as flipping a switch. There are constraints at multiple levels across the supply chain, creating compounding bottlenecks that will catch unprepared utilities off-guard.
Manufacturing Capacity. Leading mat manufacturers like Sterling Solutions must schedule (or even expand) plant capacity to meet surging demand. As utilities and contractors begin placing orders, production will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Once any given manufacturer's capacity is spoken for, new orders could face extended lead times.
Raw Material Competition. Mat manufacturers depend on timber suppliers who themselves will experience increased demand from both existing and likely new manufacturers. This dual pressure could constrain material availability and drive price increases.
Installation Bottlenecks. Even with mats in hand, projects depend on local, qualified equipment operators who understand safety and performance requirements for proper installation. As project volumes surge, these contractors could be fully booked, leaving late-planning utilities scrambling for alternatives.
Project sequencing -- who starts when and finishes when -- will determine who secures resources and who faces delays. This creates a first-mover advantage that many utilities have never needed. Project managers who lock in mat suppliers and installers early will proceed on schedule. Those who wait will find themselves with no way to access their sites, despite having approved budgets, cleared rights-of-way and required equipment.
Smart planning can ensure needed supply of access mats for transmission line expansion
Your survival strategy includes:
Act Now on Mat Procurement. Begin discussions with access mat suppliers immediately, even if your project is still in the development phase. Establish preferred supplier relationships and secure capacity reservations well ahead of traditional procurement timelines. Learn what capacity exists (and when) from the limited number of manufacturers running automated, high-volume production facilities.
Lock in Installation Resources. Identify and contract with qualified mat installation teams before your competitors do. Consider multi-project agreements that provide contractor security in exchange for priority access. Recognize what products require more/less human capital and how to leverage products that are more efficient to install and manage.
Prepare for Cost Inflation. Budget for significant price increases in all site access materials and labor, as high demand will drive costs higher across the board.
Coordinate Regional Planning. Work with neighboring utilities to identify potential resource-sharing opportunities and avoid unnecessary competition for the same local contractors.
The grid expansion boom represents both the industry's greatest opportunity and its most complex logistical challenge. Project managers who recognize this reality and act decisively will complete their projects on schedule. Those who continue planning as if historical patterns apply will find themselves ready to build, but unable to begin.