Building America’s Next Generation Energy Infrastructure

Watch to learn more about how Pecos West will connect the Texas grid.

Pecos West is an approximately 280 mile 525 kilovolt high voltage direct current (HVDC) intertie line stretching from Bakersfield in Pecos County to El Paso, providing a valuable link between the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Western Interconnection. Pecos West will be open to all sources of electrical power generation and will be able to transport power in either direction along the line. Pecos West is in the planning and development phase. We have identified preliminary corridors for the project and will continue to gather input from stakeholders as we further study the proposed project. Using that input, we will finalize our route analysis and initiate regulatory filings, with final approvals possible by late 2024. Construction will commence after the project obtains the necessary regulatory approvals and secures land rights. Pecos West could be operational as early as late 2029.

Project Benefits

  • Pecos West will provide reliable power for ERCOT and El Paso in times of scarcity, increasing security of supplies for both regions and meeting the growing demand for electricity. The project provides protection against extreme weather events for ERCOT and El Paso.
  • Pecos West will benefit customers with access to clean, low-cost resources on both sides on the project
  • Pecos West will be an outlet for abundant generation in West Texas by providing access to new markets for power producers, allowing the export of power during periods of low demand.
  • Pecos West represents more than a billion dollar investment in West Texas and will be a long-term asset for the local region. The project will provide economic benefits in the form of right-of-way payments to private landowners, increased tax revenue, and job creation.
  • Pecos West will improve grid stability via the unique benefits of HVDC technology, including black start capability.

Project Location

Pecos West will be approximately 280 miles long, extending from an existing substation in Bakersfield in Pecos County to an existing substation in El Paso.

The Case for Reliability

As a critical link between two independent grids, ERCOT and the Western Interconnection, Pecos West will provide much needed reliability benefits to the State of Texas.

With growing demand and increasingly frequent extreme weather events, like Winter Storm Uri and the summer 2019 heat wave, the Texas power grid faces challenges in supplying reliable power to consumers. As an independent power grid, ERCOT has limited connections to neighboring grids. Texas’ constrained transmission system provides few options for reliable power during emergencies, costing Texas customers billions of dollars a year. For example, a 1 GW intertie could have saved nearly $1 billion and prevented blackouts to 200,000 Texas homes during the extreme weather events that hit the state in Winter 2021, according to a report from the American Council on Renewable Energy.

By linking geographically and meteorologically diverse grids, Pecos West will enhance and strengthen both systems, offering access to cheaper, more reliable, and secure energy to Texas consumers.

Landowner Relations

Our relationship with landowners and communities is at the core of everything we do. We believe that building strong and lasting relationships is key to the success of the Pecos West Intertie. We are committed to developing the project in a collaborative manner, and we commit to conduct easement negotiations in a manner that is fair to landowners and respectful of their private property rights.

Project Status

Pecos West is currently in the development phase. We have been hard at work completing the preliminary project routing and studying potential corridors. We have also begun meeting with key stakeholders to introduce the project and gather input, which we will use to finalize our route analysis and initiate regulatory filings. The Project has initiated a multi-year regulatory process with state and federal agencies.

Building America's Next Generation Infrastructure to Power Our Future.

Links
Contact

Pecos West is being developed by Grid United.

© 2023. Grid United LLC. All Rights Reserved.