States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity

RMI reports that expanding regional electricity transmission in the Western US is a 'win-win' economic opportunity. It finds that energy export states (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming) could increase their market access from $3 billion to $40 billion per year by 2050 with better transmission, while states with clean energy standards could reduce costs by over 30% through expansive regional planning.

• Energy export states in the West, specifically Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming, face a significant gap in market access due to transmission constraints. While the Western electricity market is projected to reach $40 billion per year by 2050 based on load growth and public policy goals, these states can only access 7 percent of that market, or $3 billion per year, without increased interstate transmission capacity.
• States with clean energy standards—including California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington—can lower energy costs through regional collaboration. There is a direct correlation between the distance beyond a state's borders included in planning and the potential cost savings; the most expansive planning can reduce costs by over 30 percent compared to relying solely on in-state generation.

APA

RMI (2024). States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity. https://rmi.org/resources/states-in-sync-the-western-win-win-transmission-opportunity/

Chicago

RMI. States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/states-in-sync-the-western-win-win-transmission-opportunity/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity |date=17 April 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/states-in-sync-the-western-win-win-transmission-opportunity/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024states, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/states-in-sync-the-western-win-win-transmission-opportunity/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }