Crews have finished installing a new high-voltage transmission line that improves the reliability of electrical service used to power waste treatment operations and other cleanup efforts at the Hanford site in Washington State.
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s Hanford Field Office, recently energized an 18-mile, 230-kilovolt transmission line.
It connects two substations, one near the center of Hanford operations and another just outside the site.
The new line replaces an 80-year-old system that contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) determined could no longer meet the site's long term cleanup needs.
A dual-circuit tower design is included in the new line. That improves reliability for key cleanup projects, including the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. That facility is preparing to begin turning radioactive tank waste into glass for safe disposal, a major milestone in Hanford's effort to reduce risks and protect the environment.
BPA constructed the towers and transmission line and will use the second circuit. HMIS supported the project and will operate the circuit that provides power to the Waste Treatment Plant and other key Hanford Site facilities.
“As the Hanford Site’s essential services provider, we make sure the infrastructure is ready to meet the demands of the work underway now, and decades into the future,” said Amy Basche, HMIS president. “This partnership with the Bonneville Power Administration helps ensure the Hanford cleanup mission continues to move forward.”
