The Ely-Mona Line will provide millions of dollars in economic stimulus and expand energy options both within and outside the state.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Power lines in Eagle Mountain in 2022. The federal government announced a commitment to fund a 214-mile electric transmission line connecting Utah and Nevada, opening up new opportunities for clean power throughout the West.
| October 31, 2023, 12:02 p.m
This story is part of The Salt Lake Tribune’s ongoing commitment to finding solutions to Utah’s biggest challenges through the work of the Innovation Lab.
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The U.S. Department of Energy has committed to funding a 214-mile, two-way power transmission line between Utah and Nevada, meaning it can deliver power to Utah and other locations when needed.
The 500-kilovolt cross-tie line will run between the Robinson Summit substation north of Ely, Nevada, and the Clover substation near Mona. There it will connect to the Gateway South line currently under construction, which connects wind farms and other sources in Wyoming. Additionally, it will connect to other major lines near the Intermountain Power Plant outside Delta, opening larger markets for both producers selling power and utilities buying power.
“Cross-tie will increase electricity reliability for the people of Utah,” said Maria Robinson, head of the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, in a telephone interview.
She said the line will allow more solar power from Nevada and California to come to Utah when it is cheap, while also allowing more Utah power from various sources to flow out of the state when needed. And it will bring more wind energy from Wyoming to other western states.
(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)
The project was one of three major transmission projects the DOE announced Monday. The others were a line connecting Arizona and New Mexico and another connecting New Hampshire and Vermont. The three projects represent a $1.3 billion commitment, and Cross-Tie will account for about a third of that, Robinson said. All three are part of the major overhaul of the national grid needed to provide more clean electricity.
Robinson’s office also announced the completion of a nationwide transmission needs study that found the U.S. mountain region needs nearly 2,300 “gigawatt miles” of new transmission to meet Inflation Reduction Act goals. Cross-Tie will provide 14% of this. (A gigawatt mile is a measure of both the length and capacity of a transmission line.)
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Clover Creek Solar in Mona in 2021.
The current grid was built to displace electricity from large power plants, most of which run on climate-damaging fossil fuels. The future grid will integrate both intermittent sources such as wind and solar energy as well as more switchable sources such as hydroelectric power, geothermal energy and utility-scale batteries.
“Our current transmission system is in dire need of modernization, and investments like these not only increase the reliability of our electric system, but also unlock affordable, pollution-free energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal,” said Sarah Wright, CEO of Utah Clean Energy, a nonprofit organization, which works on energy solutions in the state.
Robinson said the federal government was committed to purchasing transmission capacity on the three lines. “It’s not a grant and it’s not a loan,” Robinson said. “The federal government is committed to purchasing electricity on this line.”
This commitment will make the project possible Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025. Robinson said the DOE will sell transmission capacity to utilities in a timely manner and recoup the federal investment.
The transmission line permitting and permitting process alone can take over a decade, but Cross-Tie is already a “mature” project that has overcome many administrative hurdles, Robinson said. The project is expected to be operational in 2027 or 2028.
The DOE estimates the project will generate $761 million in economic activity during construction and create 4,100 jobs in the two states. The project developer is TransCanyon LLC, a partnership between Berkshire Hathaway US Transmission and Pinnacle West Capital Corporation. Berkshire Hathaway Transmission is part of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which also owns Pacificorp, the parent company of Rocky Mountain Power, Utah’s largest electric utility. And Pinnacle West is the parent company of Arizona Public Service, Arizona’s largest electric utility.
Utah Office of Energy Development spokeswoman Tracy Rees said OED Director Greg Todd will meet with cross-tie officials next month and he has no comment until then.