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Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Good things are worth waiting for. That was the essence of comments at the June 20 groundbreaking ceremony for the $3 billion, 3,000-megawatt (MW) TransWest Express (TWE) transmission project, which will bring Wyoming windpower to Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Southern California.
Click the image at right to see a proposed route map for the Trans West Express transmission project.
Two 1,500-megawatt Wyoming windfarms, Chokecherry and Sierra Madre, will generate the electricity that the high-voltage TWE project will transmit across 732 miles. The windfarms, both of which are scheduled to come online by mid-2025, have a combined investment value of about $5.1 billion. Construction of the Chokecherry windfarm is underway. Construction of the Sierra Madre project is scheduled to begin this summer.
The TWE transmission project has a total investment value (TIV) of about $3 billion. It is expected to be energized in 2027.
According to a press release from TWE, the transmission project will be the Western power grid's largest transmission addition in decades. It will connect three planning regions in the West, while adding 3,000 MW of high-voltage capacity from Wyoming to Utah and 1,500 MW of high-voltage capacity from Utah to Nevada, California and Arizona).
The TWE project and the two windfarms are owned by units of The Anschutz Corporation (Denver, Colorado). All three have been in development for over a decade. For more on the development of the Chokecherry windfarm, see April 19, 2016, article - Big Wyoming Windfarm Wins Preliminary BLM Support, Waits for Fish & Wildlife Service. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) (Washington, D.C.), gave final approval to the TWE project earlier this year. For more on that, see April 13, 2023, article - BLM Approves Construction of TransWest Express Transmission Project.
"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," Bill Miller, president and chief executive of TransWest Express LLC, said at the groundbreaking ceremony June 20. "We deeply appreciate the support we've received from so many people along the way. We are thankful for everyone who celebrated this milestone with us today. Now, we look forward and are focused on assuring the TWE Project's successful construction."
Another speaker at the groundbreaking, which took place at a working cattle ranch south of Rawlins, Wyoming, was Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She said the TWE Project "will accelerate our nation's transition to a clean energy economy by unlocking renewable resources, creating jobs, lowering costs, and boosting local economies."
Haaland said the project shows the administration's "all-hands-on-deck approach toward ambitious clean energy goals. As we look to stem the worsening impacts of the climate crisis, we know that clean energy transmission lines and renewable energy projects on public lands will help communities across the country to be part of the climate solution, while creating good, paying jobs."
Added Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, "The TransWest Express 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."
Wyoming Republican Governor Mark Gordon, another speaker at the June 20 groundbreaking, said the transmission project is "yet another example of how Wyoming is continuing its energy leadership. Today we celebrate the contribution our wind resources can make, and we are glad to be able to provide energy to primarily California and Nevada consumers, who want what Wyoming has to offer. Once completed, Wyoming will be home to the largest wind farm in the United States. This will be one more source of energy to complement our all-of-the-above energy approach, from renewables to fossil fuels to nuclear. There is room in Wyoming for all."
The Biden administration is working to decarbonize the power sector. To support that, it signed into law two significant measures: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), in 2021, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), in 2022, which together provide hundreds of billions of dollars in federal support to decarbonization.
According to a statement from the TWE, the infrastructure act included $15.5 billion for DOE to spend on transmission infrastructure. It was unclear if any of those funds will go to the TWE project. For more on the IIJA, see November 9, 2021, article - Power, Industrial Manufacturing Industries to See Billions of Dollars from $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Legislation. For more on the IRA, see November 21, 2022, article - Federal Laws Will Drive Huge Capital Outlays by U.S. Power Industry.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Two 1,500-megawatt Wyoming windfarms, Chokecherry and Sierra Madre, will generate the electricity that the high-voltage TWE project will transmit across 732 miles. The windfarms, both of which are scheduled to come online by mid-2025, have a combined investment value of about $5.1 billion. Construction of the Chokecherry windfarm is underway. Construction of the Sierra Madre project is scheduled to begin this summer.
The TWE transmission project has a total investment value (TIV) of about $3 billion. It is expected to be energized in 2027.
According to a press release from TWE, the transmission project will be the Western power grid's largest transmission addition in decades. It will connect three planning regions in the West, while adding 3,000 MW of high-voltage capacity from Wyoming to Utah and 1,500 MW of high-voltage capacity from Utah to Nevada, California and Arizona).
The TWE project and the two windfarms are owned by units of The Anschutz Corporation (Denver, Colorado). All three have been in development for over a decade. For more on the development of the Chokecherry windfarm, see April 19, 2016, article - Big Wyoming Windfarm Wins Preliminary BLM Support, Waits for Fish & Wildlife Service. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) (Washington, D.C.), gave final approval to the TWE project earlier this year. For more on that, see April 13, 2023, article - BLM Approves Construction of TransWest Express Transmission Project.
"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," Bill Miller, president and chief executive of TransWest Express LLC, said at the groundbreaking ceremony June 20. "We deeply appreciate the support we've received from so many people along the way. We are thankful for everyone who celebrated this milestone with us today. Now, we look forward and are focused on assuring the TWE Project's successful construction."
Another speaker at the groundbreaking, which took place at a working cattle ranch south of Rawlins, Wyoming, was Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She said the TWE Project "will accelerate our nation's transition to a clean energy economy by unlocking renewable resources, creating jobs, lowering costs, and boosting local economies."
Haaland said the project shows the administration's "all-hands-on-deck approach toward ambitious clean energy goals. As we look to stem the worsening impacts of the climate crisis, we know that clean energy transmission lines and renewable energy projects on public lands will help communities across the country to be part of the climate solution, while creating good, paying jobs."
Added Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, "The TransWest Express 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."
Wyoming Republican Governor Mark Gordon, another speaker at the June 20 groundbreaking, said the transmission project is "yet another example of how Wyoming is continuing its energy leadership. Today we celebrate the contribution our wind resources can make, and we are glad to be able to provide energy to primarily California and Nevada consumers, who want what Wyoming has to offer. Once completed, Wyoming will be home to the largest wind farm in the United States. This will be one more source of energy to complement our all-of-the-above energy approach, from renewables to fossil fuels to nuclear. There is room in Wyoming for all."
The Biden administration is working to decarbonize the power sector. To support that, it signed into law two significant measures: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), in 2021, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), in 2022, which together provide hundreds of billions of dollars in federal support to decarbonization.
According to a statement from the TWE, the infrastructure act included $15.5 billion for DOE to spend on transmission infrastructure. It was unclear if any of those funds will go to the TWE project. For more on the IIJA, see November 9, 2021, article - Power, Industrial Manufacturing Industries to See Billions of Dollars from $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Legislation. For more on the IRA, see November 21, 2022, article - Federal Laws Will Drive Huge Capital Outlays by U.S. Power Industry.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
