The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has proposed 13 new transmission projects to expand the Pacific Northwest's grid infrastructure.

The BPA service area covers around 75 percent of the Pacific Northwest, with its primary service area in Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho.

Combined, the projects are estimated to cost approximately $3 billion. Each project must undergo preliminary engineering and environmental review to inform a final construction decision. A complete list of the proposed projects can be found here.

“With historic levels of high demand growth projected across the region in the years to come, the 13 transmission projects being announced today by BPA represent a big step forward on system capacity and reliability," said DOE infrastructure undersecretary David Crane. "The result should be a lasting benefit to BPA’s customers and to the energy consumers of the Pacific Northwest more generally."

The decision follows BPA's announcement of 10 other projects in July 2023. Following this announcement, the overall transmission upgrade cost is estimated at $5 billion.

In addition, for the financial year 2025, BPA has approved a budget of $590 million for grid reinforcements to maintain reliability and preserve existing transmission lines, substations, and other equipment.

The decision to expand its grid infrastructure results from increasing grid pressure from the shift to renewable energy and the emergence of data centers that require ever-increasing amounts of electricity to power their operations.

In July, a Northwest Power and Conservation Council forecast warned that the Pacific Northwest’s power grid could reach its capacity within five years due to the surging electricity demands of the rapidly growing data center industry.

“If projected efficiency improvements in data center operations are not realized, or if data centers expand in the region beyond current known plans, their power demand could increase significantly - to nearly 2,500 average MW by 2030,” it said.

The region has become increasingly popular with hyperscalers, attracted by its cool climate and large amounts of available hydropower. Amazon has a host of data centers in Oregon, while Microsoft has facilities in Quincy, Washington, and has purchased land in Malaga for a new campus.