US Dept. of Energy Awards $250 Million to CTWS & PGE

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWS) was selected to receive a $250 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help advance vital transmission upgrades.

Warm Springs submitted the grant application to DOE, in partnership with Portland General Electric, as part of the Grid Resilience Innovative Partnerships Program (GRIP) open to Tribes.

This significant investment in the reliability of Oregon’s clean energy infrastructure will enable enhancements to the existing 230 kV Bethel-Round Butte transmission line – a crucial artery in the region’s transmission system – connecting resources east of the Cascades to customers in the Willamette Valley.  The line connects the Round Buttte Hydroelectric project to Bethel – in Marion County near Detroit.  The Bethel-Round Butte transmission line was built in the 1960s.

New transmission capacity on the Warm Springs Reservation will enable the development of renewable infrastructure, accommodate new industrial development, create clean energy job opportunities, and bring revenue to historically underserved communities.

The Warm Springs Tribes and PGE have been partners at the Pelton-Round Butte hydropower facility, a certified low-impact hydro facility on the Deschutes River, since 2001.