Pacific Direct Current Intertie (PDCI) Upgrade Project (DOE/EA-1937)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will upgrade its portion (265 miles) of the Pacific Direct Current Intertie (PDCI) ±500-kilovolt transmission line between its Celilo Converter Station in The Dalles, Oregon, and the Nevada-Oregon border where BPA ownership of the line terminates. This work would increase the PDCI transfer capability from its current 3100 megawatt (MW) capacity to 3220 MW. Equipment upgrades will improve reliability and performance of the aging line.

Improvements will include new hardware assemblies, insulators, dampers, and shunts on 265 miles of the PDCI transmission line. About 1.8 miles of the line will be reconductored to match the remainder of the line. In order to improve reliability of the line in the event of tower failure, four new dead-end structures may be constructed between towers 141/2 and 141/3, 159/2 and 159/3, 175/1 and 175/2, and 199/2 and 199/3.

About 210 miles of existing access roads will be improved to accommodate construction equipment. Improvements may include rocking, grading, and minor expansion of the existing footprint. About 0.6 miles of new permanent and temporary spur roads will be added in areas where existing access is not available to individual tower sites (typically where right-of-way crosses agricultural fields).

CURRENT STATUS

BPA has made the decision to upgrade its portion (265 miles) of the Pacific Direct Current Intertie (PDCI) ±500 kilovolt transmission line between its Celilo Converter Station in The Dalles, Oregon, and the Nevada-Oregon border where BPA ownership of the line terminates.

During the summer of 2014, BPA will begin implementing all of the transmission line upgrades and associated access roadwork as described in the final EA with the exception of installation of the four new dead-end structures on BPA right-of-way that crosses land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BPA is continuing to coordinate with BLM regarding requirements for authorizing these structures and may decide to install those structures at a later date.

CONTACT

For environmental information, contact:
Carol Leiter        Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist        Direct line: 360-418-8608
Bonneville Power Administration - ECT-4 Email: cpleitr@bpa.gov 
P.O. Box 3621
Portland, OR 97208-3621 Toll-free:

For project information, contact:
Erich Orth       Toll-free: 800-622-4519
Project Manager        Direct line: 360-619-6559
Bonneville Power Administration - TEP-TPP-1 Email: etorth@bpa.gov 
P.O. Box 61409
Vancouver, WA 98666-1409

DOCUMENTS

FINAL EA / FONSI
Public Letter (08/15/2014)
Final EA (08/01/2014)
FONSI and Mitigation Action Plan (08/01/2014)

DRAFT EA
Draft EA comments received
Public Letter (01/31/2014)
Draft EA (01/31/2014)
Comment Form (01/31/2014)

SCOPING
Comments received on scoping
Public Letter (09/24/2012)
Project Map (09/20/2012)
Comment Form (09/24/2012)