Walla Walla Washington Electrical Grid Rebuild

Walla Walla in central Washington is close to the Columbia River. Historically a wheat-growing area and home to such delectables as the Walla Walla Sweet Onion, a wine industry has developed and the city has grown to more than 30,000 residents. Walla Walla’s electrical system, which dates back to the 1920s, needs to grow with the city.

To increase capacity and reliability, a major Western utility that owns and operates Walla Walla’s electrical system called on Stanley Consultants to provide program management and full design for upgrading and rebuilding five transmission lines for a total of 12.7 miles and five connecting distribution substations. Design began in 2022 and was completed in late 2023. Construction is scheduled to be complete by year end 2024.

Rebuilds, especially something as complex as an electrical transmission system impacting thousands of property owners, are always challenging in a developed city with mature neighborhoods. While design creativity was a project need, the rebuild required tenacity and patience as the Stanley and ownership teams negotiated hundreds of situations, from line sags that conform to the utility’s standard to individual pole locations.

The new system will greatly improve reliability and double transmission capacity. It will triple the size of conductor wire, make room for a communication wire below the conductor, update and complete missing engineering documentation, significantly improve substation capacity and functionality and leave room to upgrade the system to smart grid capabilities.