Western Interconnection
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The Western Interconnection is one of the two major alternating current (AC) power grids in North America. The other major interconnection is the Eastern Interconnection. The three minor interconnections are the Québec Interconnection, the Texas Interconnection, and the Alaska Interconnection.
All of the electric utilities in the Western Interconnection are electrically tied together during normal system conditions and operate at a synchronized frequency operating at an average of 60Hz. The Western Interconnection stretches from Western Canada South to Baja California in Mexico, reaching eastward over the Rockies to the Great Plains.
Interconnections can be tied to each other via high-voltage direct current power transmission lines (DC ties), or with variable frequency transformers (VFTs), which permit a controlled flow of energy while also functionally isolating the independent AC frequencies of each side. The Western Interconnection is tied to the Eastern Interconnection with six DC ties. It is not tied to the Alaska Interconnection.
