Oil Savings From Greater Intertie Capacity Between the Pacific Northwest and California

GAO undertook a study of the benefits from expanding the Pacific Northwest-Southwest electricity interconnections as part of its continuing effort to assess the Federal power marketing agencies' operations and because the existing interties between the Pacific Northwest-Southwest cannot carry the potential for all power exchanges. The study involved the Bonneville Power Administration, Western Area Power Administration, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Economic Regulatory Administration (ERA), and States in the Northwest and Southwest. At present, three high-voltage transmission lines (interties) connect California and the Pacific Northwest. These lines were jointly developed by public and private power interests, and have permitted Bonneville and Northwest utilities to sell California utilities surplus power. Surplus energy sales allow the Northwest to sell a resource which may otherwise be wasted, and allow California utilities to turn off oil-powerplants. GAO studied three proposals for increasing transmission capacity.