Colorado faces a critical inflection point in its electric transmission system. Rapid demand growth, driven by electrification, industrial expansion, crypto currency, and data centers, is placing unprecedented demands on the grid. At the same time, Colorado has legislated ambitious decarbonization and economic development goals that depend on timely, large-scale, high capacity transmission buildout. Many of the transmission projects needed to meet these goals fall outside any single utility’s planning framework, face higher early-stage risks and potentially long development timelines, and may sometimes involve new entrants that may need support accessing capital markets efficiently. These structural gaps can stall projects that would otherwise deliver significant public benefits.

The Colorado Electric Transmission Authority (CETA) was created in 2021 to help fill these gaps. As a political subdivision of the state, CETA has statutory authority to issue revenue bonds, designate corridors, and coordinate multiparty development. This paper outlines how CETA can strategically and selectively deploy its revenue bonding authority to help advance needed transmission projects.