Related News
Related News
-
Smart meters make UO move-in easier
Automatic move-in service order processing makes signing up for electric service easy for UO students and the entire Eugene community, while keeping utility vehicles off the road and lowering carbon emissions.
Find Out More -
EWEB customers achieve remarkable results in environmental stewardship through EWEB's Lead Green programs
Subscribers of EWEB's Lead Green programs helped reduce carbon emissions in 2023 by 730 metric tons of CO2e.
Find Out More -
EWEB prepares to re-energize the new Currin Substation
The rebuilt substation will increase load capacity, improve power reliability, and incorporate seismic resiliency to ensure service to our community for generations.
Find Out More -
EWEB, SUB and RWD join forces at Lane County Fair to distribute water to fairgoers
The Eugene Water & Electric Board, Springfield Utility Board and Rainbow Water District are teaming up for the 9th year to provide fairgoers with clean, cold free water.
Find Out More -
Demand for EWEB electricity during heatwave nearly broke all-time summer record
Climate-driven weather extremes, home electrification, high-tech manufacturing and data centers will cause electricity demand to surge across the Pacific Northwest.
Find Out More -
EWEB explores rate increases to cover rising costs and to modernize infrastructure
Amid rising inflation and other challenges, rate increases are necessary to maintain reliable utility services and fund critical investments in Eugene’s water and electric infrastructure.
Find Out More -
EWEB prepares for rising energy demand as weekend heat wave arrives
Electricity supply is sufficient for now, but new supplies will be necessary in the years ahead to keep pace.
Find Out More -
EWEB preparing for expected surge in electric vehicles
Electric vehicle (EV) sales are poised to skyrocket in the years ahead as technology improves, more models hit the market, prices fall and regulations limit the sale of gas-powered vehicles. And EWEB is preparing for this surge.
Find Out More -
Community members can test out climate-friendly e-bikes at E-Bike Expo on Saturday
EWEB encourages Eugene residents to ride into summer on clean, accessible e-bikes, with a $300 e-bike rebate.
Find Out More -
EWEB invests in satellite-based forestry analytics for vegetation management
EWEB maintains over 1,300 miles of overhead transmission and distribution lines. To aid crews in identifying hazardous vegetation growth in a sometimes heavily forested service territory, EWEB is utilizing a new satellite-based forestry analytics software called Overstory.
Find Out More -
Tips to stay cool while saving money this summer
June is quickly approaching, and that means summer weather is just around the corner. Before you turn up the air conditioning and see an increase in your utility bill, try these tips to prepare your home for warmer weather to keep your home cool.
Find Out More -
EWEB offering additional energy efficiency supplement to qualified customers
Current EWEB residential electric customers may qualify to double their energy efficiency rebates with a limited time supplement.
Find Out More -
EWEB opens application for 2024 Electric Mobility Community Grants
Grant awards of up to $30,000 to cover costs associated with electric mobility projects.
Find Out More -
Upgrades to Eugene's downtown electric network continue
You may have noticed construction this week on the corner of 7th and Pearl Street. That’s because crews replaced a corroded, aging vault with an innovative, new Voltek vault. The Voltek design allows for the new infrastructure to be built inside of the existing aging vault. We’re able to install the new vault while the cables are still energized, minimizing disruption to customers and traffic while cutting construction time in half.
Find Out More -
The Big Freeze 2024: After Action Report
Winter 2024 was one for the records books, and we'll look back on it for years to come and say, "That was a doozy!" The back-to-back January Ice Storms caused widespread damage to EWEB’s service territory, affecting approximately 38,000 customers. Preliminary repair costs were over $8 million, and additional repairs to transmission lines are still required.
Find Out More - Show More
EWEB Will Retain Stone Creek Hydro Project under New Management Contracts
May 12, 2020
Owned by EWEB since 1994, Stone Creek is a small but mighty hydro generation project on the Clackamas River approximately 45 miles southeast of Portland. Historically the facility has been operated and maintained for EWEB by Portland General Electric, but in late 2019, PGE notified EWEB that they would no longer operate the plant due to changes in their corporate strategy.
Stone Creek is a run-of-the-river project capable of producing 12 megawatts of power. For reference, EWEB's largest owned power source, the Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project on the McKenzie River, has a capacity of 114 megawatts, enough electricity to power 16,000 homes per year.
"Though a relatively small generation facility, Stone Creek has consistently provided positive revenues to EWEB customers and is a reliable producer of carbon-free, local hydropower for Eugene and the region," said EWEB General Manager Frank Lawson.
With the operations and maintenance contract between EWEB and PGE about to expire, EWEB Commissioners at the May 5 Board meeting, approved two separate agreements that will keep Stone Creek providing clean, reliable power to EWEB customers.
The first is a five-year Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Energy Northwest to operate the hydroelectric plant and the transmission line running from the plant to EWEB's Harriet Lake Substation. The second agreement is a 10-year contract with Portland General Electric to operate the transmission line that ties the Harriet Substation into PGE's Oak Grove Substation, where the output from Stone Creek ties into the regional grid.
"I'm probably one of the few people that remembers when this project was initiated," said EWEB Commissioner Dick Helgeson, who represents customers in South Eugene Wards 2 and 3 and is a retired EWEB executive with 32 years prior utility experience. "In my experience, this has been one of the better small hydro projects that EWEB has invested in over the years."
Hydroelectric plants are carbon-free generation resources. Because it's fueled by water, the Northwest's hydropower base does not produce air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly 80 percent of Eugene's power comes from hydroelectric projects.
EWEB is licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to operate Stone Creek through 2038. In addition to Stone Creek, EWEB customers own three McKenzie River hydro generation projects: Leaburg and Walterville hydroelectric projects, and Carmen-Smith.
Decisions such as retaining the Stone Creek project are part of EWEB's ongoing Electricity Supply Planning effort, a process that helps utilities understand the resources, technology, and infrastructure that will be needed to meet customers' future electricity needs.
"The most significant decisions confronting EWEB in the next decade involve sources of supply," said Frank Lawson. "We are looking at factors such as climate change and evolving customer expectations, and making generation resources choices that not only meet today's needs but also provide flexibility for serving our community under a variety of future conditions."
Watch a short video clip of Frank Lawson describing some of the benefits of the Stone Creek Project.