Project Update: North America

Current status of key electric power transmission projects in North America

• Grain Belt Transmission Project, US

  January 7, 2021
  The project has been proposed to deliver 3,500 MW of wind energy from western Kansas to utilities and customers in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and states farther east.

• Moses–Adirondack Smart Path Reliability Project, US [free access]

  December 17, 2020
  The proposed project aims to strengthen the New York state electric power grid and enable more renewable energy (RE) from upstate New York and Canada to be connected to the state’s power system.

• Roadrunner–Phantom–China Draw Transmission Line Project, USA

  November 5, 2020
  The proposed USD81.8 million Roadrunner–Phantom–China Draw transmission line and its associated facilities will help serve SPS's increasing retail loads in the Eddy and Lea counties.

• 735 kV Micoua–Saguenay Transmission Line Project, Canada [free access]

  November 5, 2020
  A new power line is being planned by Canada’s Hydro-Québec to help maintain the reliability of the Hydro-Québec transmission system in the face of increased power flow along the lines in the Manic–Québec corridor towards the major load centres.

• Rio Rico–Patagonia Transmission Line Project, US

  October 6, 2020
  The new 132 kV transmission line aims to connect Rio Rico (in Santa Cruz County, Arizona) to the Patagonia Mountains so as to provide Hermosa South32’s mine development project with sufficient power supply.

• Blue Ridge Energy Transmission Project, US

  October 5, 2020
  This project aims to upgrade the electric reliability and capacity in the Ashe and Watauga counties in North Carolina.

• BC Hydro's Site C Transmission Project, Canada

  September 9, 2020
  The transmission project is associated with BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Energy Project which entails the construction of a dam and a hydroelectric generating station over the Peace River in northeast British Colombia to provide 1,100 MW of capacity and produce about 5,100 GWh of electricity each year.

• SOO Green HVDC Link Project, US

  September 2, 2020
  The SOO Green high voltage direct current (HVDC) Link is a first-of-its-kind infrastructure project to transport renewable energy (RE) via a 350-mile (563-km) underground 525 kV HVDC transmission line along an existing railroad (following a co-location model—co-locating transmission along a transportation corridor).

• Greenlink Nevada, US

  August 11, 2020
  Recently in June 2020, the Nevada utility, NV Energy, unveiled its plans for building Greenlink Nevada, a transmission and renewable energy (RE) initiative, which aims to transform the state’s clean energy landscape, thereby boosting economic development.

• Orlando/St. Cloud Regional Resiliency Connection, US

  July 9, 2020
  The project is expected to support the future development of renewable energy resources; enhance capacity to meet the growing energy demands in Osceola and Orange counties; and maintain a robust system for supplying and delivering energy to these regions.

• New Mexico–Texas Power Transmission Project, US

  June 10, 2020
  The project is part of Xcel Energy’s USD3 billion ‘Power for the Plains’—a grid enhancement initiative that aims to deliver reliable and abundant electricity to customers in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

• New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC), US [free access]

  June 10, 2020
  The proposed project will provide a new link through a ±320 kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line between Hydro-Québec and the New England grid.

• Ivanpah–Control Project (I-C Project), US

  May 14, 2020
  According to SCE, the USD715 million project is needed to meet the transmission line safety and reliability requirements defined by the State Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

• Barrie Area Transmission Upgrade Project, Canada [free access]

  May 14, 2020
  Hydro One states that the proposed facilities are needed to accommodate load growth in the Barrie and Innisfil areas.

• Empire State Line Project, US

  April 7, 2020
  In October 2017, New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO) Board of Directors selected the Empire State Line Proposal 1 submitted by NextEra Energy to increase access to hydroelectricity and Canadian imports, and address new transmission needs in western New York.

• 500 kV Area Dynamic Reactive Power Project, US

  April 7, 2020
  In March 2020, LS Power Grid California, LLC, was selected by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to finance, construct, own, operate and maintain the Round Mountain 500 kV Area Dynamic Reactive Power Support Project.

• Birtle Transmission Project, Canada [free access]

  April 7, 2020
  The project has been proposed to increase interconnection capacity to western Canada’s power distribution grid to ensure greater energy supply stability and keep provincial energy rates stable.

• Central Virginia Transmission Reliability Project, US [free access]

  March 6, 2020
  Under the project, the developer plans to upgrade the power grid in Virginia by making improvements to the transmission infrastructure under the Central Virginia Transmission Reliability Project.

• Champlain Hudson Power Express Project, US

  February 5, 2020
  The project is being developed by Champlain Hudson Power Express Incorporation (CHPEI), owned by TDI through its subsidiary TDI-USA Holdings Corporation (TUHC), and National Resources Energy, LLC (NRE), a Delaware limited liability company.

• Gates 500 kV Dynamic Reactive Power Support Project, US

  February 5, 2020
  The Gates Project was approved by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) governing board in March 2019 as a critical reliability project to mitigate high transmission grid voltages due to the eventual shutdown of the Diablo Canyon power plant in 2025.