The Energize Eastside project is building a new substation and upgrading approximately 16 miles of transmission lines within the existing corridor from Redmond to Renton. Combined with continued electric conservation, Energize Eastside will keep the lights on for homes and businesses in our Eastside communities for years to come.

Key facts

Click the facts below to learn more about Energize Eastside.

> The Eastside has grown and it's time for our infrastructure to catch up

The last major upgrade to the backbone of the Eastside’s electric grid was more than 50 years ago in the 1960s. Since then, our population has grown eight-fold and our economy relies on reliable power in ways that it did not 50 years ago. This growth will only continue. Projections by the Puget Sound Regional Council show the Eastside population will likely grow by another third and employment will grow by more than three-quarters over the next 25 years.
> Now is the time to upgrade

Studies projected that growth on the Eastside could cause demand for electricity to exceed the capacity of the backbone of the Eastside’s transmission system. In fact, our peak demand increased faster than modeled and our actual summer peak demand exceeded our load forecast for five of the past six summers — much earlier than expected. Our annual planning studies continue to confirm we need the project to meet federal reliability requirements.

Federal regulations require PSE to have sufficient infrastructure to meet foreseeable demand requirements or plan for intentional load shedding (also referred to as rolling blackouts or rotating outages) to customers. Our studies show that if no action is taken to upgrade the backbone of the Eastside's transmission system, PSE may have to use additional Corrective Action Plans that plan for intentional load shedding to meet federal requirements. PSE has reached out to Eastside cities to brief their staff on our Corrective Action Plans.

This could impact more than 130,000 customers, at a cost of tens of millions of dollars to the local economy. That is why we need to act now.

The Energize Eastside project will provide the necessary infrastructure to meet federally-mandated requirements. No responsible utility — or community, particularly those that value sophisticated technology industries — wants to use intentional load shedding as a federal compliance strategy. That certainly is not PSE’s desire, and it’s why we’re diligently working to permit and construct Energize Eastside.

> Independent studies confirm a solution is needed

"Is the [Energize Eastside] project needed to address the reliability of the electric grid on the Eastside? Yes." - Utility System Efficiencies, Inc., April 28, 2015

Multiple independent studies have made it clear that we need to upgrade the Eastside’s electric infrastructure now to accommodate local population and economic growth and avoid planning for power outages in the very near future.

Study	Author	Year	Commissioned by	Energize Eastside needed?
Electrical Reliability Study	Exponent	2012	City of Bellevue	Yes
Eastside Needs Assessment Report*	Quanta Technology	2013	PSE	Yes
Supplemental Eastside Needs Assessment Report*	Quanta Technology	2015	PSE	Yes
Independent Technical Analysis	Utility System Efficiencies	2015	City of Bellevue	Yes
Review of Project Need Memo	Stantec Consulting Services	2015	EIS consultant	Yes

*The redacted version is being shared because the full report contains critical energy infrastructure information that cannot be shared publicly according to the Federal Energy Regulation Commission. For rule details, please visit this link. The redacted information does not change the overall conclusions of the reports.

> We're working with property owners to replace trees

We know our customers value trees. By using the existing corridor for Energize Eastside, we will limit impacts to trees. Our goal is that, when the project is complete, there will be more trees, not less.

We are working with property owners on property-specific landscaping and tree replacement plans for Energize Eastside. As a responsible and respectful neighbor, we are reaching out to affected property owners to discuss their preferences and identify compatible vegetation to incorporate into these plans.
> Typical pole heights can be about 70 feet to 100 feet

This route will allow us to have fewer poles within the existing corridor. PSE is committed to keeping pole heights as low as possible. We are upgrading the existing four wooden poles to one or two steel poles. New poles will typically be located in the same or similar locations as the existing poles. The existing poles range from 55 feet to 65 feet in height and will be replaced with either a single pole typically at 80 feet to 100 feet in height or two poles typically at 70 feet to 85 feet. In some locations, poles may need to be taller than 100 feet, such as when crossing a highway.

Click here for more details about pole design.
> Safety is our top priority

Customer safety is always the first priority at PSE, and we have a long history of working closely with Olympic Pipe Line Co. (Olympic). PSE’s existing transmission lines have safely coexisted with the Olympic pipeline in this corridor for decades, even with periodic construction to replace poles.

Both companies have a mutual interest in the protection and safe operation of facilities in the corridor. High voltage electric transmission lines safely coexist with pipelines across the country and in Washington.

In addition, DNV GL, a leading national pipeline safety consulting firm, studied and confirmed that Energize Eastside can be safely colocated with Olympic Pipe Line Company’s pipelines throughout the existing corridor. Learn more about Safety.