Chelan County PUD is working to site a new substation and transmission line in southeast Chelan, near Gorge Road, on PUD property. Energy use in the Lake Chelan Valley has grown 3 to 5 times higher than in other areas of the county since 2015, and the existing substations serving this area are nearing capacity. This new substation will help meet increased demand, while maintaining reliable electrical service for customers in the Lake Chelan Valley.
Community Outreach
The PUD began initial public outreach on this project in 2019.
On March 13, 2019, PUD staff held a stakeholder luncheon and an informational drop-in session to gather feedback from stakeholders about the proposed new substation. View an overview presentation about the Chelan Dam Substation (now called the Gorge Road Substation).
On May 15, 2019, PUD staff held a second informational drop-in session to evaluate four potential sites for the new substation, and collect feedback on potential transmission alignments to serve the new substation. Generally, the public preferred Site B for the substation location, and Alignment A for the transmission line.
Since 2019, PUD staff have conducted further evaluations of the site, and we are doing preliminary investigations of permitting needs for the transmission alignment. We will come back to the community at a later date when we have more information to share.
If you have additional comments or feedback, please send to customeroutreach@chelanpud.org.