Having implemented a number of sustainability initiatives, Grant County Public Utility District will continue its quest for clean energy resources.
Grant County Public Utility District (PUD) in Ephrata, Wash., has been a progressive municipality since its inception in 1938. That was when Grant County residents formed their own public utility district after private utilities refused to provide electricity to the once-remote area. Today, Grant County PUD is a leader in science-based technology, having instigated a number of “firsts” that solidified its reputation for innovation and its commitment to sustainability. “We’re not only leading our region, but to some extent, we’re also leading the country,” General Manager Tim Culbertson says.
For instance, Grant PUD was the first to establish a “fish mode” turbine operations program. This increases the passage survival rates for out-migrating juvenile salmonids by concentrating operating turbines into blocks of adjacent units, which reduces predation on salmon smolts as they exit the turbine draft tube. After installing its first fish-friendly turbine at Wanapum Dam in 2004, the PUD increased maximum generation capacity by 12 percent on a per unit basis and water use efficiency by approximately 3 percent, while ensuring the safe passage of local fish species.
“We’re recognized in the region for our fish studies and for having some of the best fish programs for fish survival,” Culbertson attests. In addition to studying the survival rates of salmon, the utility also is leading the way in survival studies of the Pacific lamprey, a potentially threatened species. Grant PUD now is in the process of installing its seventh turbine at Wanapum Dam. When finished, it will install fish friendly turbines at the Priest Rapids Dam, one every nine months, he says.
Priest Rapids Project
Wanapum and Priest Rapids are two hydroelectric developments on the Columbia River. Combined, they are known as the Priest Rapids Project, and make up one of the nation’s largest hydropower operations, providing nearly 25 percent of the non-federal hydropower in Washington state. Priest Rapids Dam’s first generation occurred in 1959, two years before construction was fully completed; Wanapum Dam began operations in 1963.
In 2008, Grant County PUD received a new 44-year license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to continue operating the Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams after it negotiated an agreement with area tribes and wildlife agencies, such as the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, to ensure the protection of endangered and non-endangered species.
“Coincidental to installing new turbines, we are starting to replace all of the generators,” Culbertson says. “All of this is 50-year-old infrastructure, and we’re starting to see maintenance issues and failures of that equipment. The design is not the same between the two dams, so we are seeing higher maintenance and failure rates at Wanapum, which has helped us make our decision to go back and do the same work at Priest Rapids.”
Next year, Grant County PUD will embark on stringing a new 230-kilovolt transmission line that will extend 33 miles east from the Bonneville Administration’s Columbia substation. The $37 million project will provide the extra capacity needed to deliver hydropower to loads across Grant County. It also will increase transmission system reliability and improve voltage stability, Culbertson says. That project is expected to be completed in 2013.
Clean Technologies
Grant County PUD provides electricity to families and businesses in a rural farming area. The majority of its customer base is in the residential and agricultural markets, but the commercial aspect of its business is growing because several corporations are making plans to locate to the area and existing companies are expanding their operations. Aside from a growing population, the uptick in industrial business will put tremendous strain on the utility’s load capabilities.
Grant County PUD’s priority is to invest in clean technologies, but the utility is wary about meeting state and federal standards. “We know some states, including Washington, have developed an acceptable carbon standard,” Culbertson says. “We know a gas/fire combined cycle combustion turbine project under construction will meet the state’s standard, but we are nervous about what the federal government will establish as its carbon standard.” What might seem like the most economical choice to meet load demands at the time could be disadvantageous if market purchases are determined by carbon impact, he explains.
“The other real challenge in our region is meeting the integration requirement of these renewable resources,” Culbertson says. “When we say ‘renewable,’ 90 percent are wind resources, but they are a highly variable resource that only generates energy 30 to 35 percent of the time, so you have to have some generation that stands behind these wind resources. We have hydro regeneration flexibility, but with the amount of generation required, it will be a significant challenge to meet all of these new, intermittent resource requirements.”
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