BPA restores reliable power to Oakridge, Oregon, with transmission line rebuild

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BPA restores reliable power to Oakridge, Oregon, with transmission line rebuild

October 28, 2024

Completed in September, the newly rebuilt 26-mile line serves as a critical piece of infrastructure for Lane County and the City of Oakridge.

BPA completed the multiyear Hills Creek-Lookout Point No. 1 transmission line rebuild in September.

The Bonneville Power Administration completed a multiyear rebuild of its Hills Creek-Lookout Point No. 1 transmission line in September. The 115-kilovolt line in Lane County, Oregon, is a critical piece of infrastructure, delivering reliable power to the city of Oakridge. The 26-mile line, dating back to the 1950s, has been completely rebuilt with new poles and conductor.

"The line was well due for an age-based replacement and needed a lot of repairs due to repeated winter storm damage" project manager Alla Kirsanova said. "Now it's all brand new and up to current standards."

With a completely rebuilt line, Kirsanova said the line is more likely to withstand extreme weather events and ensure BPA can provide safe, reliable power to the residents of Oakridge.

The project's construction was divided between two sections of the Hills Creek-Lookout Point transmission line. The first section spans from Hills Creek Dam to Oakridge and the second from Oakridge to Lookout Point Dam. Oakridge receives its primary source of power generation from the Lookout Point Dam operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers located near Lowell, Oregon. The town receives necessary backup generation from the Hills Creek Dam, also operated by the Corps.

The first section was completed in 2022. But complications arose when construction shifted to the second section. It would have to be de-energized, cutting off Oakridge's power supply from Lookout Point Dam. For the duration of the project, the city would be completely reliant on power from Hills Creek.

Most of the year, that wouldn't be much of a concern. But in some months, water levels in the Hills Creek reservoir can drop to water levels that are too low for the dam to operate. Turbines require fast-flowing water to produce power. Operating Hills Creek under low water pressure would eventually damage the turbines - which had just been replaced in 2020 and 2021. While the Corps could protect the new turbines by stopping generation, Oakridge would be left without electricity until water levels rose.

BPA evaluated options for installing backup generation, but determined it was cost-prohibitive and not without safety concerns. The project team also worked to inform the community and coordinated with the local utility to find an alternate solution.

Ultimately, BPA decided to continue construction without backup generation. The Corps supported the effort by monitoring water levels and giving BPA an estimated date by which they had to have the line energized. If BPA had not met that date, the water level could have dropped below the threshold, and the community of Oakridge would have been without power.

Project construction manager Jeffrey Flansburg said contracted construction teams worked diligently against the clock to ensure the project's timely completion, working 12-hour days, seven days a week while operating with twice as many crews. Additionally, Kirsanova said pre-construction activities were done in advance to mitigate the amount of time the line section was out of service.

The Oakridge to Lookout Point section was re-energized in July with the project reaching completion in August, a month ahead of the initial construction schedule. The project was completed without any service interruptions to Oakridge, and now the fully rebuilt transmission line ensures BPA can continue to provide reliable, safe power to Lane County.

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