The Western Governors' Association and U.S. Department of Energy launched the Western Renewable Energy Zones Project in May 2008. Utilizing those areas in the West with vast renewable resources to expedite the development and delivery of clean and renewable energy is the central goal of the WREZ project. Participating in the project are 11 states, two Canadian provinces, and areas in Mexico that are part of the Western Interconnection.

The WREZ project will generate:

• reliable information for use by decision-makers that supports the cost-effective and environmentally sensitive development of renewable energy in specified zones, and
  
• conceptual transmission plans for delivering that energy to load centers within the Western Interconnection. A number of factors will be considered, including the potential for development, timeframes, common transmission needs and costs. The project also will evaluate all feasible renewable resource technologies that are likely to contribute to the realization of the goal in WGA’s policy resolution that calls for the development of 30,000 megawatts of clean and diversified energy by 2015.

Guiding this initiative is the WREZ Steering Committee, comprising governors, public utility commissioners and premiers. Officials from the Departments of Energy, Interior and Agriculture, as well as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will participate as ex officio members.