Energy Companies Develop Plan To Ship Power From Wyoming To L.A.

October 27, 2014- Four energy companies are collaborating on an $8-billion plan to ship electric power produced in Wyoming to Southern California via transmission lines, with help from an energy-storage and generation system to be built in Utah.

California has asked utilities to develop stored energy sources that would aid supply flows when fluctuations from solar-powered generation and wind turbines occur.

California winds often die down in the late afternoon, slowing the state's wind turbines when electricity is most needed. However winds in Wyoming pick up later in the day, allowing that state to produce more electricity from its turbines. Shifting power from Wyoming to California at the right time would make for a smoother flow of electricity without disrupting the electricity grid.

The four companies -- Pathfinder Renewable Wind Energy, Magnum Energy, Dresser-Rand Group Inc., and Duke-American Transmission – plan to submit a formal plan by early 2015 to the Southern California Public Power Authority.

Pathfinder Renewable Wind Energy would build and operate a $4 billion wind farm near Chugwater, Wyo. It would generate up to 2,100 megawatts of electricity, the bulk of which would be destined for California's Los Angeles basin.

Read the full wsj.com post here.

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