PSE completes new $13 million high-voltage transmission line, improving electric reliability and capacity in South King County
BELLEVUE, Wash. (May 14, 2009) – Puget Sound Energy on Wednesday, May 13, completed construction of a new $13 million two-and-a-quarter mile high-voltage transmission line between PSE’s Berrydale substation and the Bonneville Power Administration’s Covington substation. The new Covington-Berrydale 230-kilovolt line, the second phase of a two-phase transmission project, will increase capacity and improve electric system reliability to PSE customers in the South King County and Covington areas.
“The addition of the Covington-Berrydale 230 kV line and upgrade of existing lines is an important investment to help meet our customers’ increasing energy needs, primarily resulting from continued growth in the area,” said Sue McLain, senior vice president of Operations for PSE. “This project is part of our on-going commitment to work with local neighborhoods and the Bonneville Power Administration to provide safe and reliable electric service to the community. I would like to thank our customers for their patience and support as we built the new system.”
The completion of the two-phase project creates a loop system, which enables power to be delivered to the same point from different paths in case one path is out of service due to planned or unplanned events. The first phase of work, a re-route of an existing 115 kV line, began in August 2007 and was completed in November 2007. The second phase work, the new 230-kilovolt line and upgrades to PSE’s Berrydale substation and BPA’s Covington substation, began in August 2008.
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About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state’s oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service area stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy serves more than
1 million electric customers and nearly 750,000 natural gas customers. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy, meets the energy needs of its growing customer base primarily in Western Washington through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, low-cost procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible.