Skip to Content

Related News

  • Related News

  • Nine days without power: My ice storm story as an EWEB customer and employee

    While beautiful and peaceful, buying a home on the edge of the forest and surrounded by trees has its tradeoffs. Moving “upriver,” I knew there would be more threats to prepare for, including Mother Nature’s seasonal surprises.

    Find Out More
  • EWEB crews focusing on restoring electric service for Hayden Bridge Water Filtration Plant

    With more ice forecasted for Tuesday, all EWEB crews are in the field assessing outages and restoring power.

    Find Out More
  • Leaburg Decommissioning Action Plan

    Plan details next steps through regulatory processes to begin dismantling Leaburg Dam by 2032.

    Find Out More
  • Start the New Year saving money with energy saving tips

    We know that saving money is important to our customers. Using energy and water wisely is a great way to reduce your monthly utility bill, even as the costs of electricity and water rise. EWEB has several steps you can take to reduce your usage and even make your home feel more comfortable.

    Find Out More
  • Currin Substation: End of year update

    EWEB Engineer Philip Peterson explains what's been happening in the final stretch to complete the substation rebuild.

    Find Out More
  • Show More
Work Underway On New McKenzie River Substation

July 14, 2017

Construction workers build footings for new substation

Work is underway on a new, 115-kilovolt substation on 31 acres off of Holden Creek Lane and the McKenzie Highway.

The $5.8 million project will eventually replace the Leaburg Substation, which was built in the early 1930s and sits next to our Leaburg Powerhouse. The new substation will be located about 1/4 mile west of the existing Leaburg Substation.

The new Holden Creek Substation will improve the resiliency of our McKenzie River transmission system, save money and offer better environmental protection for the river, said Philip Peterson, an EWEB senior engineer.

When the Leaburg Powerhouse was completed in 1931, the 69-kilovolt substation was built adjacent to it along the river. By building a new substation about 1,000 feet to the west and farther away from the river, we eventually will be able to decommission the old substation and remove the transformers, which collectively hold about 11,000 gallons of mineral oil.

Along with the benefits of being located farther from the river, the modern transformers at the Holden Creek Substation will be filled with FR3 fluid, an environmentally friendly vegetable oil.

When construction work on the new substation is finished in the first quarter of 2018, it eventually will tie into the Bonneville Power Administration's transmission line, which runs adjacent to the Holden Creek property. That connection is expected to occur next summer or fall.

Once connected to the BPA transmission lines, we will be able to remove most of the old Leaburg substation. In the years after, we will be able to remove about 14 miles of transmission lines that run between the Leaburg and Walterville generation facilities.

"The removal of the transmission lines between Walterville and Leaburg will include all of EWEB's transmission lines that are visible from Highway 126, including the legally installed, but somewhat disconcerting lines that cross over the Walterville Elementary School activity fields," said EWEB senior engineer Richard Jeffryes, the primary designer of the project.

"Once those lines are gone, kite flying at the school will be much enhanced," Jeffryes said.