The Engineering Debate Shaping the Future Power Grid

As electricity demand surges, utilities are being forced to rethink how they build the transmission grid. In this episode of Power Perspectives, Burns & McDonnell's Brandon Goodwin and Zach Brinker explain why a decades-old debate—lattice towers versus steel poles—is becoming relevant again. They break down the engineering, cost, construction, and reliability tradeoffs behind each approach, and explain how factors like terrain, outage constraints, supply chains, and project scale all influence the right choice. If the grid is going to keep pace with unprecedented demand growth, utilities will need to move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions for building the transmission infrastructure of the future. Thank you to Burns & McDonnell for sponsoring this episode. Discover more about Burns & McDonnell: https://hubs.li/Q04qzfSp0