TransCanada lands customers for 3GW Zephyr line

Merchant transmission developer TransCanada has signed up three large wind-developer customers for a planned $3bn, 3 gigawatt transmission line to move electricity from windy Wyoming to Nevada, where it could access renewable energy hungry California and the Desert Southwest. But the company expressed uncertainty about the political and regulatory climate necessary for the project to advance.

The company announced precedent agreements for the Zephyr Power Transmission project with Pathfinder Renewable Wind Energy, EDP Renováveis’ US wind unit Horizon Wind Energy, and BP Wind Energy NA for the entire capacity of the 1,600 kilometre, 500-kilovolt direct current line.

A similar transmission project to bring wind energy from Montana appears not to have attracted sufficient developer interest in the open season TransCanada held.

TransCanada