PORTLAND – The Western Transmission Expansion Coalition, or WestTEC, reached a significant milestone last week when the WestTEC Steering Committee unanimously approved the project’s Study Plan.
WestTEC is a West-wide effort to develop an actionable transmission study to support the needs of the future energy grid. It takes a new, unique approach that spans across the region and includes a broad swath of industry sectors, states and tribes.
“The Study Plan approval was the result of many months of collaboration within the WestTEC committees and with community and regional partners. We are grateful to these partners who have helped get us this far and to the Western Electricity Coordinating Council as a major sponsor of our upcoming work,” said Sarah Edmonds, President and CEO of Western Power Pool, which is coordinating WestTEC.
The plan document will guide the study work, which includes 10- and 20-year planning horizons.
“We’ve detailed a process for the study that will lead to a credible outcome so decision-makers can have a high degree of confidence in the results,” said Jennifer Galaway of Portland General Electric, co-chair of the WestTEC Assessment and Technical Taskforce (WATT).
A draft of the study plan was published in July, kicking off a public comment period. The final plan reflects the input from the public comments.
“WestTEC strives to be different, inclusive, expedient and transparent. The study plan process, which included a diverse group of partners and perspectives, public webinars and stakeholder input, strongly reflected these themes,” said Donald Williams of From the Light Consulting, who is a Tribal representative on the WestTEC Regional Engagement Committee.
“With the plan approved, we can turn our attention to the study itself,” said Kelsey Martinez of Public Service Company of New Mexico, co-chair of the WestTEC Steering Committee.
The 10-year horizon study is now under way. It should be completed by September 2025. The 20-year study phase will begin in Spring 2026. The full report should be finished and shared in the first quarter of 2027.
“With this milestone, there’s good momentum right now, and we need to keep our partners engaged and keep it going,” Edmonds said.