Western Transmission Expansion Projects: Frontier Line and TransWest Express

1
Western Transmission Expansion Projects Frontier
Line and TransWest Express

• Jeffery Greenblatt
• NREL Meeting
• January 4, 2007

2
Frontier Line

• Proposed transmission corridor to interconnect
  Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California and possibly
  other states
• MOU signed on April 4, 2005

Example pathway by California Energy Commission,
Wyoming-California Corridor Transmission
Expansion Study, Global Energy Decisions, June
2006, CEC-700-2006-008.
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Frontier Line

• Motivated by demand growth in California,
  projected to be 2/yr (1,000 MW per year),
  driving overall project need.
• Transmission would also provide power to sites
  along route (e.g., Salt Lake City, Las Vegas,
  possibly points in Arizona, New Mexico and
  Colorado).
• Envisioned capacity up to 12 GW, utilizing
  combinations of coal and renewables (primarily
  wind) in region.

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Frontier Line

• Scenarios being considered
• Baseline growth (through 2016)
• Enhanced renewables
• Enhanced coal
• Enhanced efficiency
• Enhanced efficiency renewables
• Two regional variants (enhanced coal in WY and
  enhanced generation in NM)

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Frontier Line

• Economics subcommittee (where I am a member)
  currently developing cost estimates for each
  generation technology as well as efficiency/DSM.
  Recent attention has focused on wind and other
  renewables. Dave Olsen (CEERT) has been investing
  significant time to ensure these are done
  properly.
• Currently I am unclear on cost assumptions being
  used for clean coal technology, as well as
  alternate wind scenarios (overbuilt wind,
  wind/CAES)
• Spreadsheet-based planning tool (FEAST)
  developed to test scenarios with variable input
  assumptions.

6
Frontier Line

• Timeline
• Preliminary analysis to be released in January,
  with stakeholder input thereafter.
• Phase I (feasibility study) to be completed in
  April 2007.
• Unclear on timeline for further development (but
  see TransWest Express below).

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Frontier Line

• Committee members include
• Utilities PGE, SDGE, SCE, Sierra Pacific
  Nevada Power, PacifiCorps, APS, PNM, SMUD
• Government Wyoming Governors office, Montana
  Governors office
• NGOs Environmental Defense, CEERT, Sierra Club
• Business BP, ABB, Babcock Brown, Wyoming
  Infrastructure Authority, Wyoming Business
  Council, NAPG, Trans-Elect, National Grid,
  Invenergy, Shell Wind Energy, Deseret Power, ITC,
  TANC, Energy Strategies, IES, KEMA, Woodruff
  Expert Services, Global Energy Decisions,
  Electric Power Group, Policy Communications, and
  New Energy Associates

8
TransWest Express

• Announced by Arizona Public Service Company (APS)
  in October 2005
• Growth in Southwest is three times national
  average (4/yr) projected 9,000 MW new capacity
  needed in AZ alone by 2020.
• Project designed to deliver up to 3,000 MW of
  power, but some options allow up to 5,000 MW
  without upgrade.
• Project further along than Frontier Line
  feasibility study just completed.

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TransWest Express
Several alternatives proposed, including
Statement of Robert Smith on behalf of Arizona
Public Service Company and the TransWest Express
Project before the House Subcommittee on Water
and Power and the House Subcommittee on Forests
and Forest Health, June 27, 2006.
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TransWest Express

• Goal is to access coal (including advanced clean
  coal technologies) and wind resources in Wyoming
  for the Southwest for a balanced resource
  portfolio and strengthen reliability of the
  western transmission system.
• Cost analysis indicates that cheapest option may
  be scenario D (DC pathway) which also has lowest
  environmental impact.

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TransWest Express

• Timeline
• Phase I (feasibility study) to be completed by
  December 31, 2006.
• Phase II Detailed engineering and contract
  signed by December 31, 2009.
• Phase III Construction completed by December 31,
  2012.

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Opportunities for Research

• Frontier Line Participate in economic modeling
  through end of January
• Both Publish independent studies of scenario
  options, focusing (e.g.) on impact of carbon
  price and/or CA GHG generation standard
• Opportunity to present Frontier Line economic
  analysis at upcoming AWEA conference (June 2007)
• Use assumptions/lessons learned for modeling
  larger transmission vision