230kV Transmission
1965 - Present
Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line
In 1965, the Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line, connecting the Round Butte Switchyard near Madras to the Bethel Substation in Salem, was constructed as an integral element of the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric project. This allowed the increased generation capacity on the Deschutes River to meet growing demand.
The line crosses Federal and State Forest lands, the Warm Springs Reservation, and other Federal and private lands along its 100-mile long corridor. In terms of its construction, the Bethel Round Butte line consists of three segments, two with wooden “H” frame poles and a central, steeper, section of steel latticework towers. The Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line was built 1962-1965 as part of PGE’s construction and development of the Round Butte Dam, an element of the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project, operated under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission License No. 2030.
The Bethel-Round Butte Transmission line is a single circuit 230 kV line that carries electric power generated at PGE’s Round Butte Powerhouse to PGE load centers in the Willamette Valley. Today, the line remains an integral element of PGE’s transmission network, as we seek to expand its capacity to meet future needs.
Erecting H-Frame Structures on the Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line, 1963
Erecting Steel Towers on the Bethel-Round Butte Transmission Line, 1963
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition
History of PGE
Electrifying Oregon
Powering Progress
A Thoughtful Transition