WestTEC 10-Year Horizon Report: Mapping the West's Transmission Future

Regular readers will know that we've taken a strong interest in transmission development at RNW. And for good reason: the Pacific Northwest, and the entire West, can neither cost-effectively meet the energy demands of a vibrant economy nor achieve a more flexible, clean, and affordable electricity supply without the ability to move electrons from high-quality resources to load.

This challenge has never been clearer than in recent months. We're seeing unprecedented demand from large industrial businesses looking to locate new facilities in our region. This new activity is already hitting utility planning and state policy discussions. While these businesses prefer cleaner energy supplies, limited transmission capacity and competitive timelines for procuring electricity supply are putting maximum strain on an already heavily utilized transmission system

That's where the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition (WestTEC) comes in. Anticipating these challenges, RNW joined other founding participants in 2023 to launch a concept paper and study plan for the first west-wide integrated transmission study. This effort brings together the expertise of major utilities, grid planners, states, tribes, NGOs, and power producers – an unprecedented coalition working to define our collective transmission needs through effective governance and deep stakeholder engagement.

The first round of results is now available. While not surprising, we're encouraged to see major transmission corridors, previously the subject of our advocacy, highlighted as essential for a reliable grid in the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, WestTEC identified several “new” projects not yet contracted or being developed which must be in service by 2035 to maintain a grid that can perform reliably and economically year round (see here). RNW will work with our capable NGO and utility partners to advance these projects and ensure our region remains safe, affordable, and competitive. We're equally committed to supporting WestTEC's second report to help quantify the benefits of these and other transmission lines while scoping efficient outlooks for load and generation growth in the 20-year horizon.

We hope you'll stay tuned and join us on this long, winding, yet increasingly well-defined path toward a resilient and thriving region.