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PUD crews are working at Rocky Reach Switchyard installing a new circuit breaker and making the final connections to the transmission line that will carry electricity from Rocky Reach Dam across Burch Mountain to the Andrew York/Monitor Switchyard on Easy Street, northwest of Wenatchee. The 8.5-mile transmission line is expected to start delivering power by late 2008.

The new line is being built to increase reliability on Chelan County PUD’s electric system and to meet expected growth in power demand over the next 20 years.

“We have two connections into our internal transmission system that serves our customers, which are approaching capacity,” said Chad Rissman, PUD electrical engineering manager. “This new line will provide a third.”

The power lines are supported by 44 steel structures, with a weathered finish chosen to better blend into the hillside. Temporary roads provided access for part of the line construction. Five of the support structures in remote locations were placed by helicopter. Construction of the transmission line in areas of mule deer habitat was timed to limit the impact on wildlife.

Last fall the new 230-kilovolt electrical bus for the Andrew York Switchyard was constructed. The bus will connect the transmission line to the switchyard. A $2.6 million transformer was installed, the largest transformer in the PUD’s system.

Work on the 230kv bus extension for the Rocky Reach Switchyard is going on now, then the line and transformer will be tested and energized.
When complete, the new transmission line will carry enough power to serve about 125,000 homes on lines that are the largest in the PUD system.
The overall project cost including materials and transformer is estimated at $10 million.