Episode 53: Jan Andersen

With the interconnection queue topping 2.6 terawatts of proposed generation and storage, we need faster, smarter ways to build transmission. My latest Scaling Clean guest, Jan Andersen, CEO and founder of Jubilee Transmission, is doing exactly that. What stood out most in our conversation was Jan’s take on a clean energy blind spot: Opposition is playing to win while we’re playing to be right. Here are three big takeaways from our conversation: 🔹 The belief that clean energy is noble can blind us to the reality of how communities and politics actually work. Opposition plays hardball and fills the void when developers don’t address local concerns directly. 🔹 The hard part about building transmission is the routing, land access, and stakeholder alignment, not the wires themselves. But early outreach and planning decisions can make the buildout process easier, and determine whether opposition ever gains traction. 🔹 You can’t outsource community relationships. The developer has to own local engagement. Otherwise you’re handing your project’s fate to someone who isn’t accountable for the outcome.