TransWest Express Transmission Project (TWE Project)

The TWE Project is designed to reliably and cost-effectively deliver renewable energy produced in Wyoming to meet the growing renewable energy needs of Arizona, Nevada and Southern California. It offers one of the shortest, most economic routes between Wyoming’s wind energy resources and the Desert Southwest market. The latest update is as follows:

  • New 600 kV DC line extending from south-central Wyoming through northwestern Colorado and central Utah, ending near Las Vegas.
  •  Capacity: 3,000 MW
  •  Length: Proposed route of 725 miles
  •  In-service date: 2015
  • Cost: ~$3.0 billion
  • Developers: Transwest Express LLC, an affiliate of The Anschutz Corporation, which acquired the TWE Project in   2008. In 2010, Western Area Power Administration entered into an agreement with TWE to potentially acquire a 50 percent equity stake in the TWE Project.
  •  WECC Path Rating Process: Phase 2
  •  ROW and Permitting Status: BLM and Western Area Power Administration are joint lead agencies for NEPA compliance.
  •  Status:
    o Preliminary engineering design under way.
    o Agency scoping completed.
    o Public scoping dates from fall 2010 to early 2011.
  •  Business Model: Focused on development activities, including permitting. Business model to be determined. Western Area Power Administration’s portion of project to be funded through its Transmission Infrastructure Program.
  •  Complementary Projects: PacifiCorp’s Energy Gateway Projects.
  •  Contact Information: David Smith at David.Smith@tac-denver.com or 303-299-1000
  •  Link: http://www.transwestexpress.net

It’s Time
Watch this brief overview video about TWE’s transmission line project and the wind power project proposed by Power Company of Wyoming LLC, a separate affiliate of The Anschutz Corporation: http://www.transwestexpress.net/videos/index.shtml