Rawlins, Wyo. June 20, 2023 — Construction has begun on a 732 mile transmission line that will carry power from south-central Wyoming to Nevada.
The TransWest Express Transmission Project is a new high-voltage transmission line that begins in the largest wind farm in North America – the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Project in Carbon County, WY.
The line will extend from Wyoming through northwestern Colorado and central Utah, ending in southern Nevada.
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management authorized construction of the project in April 2023.
Over 1,000 jobs are expected to be created by the project, and once complete, the line will provide 3,000 megawatts of new transmission capacity.
The Obama-Biden Administration identified the TransWest Express Project as a priority project in 2011. Since then, BLM’s Wyoming office has worked with stakeholders as the lead federal permitting agency to develop the best possible route. By collaborating closely with partners, the BLM was able to offset project impacts to greater sage-grouse, lands with wilderness characteristics, and other natural resources in Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.
