2 minute read | July.10.2023
After nearly two decades of planning, the TransWest Express Transmission Project has broken ground, representing a major milestone in transmission development in the United States. The 732-mile interregional transmission line represents the Western power grid’s largest transmission addition in decades. It will be able to efficiently deliver high-quality Wyoming wind-generated electricity to California and other Western states with growing populations and increasing renewable mandates. TransWest Express LLC’s affiliate, Power Company of Wyoming LLC, is currently developing over 3,500 MW of wind capacity in Wyoming and will serve as the anchor transmission customer on the line.
The TWE Project’s additional capacity will help deliver renewable energy across the Western U.S.
“The TWE Project’s successful development represents recognition by stakeholders of all kinds and at all levels that collaborating to build a stronger power grid is vital to build a stronger nation,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of TransWest.
The project will add “3,000 MW of high-voltage transmission capacity from Wyoming to Utah and 1,500 MW of high-voltage capacity from Utah to the Desert Southwest (Nevada, California, Arizona). The project also will provide the West with new access to wind-generated electricity from Carbon County (Wyoming),” the company said.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm joined Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon and other dignitaries at the June 20 groundbreaking on a cattle ranch south of Rawlins, Wyoming, site of the project’s northern HVDC terminal.
Haaland said in a news release that the project “will accelerate our nation’s transition to a clean energy economy by unlocking renewable resources, creating jobs, lowering costs, and boosting local economies.” Granholm said the TWE Project “will play a major role in our nation’s energy security, ensuring that home-grown clean energy can form the backbone of our electric grid as we rebuild a stronger, more resilient transmission system.”
Orrick renewable energy partner Patrick Ferguson has served as long-time legal counsel to TransWest on various regulatory and commercial matters related to the transmission project. Orrick’s Tahiya Sultan and Monica Molina also have worked on the project.
TransWest Express news release