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Columbia River PUD tells Scappoose council region needs major transmission upgrades; estimate: about $100 million

Scappoose City Council · September 16, 2025

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Summary

Scappoose — Columbia River PUD reported that a Bonneville transmission study indicates the region needs major reinforcement — about 46 miles of 230/115 kV line, two transformers and roughly $100 million in upgrades.

Scappoose — Columbia River PUD (CRPUD) representatives returned to the council Sept. 15 to report results of a Portland-area reinforcement study conducted by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) with local partners.

Assistant General Manager Brandon Stanley summarized the work and results: CRPUD and partner utilities asked BPA to study large load combinations, asking BPA to study about 470 megawatts for CRPUD territory. Stanley said the study concluded a significant transmission reinforcement was needed — roughly "about 46 miles of transmission, so 230/115, and then two new transformers," and he added that the price tag in today's dollars was "about a $100,000,000" if the full upgrade were executed.

CRPUD officials and councilors discussed timelines and cost-allocation options. Stanley said transformers alone can take 30–50 months to procure and install once ordered, and that BPA typically expects local utilities to have some "skin in the game," though CRPUD hopes BPA will recognize network benefits and share costs across its service territory.

Councilors asked how upgrades would be paid and whether costs could be rate‑based across BPA’s service territory; presenters said BPA’s decision on cost allocation is pending. PUD staff emphasized the study as a high-level planning step that would require additional engineering and redundancy studies and identified long lead times as a primary scheduling constraint.

Why it matters: The study frames the scale and cost of upgrades required to attract large industrial customers that seek hundreds of megawatts of capacity; decisions about cost-allocation and timing could affect rates or require developer contributions for specific projects.

What’s next: CRPUD will pursue more detailed design and cost-allocation work with BPA and report back as the process moves forward.