States in Sync: The Western Win-Win Transmission Opportunity

The report asserts that Western US states must collaborate on regional electricity transmission expansion to realize significant economic gains. It highlights that energy export states could see their market access grow from $3 billion to $40 billion per year by 2050 with increased capacity, 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 annually by 2050, 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 the costs of meeting their goals through regional collaboration. The report identifies a direct correlation between the geographic scope of planning and cost savings, noting that the most expansive planning can reduce costs by more than 30% compared to relying solely on in-state generation.
• Current regional transmission planning in the West has been largely unsuccessful, with almost no regional transmission built over the last 40 years.

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} }