The West Coast Cable Project is a proposed 1600 MW high voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine transmission cable that would stretch approximately 900km (650 miles), from a substation near Portland, Oregon, to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Project Drivers
In recent years, the State of California has taken a leadership role in reducing emissions by requiring its utilities to purchase 20% of their electricity from renewable resources by 2010.
However, significant constraints on the existing transmission grid make it difficult for utilities to access new renewable energy sources. Such constraints create a need for innovative and workable transmission solutions.
The West Coast Cable is being developed to address this need and to provide the California market with access to the hydroelectricity and largely untapped wind energy resources found in the Pacific Northwest.
Project Benefits
Project Status
The West Coast Cable is one of four transmission alternatives under consideration by the California Independent System Operator’s “Joint Stakeholder Long Term Planning Study”. The project is also under review by the WECC Regional Planning Review Group, which was initiated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the largest utility in California.
