Regional Transmission Expansion Project

Governors and public utility commissioners within the Western Interconnection share the goal of having an electricity generation and transmission system that is clean, secure, reliable and reasonably priced.  Reaching that goal will require greater development and use of renewable energy resources and expansion of the existing transmission grid.

The Western Governors’ Association, Western Interstate Energy Board and Western Electricity Coordinating Council are working with diverse stakeholders through the Regional Transmission Expansion Project to analyze transmission requirements under a broad range of alternative energy futures and to develop long-term, interconnection-wide transmission expansion plans. 

Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, this project will provide invaluable information to the private sector in deciding where to build new transmission. It will also facilitate state participation in the project planning and permitting processes. 

As part of the grant, the WGA and WIEB will:

• Encourage load-serving entities (LSEs) that are interested in the same renewable energy zones to coordinate the timing of the procurement of renewable generation from such zones.
• Examine recent successes and failures with respect to the siting of large renewable generation and transmission projects.
• Examine the potential for industrial and commercial energy efficiency to reduce demand for electricity.
• Examine the potential impacts of plug-in electric vehicles on greenhouse gas emissions and electricity demand.
• Examine the potential for nuclear energy to become a larger part of the western electricity generation portfolio.
• Analyze the impacts of expanding electricity generation on water supply and demand in the West.
• Provide a forum for governors to communicate regularly with national, regional and local stakeholder groups on renewable energy transmission and policy development.
• Enhance state and provincial collaboration and participation in a broader Western Interconnection transmission analysis and planning process.

As part of the overall project, various future electricity generation and transmission scenarios will be developed to show the impacts each would have on the economies, natural resources and landscapes in the West.  The information will assist state policy makers; regulators responsible for facility siting, water and wildlife; the federal government; generation and transmission developers; load-serving entities; and the public, including non-governmental organizations to develop and promote policies and incentives that will achieve the governors’ energy goals.

The RTEP builds upon stakeholder recommendations made as part of the Western Renewable Energy Zones initiative.  WGA and the U.S. Department of Energy launched the WREZ initiative in 2008 and a Phase 1 report that included a map of  high quality, developable renewable resource areas was completed in 2009. 

A press release and documents submitted to the DOE in support of the RTEP are listed below.

• Cover letter to Secretary Chu
• Summary
• Project Narrative
• Project Management Plan
• Requests of DOE National Labs
• Budget

• June 2010

Building an Energy-Efficient Future

Western Governors have recommended policies and best practices for energy-efficient building that could dramatically reduce the demand for energy and water, while providing a boost to the region’s economy. The recommendations included in the report, Building an Energy-Efficient Future, were developed during a workshop, which included stakeholders representing building industries, utilities, public interest groups, all levels of government and energy service companies.

Participants were tasked with developing strategies that would achieve a 30 percent or greater improvement in energy efficiency over current International Energy Conservation Code standards.  The report was written for governors, legislators and other public and private entities that are working to craft larger and more effective efficiency and conservation programs.  The governors noted in a joint letter accompanying the report that energy efficiency and conservation represent “a vast and still underutilized” domestic energy resource.

Deploying Near-Zero Technologies for Coal: A Path Forward

Recommendations for deploying near-zero technologies for coal were developed by stakeholders participating in a WGA workshop in 2007.  The purpose of the workshop was to determine a path to achieving full, commercial-scale deployment of near-zero emissions coal technology, including carbon capture and sequestration.  A workshop summary identified a number of concepts that governmental entities could consider in developing both technical and regulatory pathways for the deployment of near-zero-emission, coal-fired power plants.

Western Governors are encouraging the region to utilize its diverse resources to produce affordable, sustainable, and environmentally responsible energy. The Governors priorities are outlined in a resolution the Governors adopted in 2006, based on the recommendations of their Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee.  The committee’s report identified changes in state and federal policy that would be needed to achieve:

• 30,000 megawatts of new clean and diverse energy generation by 2015,
• A 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020, and
• Adequate transmission capacity for the region over the next 25 years.