Stakeholder Steering Committee
(Working Representatives)

• Stakeholder Steering Committee
• Schedule of Upcoming Events

Plenary Stakeholder Group
(Public & All Interested Parties)

• Plenary Stakeholder Group
• Schedule of Upcoming Events
• Information for the Environmental Community

Related Documents

• 2010 Phase 1 CTPG 2020 Study Report
• Notice of January 22, 2010, Meeting of the Renewable Energy Policy Group on permitting issues affecting the timely permitting of large-scale solar thermal power plants and their qualifying for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.
• CPUC Prehearing Conference and Workshop on the Commission's own motion to actively promote the development of transmission infrastructure to provide access to renewable energy resources for California
• Other States' Renewable Energy and Transmission Reports

Related links

• California Transmission Planning Group (CTPG)
• California ISO Transmission Plan
• Nevada Renewable Energy Transmission Access Advisory Committee (RETAAC) Phase II Final Report
• Fort Irwin, California Enhanced Use Leasing (EUL) Web Site
• National Renewable Energy Laboratories - Concentrating Solar Power Research
• Nevada Renewable Energy Transmission Access Advisory Committee
• Report on Preliminary Renewable Transmission Plans by the California ISO
• Western Governors' Association Western Renewable Energy Zone Designation Effort
• West-wide Energy Corridor Programmatic EIS Information Center
• Wind Energy Development Programmatic EIS Information Center

Background and Purpose
Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI)

California has adopted energy policies that require substantial increases in the generation of electricity from renewable energy resources. Implementation of these policies will require extensive improvements to California's electric transmission infrastructure.

The California Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative (RETI) is a statewide initiative to:

• Help identify the transmission projects needed to accommodate these renewable energy goals.
• Facilitate transmission corridor designation.
• Facilitate transmission and generation siting permitting.
• Support future energy policy.

RETI is a joint effort among the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the Energy Commission, the California Independent System Operator (California ISO), Investor-Owned Utilities, and Public Utilities.

RETI will build on California's most recent experiences in developing transmission plans of service for the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area and the Imperial Valley. The Tehachapi Collaborative Study Group produced a phased development plan (PDF file, 150 pages, 1.5 MB) for transmission to serve more than 4,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power from the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area. Three separate applications for transmission permits have been filed with the CPUC. Two were approved in March 2007, and the third was filed in June 2007.

In addition, the Imperial Valley Study Group produced a phased development plan of service for the construction of transmission upgrades capable of exporting 2,000 MW of geothermal power from the Imperial Valley region of California. This plan was used in developing the proposed Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Project by San Diego Gas & Electric and the Green Path Coordinated Transmission Projects by the Imperial Irrigation District.

RETI results are intended to point to the next transmission project or projects that should be developed to connect renewable energy resources located in remote locations to the statewide high-voltage transmission grid. Achieving this result will be an important contribution to the state's policy goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing renewable energy to 33 percent of the state supply by 2020.