by Brianna Crandall — February 21, 2011—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on February 15 that it has finalized a $343 million loan guarantee, supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to develop the One Nevada Transmission Line (ON Line).
This is DOE’s first loan guarantee for a transmission project, and it will help integrate existing transmission systems in northern and southern Nevada. Great Basin Transmission South, LLC and NV Energy jointly own the project, which is expected to improve grid reliability.
The ON Line project consists of a new 500-kilovolt AC transmission line that will carry approximately 600 megawatts of electricity, including from renewable energy resources, in northern Nevada.
The project will run 235 miles from Ely, Nevada to just north of Las Vegas, with a new substation located at the northern end of the line. ON Line represents the first phase of the Southwest Intertie Project which, when fully completed, will carry approximately 2,000 megawatts of electricity and will enable wind and solar resources in Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada to power the southwest and California markets.
