Gorge Road Substation

Chelan County PUD is looking for community input as we find a location for a new substation and transmission line in southeast Chelan, near the Chelan Dam. Energy use in the Lake Chelan Valley has grown 3 to 5 times higher than in other areas of the county since 2015, and the existing substations serving this area are nearing capacity. This new substation will help meet increased electrical demand, while maintaining reliable electrical service for customers in the Lake Chelan Valley.

For more information about substations, visit our Substation FAQ.

Substation Site Evaluation

The PUD held an Informational Drop-in Session on May 15 to evaluate potential sites for the new substation. See site locations and evaluation here. Generally, the public preferred sites further to the east, and the PUD will pursue further evaluation of the area in and around sites A and B. If you have additional comments or feedback, please send to jenna.rahm@chelanpud.org.

The next step is to evaluate potential transmission alignments to serve the new substation.
   

Aerial Photo of the Chelan River

Project Timeline

This project is in the planning and community outreach phase in 2019, where community input will be gathered to help site the substation and transmission line. The PUD hopes to start the property acquisition and permitting phase in 2020, and have the substation online by January 2024 to meet projected electrical load growth in the valley.

Timeline for Chelan Dam Substation Project

Community Outreach

The PUD is inviting the community to help identify and weigh options for siting and designing this new infrastructure. We will update the information on this webpage, and you will hear more from us as meetings and community events are scheduled.

On March 13, 2019, PUD staff held a stakeholder luncheon and an informational drop-in session to gather feedback from the community about the proposed new substation. View an overview presentation about the Chelan Dam Substation, as well as the Chelan Transmission Fire Hardening Project.

On May 15, 2019, PUD staff held a second informational drop-in session to evaluate four potential sites for the new substation.

If you have any questions or comments, or would like to be added to our email list, reach out to Jenna Rahm at jenna.rahm@chelanpud.org or by calling (509) 661-4630.