House Bill 3336 requires utilities to use so-called grid-enhancing technologies that can be installed on existing transmission lines to increase their efficiency, capacity and reliability.
The technologies include sensors, power-flow control devices and software to manage transmission congestion, improve operational efficiency and provide real-time data for operators to make more informed decisions. They also include new transmission wires — called conductors — that carry significantly more electricity than existing ones.
Oregon’s transmission system is at capacity — the region’s transmission lines are nearly full and developers and utilities face significant wait times to connect new clean energy projects to the grid. All the while, the state expects a 30% load growth over the next 10 years and a 100% load growth over the next 30 years — much of it coming from development of data centers, electrification of homes and electric vehicles.
“Not only do we need to keep the lights on, but we need to do so with renewable energy. Without additional transmission capacity, we will not be able to bring the renewable energy projects online that are needed to meet the state’s climate goals,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, Rep. Mark Gamba, a Democrat from Milwaukie.
While the need for new transmission lines is great, it takes a lot of money and several decades to build them — money and time Oregon might not have. Given the challenges, experts say installing grid-enhancing technologies is a no-brainer because their impact on the environment is much less severe and their benefits typically materialize within months not decades. The upgrades also cost significantly less than building brand new transmission lines, which spells major savings for taxpayers who typically pay for transmission investments.
The bill requires power companies to file a plan for using the technologies with the Oregon Public Utility Commission. The plan must be updated every two years and should identify which grid-enhancing updates are most cost-effective and can be carried out by January 2030.
The bill also eases the installation of such technologies by requiring local governments to review certain applications for their use without holding a public hearing. It passed the House 41-12 earlier this week and the Senate 23-4 last week and is headed to the governor’s desk.
The legislation stems from a working group brought together by Gamba that included utilities, climate and environmental nonprofits, renewable energy organizations and other players. The group came up with several bills, though the most consequential — which would have created a regional transmission organization to develop, finance, construct and upgrade transmission lines across Oregon — did not move forward.
Gamba’s group also crafted another bill to shorten the time it takes to build new lines by simplifying transmission permitting at the state level. House Bill 3681, approved by legislators earlier this month, limits who can participate in contested case proceedings and curtails the avenues via which Oregonians can challenge proposed energy facilities. It requires disputes over such facilities to be heard directly by the Oregon Supreme Court, not the Circuit Court, which makes such cases much more difficult to win.
That bill passed the House 36 to 21, the Senate 19 to 10 and was signed by Gov. Kotek last week.
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