Zephyr Power Transmission Project
—
Oregon
Idaho
3,000 megawatts (MW) of capacity
500-kilovolt HVDC
AC/DC converter station at each terminus
Direct interconnection with California utilities to
meet 33% renewable energy requirement
Approximately $3.5 billion
Zephyr Powe
Transmissio
Nevada
Utah
Zephyr
Preliminary
Route
Utah
Colorado
Zephyr Preliminary Route
938.6 Miles
N
Arizona
N e vad a
¢ Pursued with development risks borne by DATC and shared with
wind generators, not retail customers
N e br a s k a
Colorado
W
Colorado
New Mexico
Utah
Arizona
da a
va rn i
Ne lifo
Ca
¢ Provides direct electrical interconnection and a contiguous
and verifiable long-term firm, point-to-point transmission path
from Wyoming wind resources
Wyoming
Colorado
Wyoming
U t ah
E
S
Arizona
New Mexico
Idaho
Utah
Nevada
Utah
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—
—
—
Idaho
Nevada
N e b ra s k a
Wyoming
¢ A 950-mile high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission
line originating near Chugwater, Wyo., and terminating in the
Eldorado Valley, just south of Las Vegas
Idaho
Wyoming
Project Description
0
10 20
40
Miles
Please note: All routing is preliminary and shown for illustrative
purposes only.
Ownership and Operation
¢ DATC acquired Zephyr in December 2011 from Pathfinder Power Transmission, LLC
¢ DATC will develop, construct, own and operate the line
¢ Zephyr will connect with Pathfinder Renewable Wind Energy’s wind generation project on more than 160,000 acres near
Chugwater, Wyo.
¢ Pathfinder has subscribed 2,100 megawatts of Zephyr’s 3,000-MW capacity
¢ An “Open Season” will determine subscription for the remaining 900-MW of capacity
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Respect for
the Environment
DATC takes its environmental
stewardship responsibilities
very seriously—minimizing our
environmental footprint is one of
our core sustainability goals. We
accomplish this through careful
analysis, thoughtful planning and
the implementation of innovative
measures to minimize potential
impacts on the land, ecosystems
and wildlife.
Economic and Value Proposition
¢ Commitment of 2,100 MW from credit-worthy wind generation developers
— a strong indication that Zephyr will cost effectively deliver high-quality
wind from Wyoming to California
¢ Offers important system benefits to California’s existing wind resources:
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—
—
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California and Wyoming wind have different seasonal and diurnal
profiles
Combining wind projects in two regimes results in a higher capacity
value and diversity benefit than sum of each region’s project output
operating in isolation
This diversity benefit reduces the system balancing and reserve
requirements
Analysis indicates delivery of 3,000 MW of Wyoming wind generation
to California could result in benefits to California of more that $575
million per year
¢ Utilizes HVDC (vs. alternating current) technology — the most cost-effective, efficient and environmentally favorable
means of moving large amounts of electricity over long-distances (500 miles or more)
¢ Zephyr’s precedent agreement provides for its wind generators to stage the commercial operation of the 3,000 MW of
facilities to better match load growth and the needs of utilities
Project Benefits
¢ Creates jobs and contributes to the tax base in states in which line is sited
¢ Zephyr offers possibility of utilities managing, controlling and scheduling Zephyr’s transmission capacity
¢ Delivers the highest quality wind resource to consumers in the west for decades to come
Project Development Strengths
¢ Provides a stable, cost-effective way to meet state renewable standards and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
¢ Preliminary route uses existing designated corridors and avoids
populated areas, critical wildlife habitat and other environmentally
sensitive areas, sensitive cultural areas, and military bases. More than
65 percent of potential route on federal lands
¢ Significant contribution to the country’s national energy independence goals
¢ Facilitates the Eldorado Valley becoming a major renewable energy hub in the west and offers opportunities for integrating
additional renewable generation in the west, including solar in California and the desert southwest
Renewable Benefits
¢ Gives utilities and consumers in California direct access to
3,000 MW of new wind generation in Wyoming
¢ Reduces overall system balancing needs by optimizing
Wyoming/California wind regimes
¢ Offers California a low-cost, stable-priced renewable generation
resource for decades to come
¢ Pathfinder offers a sophisticated mitigation plan for developing
wind generation in a manner that balances the sensitive
environment and wildlife habitat with its economic development
Respect for
the Community
Our success is linked to the health and
prosperity of the communities we serve.
DATC works closely with area landowners,
community leaders, government officials
and other key stakeholders every step of
the way. DATC’s standard practice is to
stay connected with federal, state, county
and local agencies to identify, evaluate
and mitigate—to the maximum extent
possible—any potential impacts from
construction and operations.
¢ DATC is working closely with state, federal, and local permitting
agencies to design and develop a well-coordinated, timely and efficient
siting and permitting process. DATC is encouraged by numerous efforts
to help facilitate coordination of federal agencies with responsibilities
in permitting and siting of transmission and renewable energy projects
in the west including:
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—
—
Department of Energy Rapid Response Team efforts to help facilitate
permitting and siting of transmission infrastructure projects
Bureau of Land Management has given priority status to 18
renewable energy projects in 2011—representing about 4,279 MW
Efforts to streamline the federal permitting review of transmission
projects into a single-environmental review document by codifying
the 2009 transmission memorandum of understanding signed by
nine federal agencies
Project timeline
2012
2013-2016
— “Open Season”
— Engineering and design
— Marketing of power
to utilities
— Filing of environmental
and other major permit
applications
— Consultation with
permitting agencies
— Environmental analysis,
routing and siting
— Ongoing communication,
consultation with
stakeholders
— Interconnection process
— Public outreach
— Regional planning project
reviews
— Regulatory review,
approval and permitting
2017-2019
— Beginning of construction
after receiving regulatory
approvals
2020
— Line in service
— Ongoing community
relations
— Ongoing communication,
consultation with
stakeholders throughout
construction process
For more information, please contact:
BUSINESS CONTACTS:
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Chris D. Jones
Vice President
Duke-American Transmission Co.
[email protected]
Tel: 713.375.0704
Greg Efthimiou
[email protected]
Tel: 704.382.1925
Paul Jett
Vice President
Duke-American Transmission Co.
[email protected]
Tel: 262.832.8664
Anne Spaltholz
[email protected]
Tel: 877.506.6117
www.datcllc.com