LVXXU

The United States and Canada share water access through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. The Army
Corps of Engineers lists more than 60 commercial harbors on the U.S. Great Lakes coast alone. 29 Rail and
trucking routes also span the border, enabling the transfer of energy commodities using several transportation
modes. Further development of these interconnections could improve continental security and bring
economic benefits. For example, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas has peak electricity demand that
exceeds generation in south Texas, and it is using new high-voltage transmission lines to provide power from
Mexican generating facilities to Texas. Additional generation is being proposed on the Mexican side of the
border that can support Texan power requirements and help avoid power outages.
Chapter VI (Integrating North American Energy Markets) contains a more detailed discussion of the North
American energy markets and the benefits of increased integration beyond that of enhanced regional energy
security.
QER Report: Energy Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Infrastructure | April 2015 4-15