More than a few hurdles stand in the way of delivering clean power across the United States. One of the biggest is bureaucratic delay. Last month, a massive transmission line project to deliver wind-generated electricity to western states emerged from an approval process that stretched across two decades.

On June 20, the TransWest Express Transmission (TWE) project finally broke ground. It was first initiated by Phoenix-based Arizona Public Service Co. 18 years ago and entered the permitting pipeline nearly 16 years ago. It only received its final notice to proceed in April 2023.

The project faced a myriad of bureaucratic challenges. Because it crosses federal, state, county and private land, it needed approval from governments at each level. It faced pushback from environmental groups over potential effects on natural resources and from communities and private landowners who did not want power lines crossing their property or affecting their views.

In April, the Bureau of Land Management issued its Notice to Proceed for the TWE project, which was the final federal authorization needed to start construction.

The TWE project will be the Western power grid’s largest transmission addition in decades. It will connect three planning regions in the West, while adding 3,000 megawatts (MW) of high-voltage capacity from Wyoming to Utah and 1,500 MW of high-voltage capacity from Utah to the desert southwest (Nevada, California and Arizona). The project also will provide the West with new access to wind-generated electricity from Carbon County, Wyo., where one of the nation’s—and world’s—largest onshore wind resources is expected to come online in 2026.

The project will consist of 732 miles of high-voltage transmission infrastructure consisting of two systems: a 3,000-MW direct current segment with terminals near Sinclair, Wyo., and Delta, Utah; and a 1,500-MW alternating current segment from the Utah terminal to southern Nevada.

The project is estimated to cost $3 billion and is expected to be energized in 2027.