Feds propose $2B in PNW energy grid upgrades to meet rising demand

The Pacific Northwest’s need for more — and renewable— electricity is increasing, and Bonneville Power Administration officials say the grid needs billions of dollars’ of work to keep those higher energy loads flowing across the region. A set of projects proposed by the federal energy wholesaler, including more than 130 miles of new transmission lines across Washington, would kick-start that process, said Glenn Blackmon, manager of Washington’s Energy Policy Office. In all, more than $2 billion worth of work, expected to last into next decade, would enable utilities to transfer additional energy to customers and do it more efficiently, Blackmon said. These sorts of transmission projects also help keep costs low for ratepayers over the long term, he said. But the proposal, announced by BPA this month, is just a start for the Pacific Northwest, which is expected to see up to 23% increases in peak energy demand over the next decade, Blackmon said. “We need to do this again and do it more, over an even larger geographic area,” Blackmon said. “This needs to be the first of multiple expansions of our transmission system.” BPA is proposing 10 projects across Washington and Oregon, said spokesperson Doug Johnson. The majority will be upgrades to existing transmission lines, connecting energy sources with the utilities — and ultimately the people — that will use the electricity. The federal administration serves hundreds of public and private utility customers, including Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy and Tacoma Public Utilities. Much of the electricity generated in the Northwest comes from the eastern portion of the region, while most of the demand comes from big population centers farther west, Johnson said. “This is beefing up the system to be able to handle that transfer of energy,” Johnson said. That work largely means replacing, upgrading or building a total of more than 275 miles of transmission lines throughout Washington and Oregon. Increased transmission will also help diversify the energy sources available, said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, whose 2021 amendment to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act raised BPA’s borrowing authority by $10 billion, paving the way for these projects. Not only is the work meant to address regional growth and increasing energy demand but it’s also an acknowledgment that the current system might not be able to deliver as much electricity as it has in the past, she said. For example, Cantwell noted warming trends bringing more rain than snow during the winter months, lessening snowpack and ultimately cutting into the state’s hydropower generation. Better transmission means more access to a broader array of power sources. “There are all sorts of reasons you’d want to have the best arteries to a system you can,” Cantwell said. As for demand, the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee anticipates increasingly steep energy growth in the coming years. By 2033 the region’s winter peak energy usage is expected to grow by nearly a fifth and its summer peak energy use is forecast to increase by nearly a quarter, according to the committee’s 2023 regional forecast. The existing transmission lines must be upgraded to handle the additional electricity state and federal officials expect in the coming years, Johnson said. Among the projects covered in BPA’s proposal are upgrades to 14 miles of power line between Goldendale, Klickitat County, and Rufus, Ore., and 77 miles between Ellensburg and Ravensdale. The authority would also replace 7.5 miles of line between Vancouver and Portland and 35 miles of line between Chehalis and Frederickson, Pierce County. Before any of the work can begin, the projects must pass environmental reviews, which could take months or years, Johnson said. The administration is also considering additional projects that could complement the proposed transmission upgrades.