TransWest Express Transmission Project

The TransWest Express Transmission 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. The TWE Project offers the shortest, most economic route between Wyoming’s high-capacity wind energy resources and the Desert Southwest market. An approximately $800 million converter terminal is proposed in the vicinity of Sinclair in Carbon County, generating long-term jobs and tax revenue. The latest project update (April 2015) is as follows:

  • Location: New 600 kV direct current transmission line extending from Carbon County, Wyoming, through northwestern Colorado and central Utah, ending at the Marketplace energy hub in Boulder City, Nevada.
  • Capacity: 3,000 MW
  • Length: Proposed route of 725 miles
  • Estimated in-service date: 2018
  • Estimated cost: $3 billion
  • Developers: TransWest Express LLC, an affiliate of The Anschutz Corporation, which acquired the TWE Project in 2008. In September 2011, Western Area Power Administration executed a development agreement to jointly fund the project’s development phase. Western is proposing to participate as a joint owner in the TWE project.
  • WECC Path Rating Process: Phase 2
  • Right-of-way and permitting status: Approximately 67% of the proposed route crosses federal land. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Western are joint lead agencies for NEPA compliance and are preparing an Environmental Impact Statement.
    • Formal applications and plans filed with BLM in late 2008-early 2009.
    • Notice of Intent published and public scoping completed January-April 2011.
    • Draft EIS published July, 2013,and 90-day public comment period completed.
    • Final EIS published in April, 2015, with Record of Decision anticipated for late 2015.
    • Project was selected as one of just 7 national Rapid Response Team for Transmission pilot projects in October 2011.
    • TransWest focused on ongoing engineering, project design work,  environmental planning, support of EIS.
  • Estimated construction start: Construction may not begin until all necessary federal, state and county permits and rights-of-way have been secured; initial construction activities are anticipated to begin in 2016.
  • Project website