Avista selected for $85M grant for transmission line update

The U.S. Department of Energy is awarding $85,664,781 in grant funding through its Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program to Avista (AVA), in partnership with Idaho Power, to reconstruct the Lolo-Oxbow 230-kV transmission line. The line runs from the Oxbow Dam on the Oregon-Idaho border to Lewiston, Idaho. Idaho Power’s new Pallette Junction Station will increase interregional transfer capability between the Pacific Northwest and Mountain regions. The project uses innovative construction approaches and advanced power flow control devices to optimally distribute power across the Lolo-Oxbow line and three other lines that comprise an Idaho-to-Northwest transmission path whose capacity is currently strained. This modernization will benefits hundreds of thousands of people by: Improving the power system’s resilience against wildfires, aiming to reduce line outages to less than one per year. Increasing interregional capacity by approximately 635 MW, benefiting customers across the region, including the Nez Perce Tribe as they seek generation interconnection capacity for renewable resources on their reservation. Enabling workforce development and job creation, including collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers labor union. Together, Avista Utilities and Idaho Power Company will contribute approximately $86 million to complete the project over the next five years.