Company: POR
Filing Date: 2025-04-25
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0000784977-25-000074
Chunk: 169

Company: PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC CO /OR/
Filing Date: 2025-04-25
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 2
Chunk 169
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 alignment with local and regional transmission plans, the 2023 IRP Action Plan, and CEP, PGE is evaluating and implementing upgrades to existing transmission resources and expansions of current transmission networks. Transmission resource actions are intended to alleviate congestion, improve regional adequacy and reliability, enable decarbonization goals, and address growing customer demand.

On May 28, 2024, PGE signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding in the development of the North Plains Connector, an approximately 415-mile, high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission line to be constructed with endpoints near Bismarck, North Dakota and Colstrip, Montana. The parties have entered negotiations with the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) to finalize the project objectives, terms, and conditions, including the Company’s participation, which is expected to involve a 20% ownership share of the approximately $3.2 billion total investment of the project. On August 6, 2024, the project was awarded a $700 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program to further support its development and would reduce the overall total investment of the project. A portion of the GRIP funding is allocated to assess upgrades to the Colstrip Transmission System. See “Federal Grants” in this Overview for further discussion over the impacts of Federal grants and effect of Presidential executive orders. 

The North Plains Connector would be the nation’s first HVDC transmission connection among three regional U.S. electric energy markets, providing additional flexibility and the sharing of resources across multiple time zones. PGE's resource planning process indicates the need for transmission to provide additional transfer capacity, access to diverse energy resources, access to enhanced wholesale markets, and ease congestion on the existing western 

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transmission system. PGE continues to explore the North Plains Connector as a resource to meet those load-service needs.

The U.S. DOE selected the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS) with PGE as a subrecipient under the grant, for a $250 million grant to upgrade the existing 230 kV Bethel-Round Butte Transmission line to 500 kV. The project will accelerate the development of transmission capacity, enabling new generation in Central and Eastern Oregon to reach customer demand loads in Western Oregon. The added capacity and associated upgrades will also increase resiliency of the transmission system as well as resiliency of the CTWS communities by increasing resources available to the CTWS to support economic growth