The TransWest Express Project is one step closer to becoming a reality now that a notice to proceed has been issued for the 732-mile high voltage transmission line project.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced this latest step towards building the transmission line in an April 11 news release.
“Public lands continue to play a vital role in advancing President Biden’s goal of achieving a net-zero economy by 2050," Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning said in the release. "This large-scale transmission line will put people to work across our public lands and will help deliver clean, renewable energy. Our responsible use of public lands today can help ensure a clean energy future for us all.”
According to the release, the TransWest Express Transmission project would connect a high voltage transmission line from south-central Wyoming through northwestern Colorado, central Utah and end in southern Nevada. It would be able to provide 3,000 megawatts of new transmission capacity and carry electricity from the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project in Carbon County, Wyo.
This isn't the first high voltage transmission line to span multiple states that the Bureau of Land Management has approved. Last year, the agency gave the final approval from the Energy Gateway South project. According to a March 2022 news release, the 416-mile transmission line is expected to integrate up to 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy resources into the grid while also boosting reliability of existing power-generating sources.
The transmission line will run from Aeolus Substation near Medicine Bow, Wyo., through Colorado, and end at the Clover Substation near Mona, Utah. The project is expected to create around 1,300 new construction jobs, the 2022 release reported.
Documentation for the Trans West Express Transmission Line project can be found on the Bureau of Land Management's National NEPA Register. It includes the environmental impact statement and other data pertinent to the project.
