U.S. Gears Up for $5.79 Billion in Power Transmission and Distribution Projects in Second-Half 2017

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking $5.79 billion in U.S. Power transmission and distribution (T&D) projects that are set to kick off in the second half of 2017. The projects include overhead power lines, underground power lines and substations. As new power sources come online and populations shift, these projects become more pressing. At $2.58 billion, the Rocky Mountains region leads the country in the combined value of projects that are slated to kick off construction from July through December. This is followed by the Midwest, with $791 million, and the West Coast with $557 million.

Click on image at right for a breakdown by region of planned U.S. Power T&D projects by region.

By far the largest T&D project planned to kick off in the second half of this year is Tres Amigas LLC's (Santa Fe, New Mexico) planned 5-gigawatt direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) transmission substation in Clovis, New Mexico. The project, which has an estimated total investment value of $1.9 billion, will be built in three phases. The first, 750-megawatt (MW) phase will connect the Eastern Interconnection and Western Interconnection power grids. Phase II will connect the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid with these two larger grids. Phase III will increase the power exchange amount to 5 GW. The facility will help improve renewable energy transmission to the U.S. grid. The project is planned in the fourth quarter of this year and will take more than three years to complete. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

While other T&D projects are not as massive an undertaking as the Tres Amigas super substation, they nevertheless represent more than $3.8 billion in planned project spending. Among these projects is Nebraska Public Utility District's (Columbus, Nebraska) planned 225-mile, 345-kilovolt (kV) overhead transmission line from Sutherland, Nebraska to a 345-kV substation in Cherry County, which will then travel east for 146 miles to a new substation in Holt, where it will tie into the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) grid. Power Engineers Incorporated (Fort Collins, Colorado) is performing engineering work on the project, which is expected to kick off in the third quarter of this year and take about a year and half to complete. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report on the Sutherland-to-Cherry County line and Cherry County-to-Holt segment.

In California, Southern California Edison Company (Rosemead, California) is planning a rebuild project for its Lugo-Mohave transmission line. The project will entail rebuilding approximately 200 miles of 500-kV transmission line to the existing Mojave substation in Southern California. The project is expected to take about a year and a half to complete. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

These are just a few of the more than 190 Power T&D projects that Industrial Info is tracking in the U.S. that are planned to start in the second half of this year. While not all of these projects may move forward as planned, an increasing number of T&D projects are becoming necessary to keep up with the changing face of the U.S. Power Industry.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.