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Colorado
Every day, millions of people in Colorado rely on the energy grid to power our lives. Thanks to a network of transmission lines that carry energy from where it’s generated to where it’s used, we’re able to heat and cool our homes, keep the lights on in our businesses, and even charge our vehicles. We rarely think twice about it — until the power goes out. The problem is most of America’s transmission lines were built in the 1950s and 1960s, and were only intended to have a 50-year lifespan. We’re way overdue for an upgrade.
Improving Colorado’s existing transmission infrastructure, building new lines, and pursuing a regional approach to transmission planning and coordination will ensure all Coloradans enjoy reliable energy, while also bringing thousands of new living-wage jobs to the state, lowering energy costs, and accelerating the clean energy transition.
Transmission Means Jobs
Thousands of living-wage, clean energy jobs
Today the clean energy economy employs nearly 64,000 Coloradans and counting, with Pueblo leading the nation in wind turbine tower manufacturing. Building Colorado’s transmission infrastructure would add thousands more good-paying jobs to the economy and add more than 99,000 jobs in the state over the next 10 years.
Transmission Means Affordability
Electricity savings for homes and businesses
Expanding transmission infrastructure in Colorado will allow the state to tap into low-cost wind and solar resources and even become a net exporter of clean energy, which could bring significant savings to Colorado homes and businesses.
It’s estimated that building out Colorado’s transmission infrastructure and using it efficiently as part of a regional transmission organization could save households in Colorado $139 million a year in energy costs.
Transmission Means Reliability
Keeping the power on when extreme temperatures hit
As Colorado experiences more extreme summer heat waves putting strain on the grid every year, the risk for electric outages continues to grow. Much of the state’s existing transmission infrastructure is either too old or too small to handle the increased demand of A/C units, modern electric appliances, and electric vehicles. Fortunately, we have access to modern transmission technologies that are far more efficient than what we had in the 1960s. With a robust, 21st-century transmission system, grid operators can better coordinate resources and send power where it’s needed most to avoid the risk of blackouts.
Transmission Means Cleaner Energy
Transmission is the missing link to our 100% clean energy goals
Colorado’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2040 is one of the most ambitious climate targets in the US — and with a commitment to join a regional transmission organization by 2030, the state is also leading the West on transmission planning. By siting our transmission projects with stewardship in mind to minimize the impacts of new projects on tribal communities, landowners, cultural resources, and wildlife, Colorado can continue to lead the West’s clean energy transition.