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Published 1:30 am Thursday, July 16, 2026

By Phyllis Bernard

Commissioner, District 3,

Clallam County PUD #1

pbernard@clallampud.net

Those of us who live on the West End understand that some things are certain: rain, wind, and power outages. At the Clallam County PUD we work night and day to avoid disruptions to service, and if lines go out, for power to be restored as quickly as possible. Since Bonneville Power Administration is the only source of grid-level power on the Peninsula, we work closely with BPA to assure reliable, uninterrupted service by making continual improvements to transmission lines and transformers. We “harden” the system to reduce down-time.

Last year CCPUD hosted a joint meeting with BPA staff, the U.S. Forest Service, the WA Department of Natural Resources, the Mayor of Forks, and all three PUD Commissioners. The discussions were lively and, it turns out, productive. Six months later I received a call from the Manager of BPA Operations in the Puget Sound, to join a ride-along as he showed me their progress to date, plus future upgrades. This May, BPA met with PUD staff for an update on vegetation clearing for right-of-way and maintenance. BPA continues to survey danger trees, with greater attention paid to concerns raised by Forks residents.

Our PUD staff have underway several capital projects to replace transmission equipment under our control. You can see them on the PUD website under “About Us”. This article offers a brief narrative to track the “what, why, and when” of projects designed to keep the lights on, no matter what.

Completed: West Joyce upgrade ($80,000)

This project converted approximately 2,500 feet of transmission line to 3-phase, able to handle heavier loads. The line was also moved from overhead to underground, in a trench shared with a communications company. This project improves load balance and assure more stable voltages by protecting the wires.

July 2026 start: Sappho to Forks replacement poles ($600,000)

PUD staff successfully argued to BPA that the West End contains Highly Impacted Communities qualifying for higher priority in projects to assure reliable electric power in rural areas. This is one such project. It replaces ageing wood transmission poles from Sappho to Forks with fiberglass.

August 2026 start: Consolidation of Forks substations ($302,000)

Forks #2 substation is failing, and so will be consolidated with a rebuilt Forks #1 substation with a backup step-up transformer that supports the transmission of electricity over longer distances. This rebuild and consolidation will greatly improve resilience in the event of power failure. However, as anyone familiar with construction understands, the actual start date depends on when the substation transformer arrives from overseas.

Projected Fall 2026 start: Burnt Mountain Highway 113 replacement poles ($218,500)

Similar to the Sappho to Forks project, this replaces ageing wood transmission poles with fiberglass poles, this time on Highway 113 (Burnt Mountain). This is another Highly Impacted Communities project. As with so many construction projects on the Peninsula, the actual start date depends upon whether there will be sufficient time before storm season.

Projected mid-2027: Replacement transformer delays in Neah Bay ($430,000)

The Neah Bay substation transformer is ageing and a new 10MVA transformer has been ordered. The new transformer will greatly improve reliability and resilience, along with adding capacity. However, we join utilities throughout the nation as we face delays beyond our control, waiting on the global supply chain.

A Friendly Reminder:

The public is invited to attend meetings of the Board of Commissioners in person or online. Your CCPUD web page contains the link. PUDs are neighbors helping neighbors – and we do that best when we hear from you.