The Bonneville Energy Administration (BPA) has recognized 13 new transmission substation and line initiatives designed to bolster the Pacific Northwest’s electrical grid. If constructed, these initiatives would accommodate regional load development and allow the BPA so as to add hundreds of megawatts of latest wind and photo voltaic era, and battery storage to the federal grid. Mixed, the initiatives are estimated to price roughly $3 billion. The initiatives would add to an inventory of different initiatives the BPA introduced in July 2023, bringing the whole to greater than 20 with an estimated price of roughly $5 billion.
“BPA continues to reply the decision to fulfill the area’s transmission wants pushed by electrification, clear vitality objectives, and rising vitality demand,” John Hairston, administrator and CEO of the BPA, stated in a press release. “Constant, regular vitality infrastructure investments comparable to these will assist the area preserve reliability and a robust financial system fueled by clear vitality. This work wouldn’t be potential with out the $10 billion improve in Treasury borrowing authority championed by the Northwest Congressional delegation.”
Congress included the $10 billion improve Hairston talked about within the 2021 Infrastructure Funding and Jobs Act, elevating the BPA’s borrowing authority with the U.S. Treasury to $17.7 billion. The BPA stated borrowing authority works like a revolving line of credit score and is the company’s major supply of debt financing for capital investments, together with transmission.
The BPA’s Position
The BPA is a Federal Energy Advertising and marketing Administration headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It serves a 300,000 sq. mile space that features Oregon, Washington, Idaho, western Montana, and elements of northern California, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The BPA markets electrical energy, offers transmission, and helps growth of vitality conservation all through the area. Particularly, it markets the electrical energy produced from 31 Federal hydroelectric initiatives operated by the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. Collectively, the 31 Federal hydro initiatives produce a complete of about 8,593 MW in a median water yr. The BPA additionally acquires non-Federal energy, together with the ability from one nuclear energy plant—the Columbia Producing Station—to fulfill the wants of its buyer utilities.
The BPA maintains and operates greater than 15,000 circuit miles of transmission traces and related amenities over which this electrical energy is delivered. Its system is a considerable majority of the Northwest’s high-voltage electrical grid. It’s the BPA’s duty to plan for and fund the event, operations, and upkeep of this method, whereas additionally preserving and enhancing bodily safety, cybersecurity, and general system resilience.
The BPA is absolutely self-financed, points bonds on to the U.S. Treasury, and receives no direct annual appropriations for operations. Its energy charges and transmission charges are set to get better its prices. In the meantime, the BPA additionally funds the safety, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife affected by the event and operation of the hydropower system as a part of its efforts to protect and steadiness the financial and environmental advantages of the Federal Columbia River Energy System.
The Proposed Tasks
The 13 new transmission initiatives introduced on Oct. 15 emerged from the BPA’s Transmission Service Request Examine and Enlargement Course of 2023 cluster research. Every mission should endure preliminary engineering and environmental evaluation to tell a closing resolution to assemble. The proposed initiatives embody:
- Grand Coulee-Columbia-Schultz 500 kV. This proposed mission would rebuild the prevailing Grand Coulee-Olympia 287-kV circuit to 500 kV. To loop into Columbia, the mission would additionally construct a brand new Columbia 500-kV substation yard, with a 500/230-kV transformer financial institution. This part of the road would terminate at Schultz Substation.
- Schultz-Olympia 500 kV. This proposed mission would rebuild the Schultz-Olympia portion of the Coulee-Olympia 287 kV to 500 kV. The mission would additionally embody an growth of an Olympia 500-kV yard, a brand new 500/230-kV transformer financial institution, and three new 500-kV shunt capacitors.
- Central Oregon 500 kV Dynamic Reactive Upgrades. This proposed mission would set up reactive help (STATCOM) for Central Oregon at Bonanza 500 kV and at Captain Jack 500 kV.
- RATS: Reno-Alturas Reactive Addition. This proposed mission would set up reactive help (STATCOM) at Warner 115 kV and Hilltop 230 kV.
- North of Marion Improve #1. This proposed mission would construct on the Massive Eddy-Chemawa mission, setting up a brand new 500-kV yard at Chemawa, together with a brand new 500/230-kV transformer financial institution. The mission would additionally rebuild the Pearl-Chemawa part of Massive Eddy-Chemawa from 230 kV to 500 kV. Moreover, the mission would additionally rebuild the Chemawa-Santiam #1 from 230 kV to 500 kV.
- North of Marion Improve #2. This proposed mission would rebuild Pearl-Marion #1 500 kV and change the two.5-inch expanded conductor, and would rebuild the Oregon Metropolis-Chemawa 115-kV river crossing. The mission would additionally add a second 230/115-kV transformer financial institution at Chemawa Substation.
- North of Pearl. This proposed mission would improve transmission capability within the Portland sub-grid North of Pearl space by reconductoring the prevailing Pearl-Keeler #1 500-kV line and leveraging an current hall so as to add a second 500-kV line between Pearl and Keeler. The present Pearl-Sherwood #1 and #2 230-kV traces can be relocated/rebuilt to accommodate Pearl-Keeler #2 500-kV line. The present part of Keeler-Oregon Metropolis #2 115 kV between Sherwood and Oregon Metropolis can be repurposed as the brand new Keeler-Sherwood (PGE) 115-kV line, terminating into Sherwood.
- Massive Eddy-Quenett Creek Improve. This proposed mission would improve the Hood River sub-grid, rebuilding the Massive Eddy-Quenett Creek 230 kV to resolve the river crossing impairment.
- Ostrander-Pearl #1 Improve. This proposed mission would improve the Ostrander-Pearl #1 500-kV line and change the prevailing 2.5-inch expanded conductor.
- Massive Eddy-The Dalles Rebuild. This proposed mission is presently beneath research with the Northern Wasco County Individuals’s Utility District to rebuild a 115-kV line the BPA presently leases.
- Decrease Columbia to Nevada-Oregon Border (NOB).
- Decrease Columbia to Bonanza. This proposed mission would construct a brand new 500-kV transmission line between a substation within the Decrease Columbia space and the deliberate Bonanza Substation in Central Oregon. It might embody further connections to 500-kV substations close to the road route in addition to new 500-kV collection capacitors.
- Bonanza to NOB. This proposed mission would construct a brand new 500-kV transmission line from Bonanza Substation towards the Nevada-Oregon border. The mission would additionally embody new 500-kV collection capacitors.
- Nevada-Oregon Border Substation. This proposed mission would construct a brand new 500-kV substation on the Nevada-Oregon border.
Improved Reliability Among the many Advantages of Tasks
“With historic ranges of excessive demand development projected throughout the area within the years to come back, the 13 transmission initiatives being introduced as we speak by BPA symbolize a giant step ahead on system capability and reliability. The consequence ought to be a long-lasting profit to BPA’s clients and to the vitality customers of the Pacific Northwest extra usually,” stated Division of Power Infrastructure Underneath Secretary David Crane.
“These initiatives advance our efforts to offer dependable service to our clients and hold tempo with requests for transmission service,” stated Jeff Prepare dinner, the BPA’s vice chairman of Transmission Service Planning and Asset Administration. “We count on these initiatives will allow transmission service for community and point-to-point wants but to be studied.”
—Aaron Larson is POWER’s government editor (@POWERmagazine).
