DALLAS, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of
its Integrated Resource Plan, the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC) has identified more than 2,000 megawatts of new,
low-cost renewable energy generation in southwest Nevada that would help the state of
California achieve its climate
change goals. To unlock the potential of these resources,
GridLiance, an independent electric transmission company, is
proposing to develop an electric transmission highway that would
increase the amount of renewable energy delivered from southwest
Nevada to California. The project, Silverado Renewables
Connection, would create thousands of jobs and more than half a
billion dollars of regional economic activity.
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) will now
study the CPUC plan and the upgrades needed to increase the
transmission capacity to deliver more renewable energy from
southwest Nevada to higher-demand
areas in California.
Silverado Renewables Connection has received the backing of the
Coalition for the Optimization of Renewable Development, the
Coalition of California Utility Employees, California International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Locals, Nevada IBEW
Locals, Valley Electric Association and renewable developers as a
regional solution to address climate change. The Nevada Governor's Office of Energy also
submitted comments in support of the project development.
"We applaud the CPUC for its bold action in identifying the
increased renewable generation California needs to meet our GHG emission
reduction goals," said Pat Lavin,
business manager, California IBEW Local 47. "Silverado Renewables
Connection is a commonsense solution to address climate change that
will boost the economy and help put thousands of IBEW members to
work."
Renewable energy developers are eagerly awaiting the opportunity
to meet California's growing
demand for clean energy. There are 3,100 MWs of active renewable
energy generator interconnection requests to GridLiance's
transmission system in southwest Nevada, which the CPUC has identified as being
important to the state achieving its goals to reduce carbon
emissions.
"We commend the CPUC for their forward-looking approach to
meeting California's
nation-leading climate change goals and are excited to work with
CAISO to study the needed improvements to the transmission system,"
GridLiance President and CEO Calvin
Crowder said. "There is pent-up demand for these upgrades,
and we stand ready to begin work on Silverado Renewables Connection
to expedite the deployment of these renewable resources."
The first phase of Silverado Renewables Connection would upgrade
GridLiance's existing 230-kilovolt transmission lines to deliver
thousands of megawatts of low-cost renewables from southwest
Nevada into California.
Mark Stallons, CEO of Valley
Electric Association, an electric cooperative serving 45,000 people
in southwest Nevada, said the
project would be an essential expansion of the transmission system
in the West that would improve the overall reliability and
resiliency of the grid.
"The CPUC's action could provide a path to deliver incremental
geothermal and other renewable resources in the area to the CAISO,
further improving California's
resource adequacy," said Kiley
Moore, senior manager at Ormat, a leading geothermal and
recovered energy generation company.
Ricardo Graf, managing partner
and chief development officer of Arevia
Power, a utility-scale solar developer, added, "If we are
going to decarbonize electricity generation, we need to tap into
the best and most affordable renewable energy resources. The
reality is that southern Nevada
resources are located next door, and with cost-effective
transmission upgrades, they will be a crucial component to ensuring
California achieves its net-zero
emissions ambitions in a timely and efficient manner."
CAISO will study the CPUC IRP this year during its transmission
planning cycle and is expected to finalize its recommendations in
March 2022.
For more information about Silverado Renewables Connection, go
to silveradorenewables.com.
About GridLiance
GridLiance is comprised of three
independent electric transmission utility companies that
collaborate with rural electric cooperatives, municipal utilities,
joint action agencies and others to plan for the future of the
grid, invest in necessary electric infrastructure and implement
strategies to improve system reliability and resiliency and reduce
overall costs to customers. Based in Dallas, GridLiance operates more than 700
miles of transmission lines and related substation facilities in
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada and Oklahoma. GridLiance is a portfolio company of
Blackstone Energy Partners, an affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE: BX), a leading energy
infrastructure investor. For more information about GridLiance,
visit gridliance.com.
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SOURCE GridLiance