Commission recap, 7/25/2023 — Grant PUD to seek federal funding for anchoring work at Priest Rapids Dam

Grant PUD to seek federal funding for anchoring work at Priest Rapids Dam

Grant PUD will seek $5 million in federal dam safety-funding to help cover a long-anticipated $38-$45 million project to anchor the spillway at Priest Rapids Dam more solidly to bedrock for added seismic strength.

The project is a smaller-scale version of work completed 22 miles up the Columbia River at Wanapum Dam in 2014 and 2015, Senior Manager of Power Production Dale Campbell told commissioners Tuesday in a quarterly business update.

A contractor will install post-tension strand anchors across the entire length of the dam’s spillway. Priest Rapids will require less anchoring than Wanapum did — two post tension anchors per spillway section versus the three per section at Wanapum. Wanapum also required additional bar anchors that are not needed at Priest Rapids. The same type of anchors used at Wanapum Dam will be used at Priest Rapids Dam.

Priest Rapids Dam leaks through some of the “lift joints” between pourings of concrete. The 65-year-old structure is safe and stable but isn’t heavy enough to adequately hold back the Columbia River to modern standards without additional anchoring.

The anchoring project was conceived shortly after the crack in Wanapum Dam was discovered, but other large projects have taken priority, Campbell said. With the Priest project fully designed, planned and analyzed with advice from the same contractor that did the Wanapum Dam repair, utility officials are ready to move ahead.

“They’ve done a good job at making sure we’re ready to do this at this time,” General Manager and CEO Rich Wallen told commissioners.

Work will be done with the Priest Rapids reservoir at its regular operation levels, Campbell said. Permit applications for the project must be submitted by October 2023 to qualify for the federal funding. Once the funding is received, Grant PUD will have three years to complete the project. Once work begins, the project will take approximately 18 months to complete.

Work on other major capital projects at Priest Rapids Dam are progressing well, Campbell said.

• A new concrete embankment on the Yakima County side of the dam is approximately one year ahead of schedule and expected to be finished in late August 2023. The embankment is in addition to an earthen embankment already in place. It’s a federally mandated project to increase the dam’s seismic strength.
• Crews are rehabbing the fifth of the dam’s 10 turbine/generating units. All 10 will eventually be rehabilitated with new or repaired parts.
• A more secure system for safely ensuring equipment is deenergized at the dams before repair or maintenance work begins should be in place by March 2024. The system replaces paper tags with actual locks to ensure the equipment can’t be re-energized while it remains under repair.

See the full presentation on pages 33-53 of the presentation materials. Hear the discussion at 1:15:41 on the commission audio.

New apprenticeships yielding well-trained, home-grown journeymen

A directive from Grant PUD commissioners to create in-house apprenticeships is already producing good results, Managing Director of Power Delivery Ron Alexander told commissioners Tuesday, during a quarterly business update.

Grant PUD Power Delivery departments have over the past two years added 17 apprentices who are learning the skills to become linemen, electricians, electrical and electronic techs and more. That’s up from only four apprentices a few years ago.

More apprenticeships are in the works and will soon cover all the craft positions on the utility’s Power Delivery side, Alexander said. Power Delivery is responsible for keeping the Grant PUD electric grid and its support and communications systems operating and prepared for future growth. It has a growing need for a competent and trained workforce.

“We as commissioners asked you for apprentices, and you guys took the ball. That’s impressive,” Commission President Nelson Cox said.

Alexander credits the apprentice programs, in part, for the utility having full employment in its line department for the first time in recent memory.

Both Alexander and Dave Boggs, the co-creator of a new apprenticeship in the Grant PUD Electronic Shop, said the apprentices they’re hiring are highly motivated and already from this area, reducing the risk of them leaving the area for other jobs once they’re fully trained.

See the full presentation on pages 54-72 of the presentation materials. Hear the discussion at 2:07:56 on the commission audio.

Retail average load dips below expectations in second quarter

Grant PUD’s retail power load was 7.6% below expectations for the months of April, May and June, according to a report given to commissioners by Grant PUD Rates & Pricing Economist, Amanpreet Singh. 

Singh stated that the utility had expected to serve an average load of about 680 average megawatts (aMW) during those second-quarter months, but the actual average load was 628 aMW. Residential sales were about 15% higher than expected because of temperatures above average in the late spring. However, irrigation and industrial sales were less than expected, primarily because large industrial and food-processing customers had unexpected slowdowns in production and expansion timelines. 

Also highlighted in the report, Rate Schedule 17 – Evolving Industry – had an average load of 33 aMW in the second quarter of this year. Rate Schedule 17 – Evolving Industry applied to cryptocurrency mining customers starting Feb. 1 this year. 

Singh showed the commissioners that the utility is projecting continued growth in average retail power load through the end of this decade. By the end of 2023, the average load is expected to be about 700 aMW. By the end of 2030, the load is projected to be above 900 aMW. 

See the full presentation on pages 73 – 145 of the presentation materials. Hear the full discussion at 3:39:01 of the meeting recording. 

Commissioners also:
— Unanimously approved Motion 3452, authorizing the General Manager/CEO on behalf of Grant PUD to increase by $699,824 existing contract 130-11080R with Basin Tree and Pest Service for a new contract total of $3.6 million. The increase will fund tree removal and trimming on Grant PUD’s distribution, fiber and electric system. For more information, see pages 8-17 of the commission packet.

— Unanimously approved a resolution accepting a bid and awarding contract 170-11777 to Stuart C. Irby Company for supplying ACSR and AAC conductor (wire) for the Quincy Transmission Expansion Plan. This item was planned for review only on 7/25/2023, but commissioners chose to approve the resolution to avoid delays in projects underway. For more information, see pages 18-66 of the commission packet.