Region-wide weather system posing challenges on lower-voltage BPA lines, utility distribution lines

Bonneville Power Administration experienced over 40 transmission outages across its service territory due to extreme weather experienced in the early morning of Dec. 17.

Bonneville crews are at various stages of identifying outage causes and making repairs as needed with several points of delivery serving BPA’s utility customers out of service.

On Tuesday night, a strong cold front collided with much warmer than average air, resulting in widespread gusty winds that coupled with already saturated soils and trees.

Impacts to BPA’s electric grid were mostly felt in lower voltage ranges of 115-kilovolt lines and below. BPA crews are responding to outages across our service territory, with a heightened focus on outages impacting communities along the Oregon northern coast and southwestern Washington, including Driscoll, Astoria, Tillamook and Forest Grove. BPA is working in conjunction with PacifiCorp and local impacted utilities such as Wahkiakum Public Utility District, Tillamook People’s Utility District, City of Forest Grove, Western Electric Co-op and others.

BPA crews have identified numerous off-right-of-way trees in both transmission and distribution lines across our service territory.

To enable as many resources and crews as possible in response to this event, BPA suspended all non-critical, life-safety related maintenance outages across its service territory. Additionally, any lines that were out of service for routine maintenance were returned to service to ensure transmission capacity and availability to reroute power as needed.

Many of BPA’s customer utilities are experiencing significant impacts on their own distribution systems, and BPA is actively working through mutual assistance aid agreements to provide help where needed.

About BPA: BPA is a federal non-profit power marketing administration that delivers reliable, affordable and carbon-free hydropower produced in the Columbia River Basin to communities across the Northwest. BPA also owns and operates more than 15,000 circuit miles of high-voltage transmission lines and administers one of the largest, most comprehensive fish and wildlife conservation programs in the United States. More information about these and other activities is available on our Media Relations page.