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NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-ID-T000-1994-0001-EIS
Project Name: Southwest Intertie Project (SWIP)

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Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-ID-T000-1994-0001-EIS
Project Name

Southwest Intertie Project (SWIP)
Project Type

EIS
NEPA Status

Completed - Completed
Lead Office

Twin Falls District Office
Last Updated

Project Description

Idaho Power Company proposes to construct and operate a 500kV transmission line from their Midpoint Substation near Shoshone, Idaho to a new proposed substation in the Dry Lake Valley northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.  A crosstie route would also be constructed from the Ely, Nevada area to a point near Delta, Utah.  New substations would be required near Ely, Las Vegas, and Delta, and a series of compensation stations would be needed midway between the Midpoint Substation and Ely, Nevada, and between Ely and Dry Lake.  New microwave facilities would be required on the route from Midpoint to Dry Lake.

The facilities from Midpoint Substation and Dry Lake would increase the ability to conduct northwest-southwest power exchanges, would increase the capacity and reliability of the interconnected electrical grid in the western U.S., and would enhance competition and economic efficiency of the regional power market.  The project would establish an "open marketplace" for power transfers in the Las Vegas area.  Because of the increased capacity to share regional resources, an additional benefit would be deferring new generation facilities and diversifying fuel resources.  The crosstie route between Ely, Nevada, and Delta, Utah, would increase the reliability between the existing transmission systems in the Delta area and the planned north-south SWIP system.

Alternatives considered are the no-action, energy conservation, alternative generating sources, alternative transmission systems, alternative transmission technologies, and the proposed action and its eight alternatives from Midpoint to Dry Lake and four routing alternatives from Ely to Delta.

What's New

As currently authorized, the Southwest Intertie Project (SWIP), now owned by Great Basin Transmission LLC, is inclusive of two (2) segments of transmission line. The southern segment, SWIP South (i.e., ONLine), runs from Robinson Substation outside of Ely, Nevada to the Harry Allen Substation in Clark County, Nevada. This segment has been constructed and in operation since 2014. The northern segment, SWIP North, has been authorized but has not yet been constructed.

SWIP North is a 275-mile, single circuit 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission line and ancillary facilities from the Robinson Substation, located northwest of Ely, Nevada, to the Midpoint Substation, located north of Jerome, Idaho. The transmission line facilities will primarily consist of guyed-V structures. The structures will be placed approximately 1,200 to 1,600 feet apart. Construction is expected to take up to 36 months to complete and will consist of the following new or expanded facilities:

• a 275-mile, 500kV transmission line and ancillary facilities

• a series compensation station near Oasis, Nevada

• construction of new or improved roads providing access to 500kV transmission structures and ancillary facilities

• temporary work areas associated with construction activities

Approximately 218 miles of the 275-mile transmission line will be located on federal lands. The remaining approximately 57 miles will be located on private and state-owned lands.

Background:

On December 5, 1994, a Record of Decision was signed authorizing the entirety of the project and a few days later the Right of Way (ROW) grant was issued. Subsequently, in July of 2010 the ROW was amended by sec. 2003 of Public Law (P.L.) 111-212 (124STAT.2337) which directed the Secretary of the Interior to amend the right-of-way to shift the alignment of the transmission line in two areas. One of the shifts was made to avoid crossing of the Minidoka National Historic Site in Jerome County, Idaho. The other was to avoid and minimize impacts to Greater sage grouse habitat around the Winecup Ranch in Elko County, Nevada. An updated ROW grant and a Notice to Proceed were issued on August 27, 2010, and October 21, 2010, respectively, in compliance with P.L. 111-212.

Draft EIS Publication

Actual Date

12/8/1994

Final EIS Publication

Actual Date

12/8/1994

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Elko	Nevada	89801	Elko County

Application Information

Applicant

Idaho Power Company
Program

Lands and Realty
Sub-Program

Rights-of-Way

Project Dates

Start Date

12/8/1994
End Date

12/7/1994

Notice of Intent Publication

NOI Publication Date

12/8/1994

Record of Decision Publication

Actual Date

12/7/1994

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Twin Falls District Office
Offices

Boise DO, Elko DO, Ely DO, Idaho Falls DO, Southern Nevada DO, Twin Falls DO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Brady Owens
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(775) 753-0220

Contact 2 Name

Kelly Michelsen
Contact 2 Email

[email protected]
Contact 2 Phone

(775) 753-0296