Record of decision approved
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 13, 2017
CONTACT: Jen Neville, mediarelations@wapa.gov, 720.962.7411
LAKEWOOD, Colorado – Today, Western Area Power Administration announces a record of decision, or ROD, selecting the route for the TransWest Express Project. The TWE Project aims to strengthen the electric grid by providing reliable and cost-effective energy to the desert southwest region of the United States.
WAPA’s ROD aligns with the Bureau of Land Management’s ROD, issued on December 13, 2016, which approved an approximately 725-mile route for the extra-high-voltage, direct-current transmission line between Sinclair, Wyoming, and Boulder City, Nevada, and concludes WAPA’s environmental review of the TWE Project.
“Collaboration between WAPA and energy developers is critical to developing infrastructure capable of meeting our nation’s growing energy needs while minimizing environmental impacts,” said WAPA Administrator and CEO Mark A. Gabriel. “This decision and comprehensive study provides the foundation to further the project's development.”
The decision on the route will enable design and engineering activities to proceed, which are amongst the many customary key technical and commercial considerations that will help WAPA better evaluate its options for participation in or financing of the project.
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About WAPA: Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 25,000 gigawatt hours of clean, renewable power from 57 federal hydroelectric power plants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy. Follow us on Twitter @WesternAreaPowr or visit the website at www.wapa.gov.
