Zephyr power line fully subscribed

May 20, 2010 - Wyoming Business Report

WCALGARY, Alberta — TransCanada has announced that its planned Zephyr Power Transmission line has had its full 3,000 megawatts spoken for by three wind energy developers in Wyoming.

The three wind developers hoping to use the line to get their power to market are Pathfinder Renewable Wind Energy LLC, Horizon Wind Energy LLC and BP Wind Energy NA Inc.

"These precedent agreements are a clear indication of wind developer support for significant export transmission capacity for renewable energy out of Wyoming into the southwest markets," said Hal Kvisle, TransCanada's president and chief executive officer.

"However, support from key markets and a positive regulatory environment are necessary before we start the significant siting and permitting activities required to construct the project."

The proposed Zephyr project is a 1,000-mile (1,600-kilometers), 500-kilovolt, high voltage direct current line designed to move 3,000 MW of wind-generated electricity from Wyoming to power markets in the southwest U.S. at a cost of approximately $3 billion.

Should Zephyr proceed to construction, major capital spending would start in late 2013 with a targeted timeframe for commercial operations of late 2015/early 2016.

As part of the siting and permitting process, formal consultation with landowners, public officials, agencies and other interested parties will ramp up as satisfactory regulatory, political and market conditions are clarified.

TransCanada owns and operates a 37,000-mile network of natural gas pipelines that accesses virtually all major gas supply basins in North America; is one of the nation's largest providers of gas storage and is developing one of North America's largest oil delivery systems. TransCanada also owns, or has interests in more than 11,7000 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States.