Santa Fe New Mexican featured our Western RTO economic impact report, citing a press briefing on the study results. Read snippets below and the full article here.
A new economic impact study from the trade group Advanced Energy Economy estimates New Mexicans could save about $114 million in energy costs with the creation of a regional transmission organization that would encompass much of the western U.S.
The study’s findings were based on such an organization controlling an electrical grid and new energy market across 11 Western states, including New Mexico, by 2030.
The study also found such a development could create between 4,900 and 18,800 permanent jobs and result in increased tax contributions between $33 million to $116 million annually.
“In some sense, the results here are a lower-bounds estimate,” Dr. Tim Nadreau, an economist and author of the study said Tuesday. “Increased reliability of the grid associated with the [regional transmission organization] have economic benefits as well that aren’t captured.”...
Although regional transmission organizations are established in the northeastern U.S., the Midwest and California, several western states remain disconnected from a larger grid and energy market.