Transmission upgrades could help balance wind power

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal agency that markets hydropower, is looking at transmission line upgrades that would support the delivery of 1,900 megawatts of wind power.

The BPA is proposing two transmission line upgrades in Washington and Montana that, along with four new high-voltage lines already under construction or consideration, would deliver 3,200 additional megawatts of electricity, including that from wind power.

The two new projects are part of BPA’s efforts to better gauge demand for new transmission and manage its transmission queue.  One project would increase capacity on the agency’s interconnection with Canada. Another would combine system upgrades to increase transmission capacity in eastern Washington and Montana. It would allow delivery of high-quality wind resources from Montana into the Northwest grid.

“Most wind projects on the BPA system to date have been concentrated in the Columbia Gorge and nearby regions,” said Brian Silverstein, senior vice president for BPA Transmission Services. “They tend to vary together making balancing the wind a challenge.  More geographic diversity in wind projects could make balancing easier.”

BPA next plans to complete preliminary engineering and environmental review of the projects, which could take one to two years, and will then decide whether to proceed with the projects.