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Upgrade to power grid wise investment

The Olympian • Published December 24, 2008

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The project could serve as a model for other regions of the country where renewable energy projects are often located far from the population centers where the power is needed.

The federal Department of Energy predicts that 20 percent of the country could be powered by wind power by 2030. But to reach that target, it would require a $60 billion investment in the nation's energy grid.

Here in the Northwest, wind power capacity has reached 2,000 megawatts, which is enough electricity to power two Seattle-sized cities. Ironically, it's also nearly equals the amount of power the two Satsop nuclear power plants would have generated, if they had been completed.

The fact that another 4,700 megawatts of wind power is slated to come online in the Northwest in the next several years speaks to the urgent need to upgrade and expand the BPA transmission system.

Washington and Oregon have laws on the books that require the region's larger utilities to develop green energy resources. Thousands of Puget Sound Energy customers, including more than 3,200 in Thurston County have signed up for the utility's Green Power program, paying a premium for green energy. In most cases, wind power is the utility's renewable energy source of choice.

The nation has a myriad of infrastructure deficiencies, all worthy candidates for investment and inclusion in the economic stimulus package. But expansion and modernization of the nation's 200,000 mile-long electric transmission and distribution system is one of the most pressing needs, especially so if alternative energy supplies are going to reach their full potential.

"It's the sleeper issue," said Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island and a staunch supporter of a new green energy economy. "We need a grid for this century, not the last."

The first order of business is for Congress to double BPA's borrowing authority to $7 billion to pay for the transmission projects and other improvements in the system. The expanded authority should be included in the economic stimulus bill.

This isn't a bailout or a federal grant. It's a wise investment in green energy, backed by the ratepayers of the Northwest.