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SALT LAKE CITY — Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Thursday paid a visit to a Rocky Mountain Power substation in Salt Lake City to highlight the Biden administration's latest efforts to strengthen and expand the nation's electric grid while continuing to deploy clean energy.
"Utah is a powerhouse of a state when it comes to potentially producing, generating clean energy and then getting that energy to move to places where it's needed," Granholm said. "Between the geothermal resources that Utah has, the wind, the sun and now, we've got all of this commitment to transmission, (Utah) is really an instrumental piece of the nation's infrastructure."
Granholm's visit to the Beehive State coincided with the Biden administration announcing a final transmission permitting reform rule and commitment for up to $331 million aimed at adding more than 2,000 megawatts of additional grid capacity throughout the western United States.
This capacity is enough to power 2.5 million homes while creating over 300 high-paying union construction jobs in the process, the administration said.
Additionally, the administration issued a final rule to establish the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits Program, which will "significantly" streamline federal environmental reviews and permitting processes for qualifying transmission projects in a move aiming to bring more power to more people, faster.
"We really have a team that is feeling the need to deploy, deploy, deploy, knowing that transmission is so critical," Granholm said.
Granholm announced that negotiations have been completed on the $330 million, 214-mile Cross-Tie Transmission Project connecting Utah and Nevada, expected to be in service by the end of 2028.
"That is the line that will really impact Utah by providing 4,000 jobs here," Granholm said. "It's a great day for Utah. It's a great day for the West and the movement of electrons."
Ed Rihn, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Canada, said the Cross-Tie project will create $760 million in local economic benefits during construction, along with ongoing local revenue for Utah and Nevada.
Granholm and the Department of Energy also announced the investment of up to $331 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will support the buildout of a new transmission line from Idaho to Nevada.
The 285-mile Southwest Intertie Project-North, developed by Great Basin Transmission LLC, is designed to bring 2,000 megawatts of transmission capacity from Twin Falls, Idaho, to Ely, Nevada. The project — which will connect with Cross-Tie — will also upgrade a key substation, unlocking an additional 1,000 megawatts of capacity along a major transmission corridor across the West.
Granholm said that people often take the electric grid for granted "unless you're working in it and know how critical it is."
"We know we've got an increase in demand for power, we know we have to add additional generation, clean generation. The president has a goal of getting to 100% clean electricity by 2035 and net zero by 2050. We need more transmission, we need more generation (and) we need better transmission," Granholm said.
Joel Ferry, executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, said that latest energy transmission announcements strengthen Utah's position as the "crossroads of the West" and represents a collaborative coming-together between Utah and the federal government.
"Sometimes, the state of Utah and the Biden administration are at odds but it's great to be able to come together in terms like this, under a common goal and common cause," Ferry said. "And when we work together with our federal partners, we can collaborate and we can come up with really positive outcomes."
More information on the Biden administration's plans to build out and modernize the electric grid can be found here.
