I would agree with what you've just mentioned. I think it is a piece of the plan but not the main driver.
I think that when you look at the future of transmission networks, at where they're going, it's more microgrid, more community and smaller scale.... It's going to be local supply with local load where possible. On the long-distance transmission lines, I think they make sense when you have a very large, very clean, and very reliable power source, such as Quebec might have on the hydro side. If there's a way to bring that elsewhere, I think that makes sense.
Large coal is pretty much gone. For large gas plants, there are some of them, but they're getting closer to communities—either that or communities are expanding closer to where the gas plants are.
Personally, I believe it's more in the community, smaller-scale area. That's where the challenge is going to be and the need will be.