May 1, 2025
Part of Multi-State Effort to Modernize Electrical Grid Infrastructure Across the Pacific Northwest
Goldendale, WA — Klickitat Public Utility District (PUD) has been selected to receive $2.6 million in grant funding from the Washington State Department of Commerce as part of a major regional initiative to strengthen the electrical grid’s reliability and resilience. This funding, part of a larger $23 million investment across Washington, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and Washington’s Climate Commitment Act.
Klickitat PUD is proud to have received funding for 8 of its 10 submitted project proposals—out of just 18 projects awarded statewide. This achievement is a testament to the proactive planning and technical expertise of the utility’s Engineering team. Each project required a detailed and competitive grant application, highlighting the significance of every award received. The grants are now pending final approval by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office.
The $2,635,283 awarded to KPUD will fund infrastructure upgrades aimed at reducing wildfire risk, mitigating storm damage, and preventing outages across Klickitat County. Key improvements include:
- Transmission line and pole upgrades along Highway 142
- Rerouting and undergrounding over 5,000 feet of overhead lines
- Replacement of single-phase systems with three-phase infrastructure
- Upgrading 10,000 feet of existing transmission lines
- Enhanced circuit connections between substations for increased system reliability
“We are pleased to have been selected to receive cost share funding under the Washington State Department of Commerce’s EPIC Grant program,” said Mark Garner, Engineering Supervisor at Klickitat PUD. “This funding will support our ongoing efforts to strengthen and modernize our power grid, allowing us to undertake vital projects that will not only harden our system against wildfires and severe weather, but also address the increased demand for electricity in areas experiencing significant growth over the past decade. Ensuring reliable and resilient energy for our communities.”
These awarded projects were all part of Klickitat PUD’s long-term plans, but with two-thirds of the project costs now covered by state and federal funding, they can be completed more expeditiously. This support allows essential upgrades to move forward on schedule with
significantly less cost impact to both the utility and our customers—projects that would have otherwise been fully funded by ratepayers.
This initiative is part of a broader effort across Washington and Oregon to prepare grid infrastructure for rising demand, more frequent extreme weather events, and increased wildfire threats. If all projects are approved, public utilities across both states will receive over $26 million in resilience funding.
Projects are advancing to the final approval stage and are expected to begin planning and implementation later this year.