The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are moving forward with a major upgrade to their power transmission system aimed at increasing energy capacity and creating opportunities for future renewable energy development.
The Warm Springs Power and Water Enterprise (WSPWE) is developing the Warm Springs Power Pathway, which will replace the capacity of an existing 100-mile transmission corridor between the Round Butte Substation near the tribe’s hydroelectric facilities and the Bethel Substation near Salem. Built in the 1960s, the existing 230-kilovolt line operates at full capacity. A new 500-kilovolt transmission line would increase capacity from about 200 megawatts to more than 2,000 megawatts. The existing 230-kilovolt line would remain in service for local energy interconnections.
“Transmission is your number one priority,” said Cathy Ehli, general manager of WSPWE. She said the tribe has significant energy development opportunities but has lacked the transmission capacity needed to bring new projects to market.
The project is also intended to improve regional grid resiliency. Ehli pointed to past major power failures, including the Texas power crisis, as examples of the need to strengthen aging infrastructure. The project will follow an existing right-of-way across the Cascades, avoiding many of the challenges associated with developing a new transmission route through the mountains.
Ehli said WSPWE has not received notice from the U.S. Department of Energy that federal funding for the project would be canceled. The project is now moving through a multi-year permitting process, with WSPWE working with the Department of Energy on expedited environmental reviews that could shorten the timeline by up to two years. Over the next six to 12 months, preliminary geotechnical studies will be conducted under the oversight of the tribe’s Branch of Natural Resources. WSPWE and Portland General Electric are also planning community workshops and advisory committees for tribal and local residents.
The additional transmission capacity could support future renewable energy projects, including the proposed 199-megawatt SalmonFly Solar project by BrightNight Energy near Round Butte Dam. Initial phases could use available capacity on the existing transmission system, with later phases relying on the completed Power Pathway. Ehli said the project is intended to increase the economic value of both energy generation and transmission for the Warm Springs Tribes.
