wiredinUSA October 2015

MAKING THENEWS New circuit flying high INDEX

The Big Eddy-Knight 500kV line has crossed the Columbia River in the final stages of its construction near The Dalles, Oregon. The new line, which spans 28 miles, will provide a route for power to cross between Oregon and Washington, bringing added capacity to an area that has seen rapid growth in renewable resources. The Big Eddy-Knight project adds 42 circuit miles of high voltage wires and 128 new towers to the BPA system, with each tower carrying two circuits. The first circuit is the new BE-K line, which connects the existing Big Eddy substation just east of The Dalles with the new Knight substation in Goldendale, Washington.

the second line will operate at 230kV, the towers, conductor and hardware are being constructed at 500kV for additional capacity in the future. To make the Columbia River Gorge crossing the design team created three towers that couldwithstandwindand ice storms while supporting nearly 300,000lb of bare wires. The crossing consists of two dead-end towers in either state and one 420-feet-tall suspension tower on the Oregon side. A helicopter was used to string the 18 conductors, first flying a rope through a sheave on the suspension tower and then connecting it to the tower on the opposite side of the river; finally positioning the conductor after a series of rope and cable pulls.

The second circuit is a rebuilt portion of the Harvalum-Big Eddy 230kV line. While

wiredInUSA - October 2015

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