The federal Bureau of Land Management has issued a notice to proceed for construction of the 732-mile TransWest Express Project, a high-voltage transmission line that will extend from south-central Wyoming through northwestern Colorado and central Utah, ending in southern Nevada.
The project, which will add 3 GW of new transmission capacity to the region, will carry electricity generated by the largest onshore wind generation project in North America, the 3 GW+ Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project, located in Carbon County, Wyo.
Like the TransWest Express Project, the 600-turbine Chokecherry and Sierra Madre project is partially located on public lands managed by the BLM.
The TransWest Express Project is the second high-voltage, multi-state transmission line completed by the BLM Wyoming State Office within the last year; the office approved construction of the Energy Gateway South project in May 2022. The BLM Wyoming State Office issued the notice to proceed in partnership with the agency’s Colorado, Utah and Nevada state offices.
“Public lands continue to play a vital role in advancing President Biden’s goal of achieving a net-zero economy by 2050,” says BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “This large-scale transmission line will put people to work across our public lands and will help deliver clean, renewable energy. Our responsible use of public lands today can help ensure a clean energy future for us all.”
The BLM worked with multiple federal, state, and local partners to prepare an environmental impact statement for the TransWest Express Project. The environmental impact statement process included robust public participation and assures that best management practices and environmental conservation measures will be implemented as the project is constructed and operated. Mitigation requirements included by the BLM will offset project impacts to greater sage-grouse, lands with wilderness characteristics, and other natural resources in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.
