Bonneville Power Administration

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has identified 13 new transmission substation and line projects designed to reinforce the Pacific Northwest’s electric grid. If constructed, these projects would accommodate regional load growth and enable the BPA to add thousands of megawatts of new wind and solar generation, and battery storage to the federal grid. Combined, the […]

As the oldest renewable energy resource, hydropower is well-established as a reliable source of dispatchable energy. Yet, it is often overlooked and taken for granted. It’s commonly believed that hydro’s

When you study the history of hydropower, you expect to learn about people like British-American engineer James Francis, who developed the first modern hydro turbine in 1849. A testament to his genius is that the Francis turbine continues to be the most widely used water turbine in the world today. Or you assume American inventor […]

FOLSOM, Calif. (March 2, 2022) – Avista Utilities and Tacoma Power, two utilities serving a combined 600,000 electric customers in the Pacific Northwest, are the newest members of the Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM), with both beginning their participation today. Avista Utilities, which serves more than 400,000 electric customers in Washington and Idaho, and Tacoma […]

GRAND COULEE, Wash. – Today, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bonneville Power Administration announced the completion of the major overhaul of hydroelectric power generating units 22, 23 and 24 inside the Nathaniel “Nat” Washington Power Plant at Grand Coulee Dam. Located on the Columbia River about 90 miles west of Spokane, Wash., the Grand […]

VANCOUVER, Washington (March 15, 2021) — Burns & McDonnell, ranked No. 6 in Top 100 Design-Build Firms by Engineering News-Record (ENR), was selected by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to provide full-service engineering, architecture, environmental, permitting and construction solutions for a variety of power projects in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. As part of a five-year engineer-procure-construct […]

Continues Partnership with Bonneville Power Administration in Providing Power to Growing Region THE DALLES, Oregon (Aug. 5, 2019) — Burns & McDonnell, an engineering, architecture and construction company, completed design and construction of the new Quenett Creek Substation to meet increasing power demand east of Portland, Oregon, in several areas served by the Bonneville Power […]

Increased power generation from renewable resources such as wind and solar also has created a growing market for energy storage. Generators want to harness that power and have it available when it’s needed, whether or not the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. Rob Allerman, senior director of Power Analytics for Drillinginfo, which […]

When the blades of individual Kaplan turbines are not continuously adjusted to achieve peak efficiency, the result is non-optimal performance and unnecessarily high mortality of downstream migrating fish