KEY FINDINGS
Bottom line
The West can achieve its goal of a reliable grid to support a strong economy at a manageable cost if we work together to plan and build the transmission we need. If we do not, we will have a more expensive grid.
FINDING 1
If load grows significantly as forecasted in the next twenty years – the result of extreme weather, electrification, expanded manufacturing, new data centers, or some of each – the transmission we have now will not be enough. The grid would be unreliable, even after $30B in planned transmission investment.
FINDING 2
Connected West recommends 15,600 new line miles of high-voltage transmission over 20 years, 85% of which is reconductoring or expanding the existing transmission corridors.
Adding 15,600 line miles over 20 years to a system that is already 100,000 miles is achievable and affordable. In fact it is less than the grid has grown historically.
However, this moderate growth assumes a much higher-level of coordination and cooperation between states and transmission owners than has been achieved historically. We must plan wisely and efficiently build the transmission resources needed to meet the growing demand.
FINDING 3
Connected West shows total benefits from new transmission over the lifetime of the assets to be $250B to $275B, including:
- up to $150B in avoided investment in power plants,
- $50B in avoided losses stemming from extreme weather,
- at least $35B in reduced energy costs, and
- other benefits such as avoided loss of load, avoided emissions, and reduced transmission losses.
The capital costs to secure these benefits will be about $75B.
FINDING 4
Connected West shows how to build needed transmission with minimal impact on land and wildlife. Only 2,400 miles of new greenfield transmission would be needed for this proposed transmission system (an increase of just 2% compared to the existing system).
The study suggests routing for these lines that adheres to the siting recommendations of The Nature Conservancy, put forward in their groundbreaking study Power of Place: West.
FINDING 5
Building a reliable grid for a strong economy in the West begins with new cooperation in transmission planning, including the challenges of reconductoring, and re-learning how to share the cost of shared infrastructure.