GridLiance West breaks ground on 155-mile Nevada transmission expansion projected to add 1 gigawatt of grid capacity by 2028

GridLiance West broke ground in Jean, Nevada, this week on one of the state’s biggest transmission infrastructure projects in recent memory. Federal, state, and local leaders showed up for the ceremony marking the official start of construction on the Core Upgrades Project — roughly 155 miles of new 230-kV and 500-kV transmission lines, plus new and upgraded substations. The project runs under NextEra Energy Transmission and is scheduled to wrap up by mid-2028.

Project scope and timeline

The Core Upgrades Project covers about 155 miles of new transmission lines running at two voltage levels — 230 kilovolts and 500 kilovolts. New and upgraded substations are included across Nevada, making this a full overhaul rather than a simple line extension. That combination of new construction and infrastructure upgrades sets it apart from routine grid maintenance.

The timeline is firm: GridLiance West expects to finish by mid-2028. That’s roughly a two-year build window from this week’s groundbreaking — and for a project this size and complexity, that schedule means serious planning was already locked in before crews ever broke ground.

It’s a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Transmission, which the company describes as one of North America’s leading competitive transmission companies.

At its core, the project does two things: replaces aging infrastructure that’s reached the end of its useful life and expands Nevada’s overall transmission capacity. Both matter. Old lines and substations create reliability risks, while limited capacity constrains what the grid can actually deliver — and to whom.

Why the project is being built

Nevada’s transmission network wasn’t built for the state it’s becoming. Population growth and an expanding economy are pushing electricity demand higher, and the existing infrastructure simply wasn’t designed to handle that load long-term. The Core Upgrades Project is a direct response to the gap between what the grid can do now and what it’ll need to do in the years ahead.

The project is also designed to unlock access to additional energy resources for homes, businesses, and industries across the state. Transmission bottlenecks don’t just cause outages — they prevent energy from reaching the people and businesses that need it, even when that energy already exists somewhere on the grid.

One specific driver of expanded regional connectivity is GridLiance West’s partnership with Valley Electric Association, a member-owned cooperative. Valley Electric CEO Robby Hamlin described the collaboration as giving the cooperative access to “significant transmission investment, expertise and resources” through connection to a larger network — while keeping local governance intact. That balance of regional scale and local control keeps coming up in how project leaders talk about this work.

Expected grid and economic effects

The numbers here are substantial. When the Core Upgrades Project comes online, it’s expected to add approximately 1 gigawatt of capacity to Nevada’s electric grid — enough to make a real difference in how much power the state can move and distribute reliably.

During construction, the project is expected to create 500 jobs. A significant, if temporary, boost — the kind of economic activity that matters to local communities across a multi-year build phase.

The longer-term economic picture is considerably larger. GridLiance West estimates the project will generate around $90 million in property and sales tax revenue for local communities, with a projected annual statewide economic impact of $553 million. Those figures come from the company’s own projections, so some uncertainty applies — but they give a real sense of the scale being pursued here.

Katie Jereza, Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity, pointed specifically to the 1-gigawatt capacity addition at the groundbreaking, calling it a demonstration of what collaboration “among industry, federal and state government, tribes and communities” can produce.

Background: NextEra Energy Transmission and Nevada’s grid strategy

GridLiance West doesn’t operate in isolation. It’s a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Transmission, which the company describes as one of North America’s leading competitive transmission companies. NextEra Energy Transmission currently has more than 3,200 miles of transmission lines in development and operation across 19 states and Canada — the Nevada project slots into a much larger national footprint.

The Nevada Governor’s Office and U.S. Department of Energy officials both attended the groundbreaking, signaling alignment at the state and federal level. Governor Lombardo framed it as part of Nevada’s broader ambition to become “the energy hub of the West,” tying grid investment directly to economic competitiveness and job creation.

The tax revenues the project generates won’t just flow into general funds. According to project materials, those dollars are earmarked to support schools, emergency services, and public infrastructure in the communities hosting the new lines and substations — connecting the project’s financial benefits directly to services local residents rely on every day.

Projections of $553 million in annual impact

The Core Upgrades Project is a 155-mile, multi-kilovolt transmission expansion in Nevada, built by GridLiance West under NextEra Energy Transmission. Construction kicked off this week in Jean, Nevada, with a scheduled completion date of mid-2028. The project will add roughly 1 gigawatt of grid capacity, create 500 construction jobs, and is projected to generate $553 million in annual economic impact alongside $90 million in local tax revenue. Federal and state officials participated in the groundbreaking, reflecting broad institutional support for the investment.

Kelly Lippke

Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.