South of Tri-Cities Reinforcement Project

Benton County, Washington

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is proposing to construct a new 18-mile-long 115-kilovolt (kV) transmission line between BPA’s existing Badger Canyon Substation in Benton County, Washington and BPA’s existing Ashe-Marion 500-kV transmission line to the west.

The Tri-Cities area is growing, and the increasing demand for power is adding to the area’s existing transmission system constraints. The primary goals of this project are to improve long-term electric reliability, improve short-term operational flexibility and address system maintenance needs. This project would also allow BPA to increase the amount of electricity it can deliver into the area. This project could also help BPA to incorporate future generation and line/load interconnection projects in the region.

This is one of four projects BPA is proposing in the area, collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities Reinforcement program. When complete, the program would increase BPA’s transmission capacity in the area by 66 percent. This work would also update BPA’s current Tri-Cities infrastructure by reinforcing substations and transmission lines.

The transmission lines that bring power into the Tri-Cities are at risk of becoming overloaded during periods of high electricity use, which potentially could lead to unplanned power interruptions or blackouts in the absence of other measures. Overloading could occur during summer irrigation season, during summer when air conditioning use spikes, and in winter when heating is peaking. In addition, the possibility of an unplanned power interruption increases when BPA takes one of the lines currently serving the Tri-Cities area out of service for regular maintenance. During a planned outage, the other lines feeding into the area are at increased risk of becoming overloaded, which could also lead to loss of load events. Unplanned outages can also be caused by such things as equipment failure, a public safety power shutoff that may be necessary to ensure safety and reliability during wildfire season, lightning, or a transmission pole struck by a vehicle. This new transmission line and substation would help relieve stress on the system and substantially reduce the potential for unplanned outages because it would provide an alternative path for electricity to flow if another line in the region becomes inoperable.

BPA is proposing to build a new Webber Canyon Substation next to the existing Ashe-Marion 500-kV line and connect the new substation to BPA’s existing Badger Canyon Substation with a new 18-mile-long 115-kV transmission line. A small portion of the new line would be built with steel monopoles in an existing transmission corridor near Badger Canyon Substation. The rest of the new line would be built using wood pole structures. Two proposed route alternatives are under consideration. Fiber optic cable would be added to the new line, as well as other existing transmission lines in the area, to improve operational communication and control. Badger Canyon Substation would be reconfigured and upgraded to incorporate the new transmission line.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

BPA previously held an informal public meeting in December 2022. Input from that meeting helped guide the proposed project design. To understand the potential environmental impacts of this proposal, BPA may prepare an environmental assessment (EA) following the procedures of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EA would analyze the substation and transmission line build, including the two proposed route alternatives, as well as a no-action alternative in which no construction actions would be taken. The EA would also describe anticipated impacts to natural and human resources and would identify mitigation measures to help avoid or minimize impacts. During this process, BPA will work with landowners, tribes, federal, state and local agencies, and interest groups.

The proposed schedule for the environmental review is as follows:

Scoping comment period         October 06 to November 20, 2023
Public scoping meetings         October 17 and 18, 2023
EA determination Spring, 2024
Draft EA available for public comment (if warranted) Summer, 2024
Final EA (if warranted) Winter, 2024/2025
Finding of No Significant Impact (if warranted) Fall, 2024
If decision to build, construction start Spring, 2025

CURRENT STATUS

BPA is requesting public scoping comments to help identify issues that should be addressed in the environmental review. You may send us your comments so they may be considered as we analyze the issues. Alternatively, you may attend one of two informal, open-house meetings where we will answer questions and accept comments. You are invited to attend anytime between 6pm and 8pm. Here is the meeting information:

October 17 and 18, 2023
      6:00pm to 8:00pm
    Cottonwood Elementary School
     16734 Cottonwood Creek Blvd.
   Kennewick, WA 99338

Please send your comments by November 20, 2023, so they may be considered as we draft the EA. When commenting, refer to the full project name. All comments will be posted on the BPA comment website. There are several ways to comment:

Mail: Bonneville Power Administration Toll-Free: 800-622-4519
 Public Affairs – DKE-7 Online: www.bpa.gov/comment 
 P.O. Box 14428         FAX: 503-230-4019
 Portland, OR 97291-4428

CONTACT

For project information, contact:
Amanda Williams Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Transmission Project Manager Direct line: 360-619-6634
Bonneville Power Administration – TEPL-TPP-1 Email: amloran@bpa.gov 
PO Box 3621
Portland, Oregon 97208-3621

Rasha Kroonen         Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Substation Project Manager        Direct line: 360-619-6634
Bonneville Power Administration - TEPS-TPP-1 Email: rmkroonen@bpa.gov  
PO Box 3621
Portland, Oregon 97208-3621

For environmental information, contact:
Douglas Corkran        Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Environmental Protection Specialist Direct line: 503-230-7646
Bonneville Power Administration – ECT-4 Email: dfcorkran@bpa.gov 
PO Box 3621
Portland, Oregon 97208-3621


DOCUMENTS


SCOPING
Scoping comments received
Public Letter (10/06/2023)
New Transmission Line Detail Map (10/06/2023)
Project Overview Map (10/06/2023)
Comment Form (10/06/2023)