$1 million approved for taller, safer bucket truck —  

Grant PUD commissioners Tuesday approved $1 million to buy a taller, more reliable bucket truck to enable crews to reach the highest pole structures safely.

The Altec truck would replace a smaller, 20-year-old truck that is slated for retirement.

The boom on the proposed new truck reaches a working height of 150 feet, compared to 100 feet for the old truck. It has “10-wheel drive” for off-road capability. Its boom is insulated, protecting crews from electrical shock, and its bucket is “self-leveling,” creating a safer, level working surface, even on uneven ground.

Altec is already building the truck for a utility equipment show in September. Grant PUD should receive the truck by year end, Transportation Manager Brian Barrows told commissioners. The wait time for such a truck is usually three years.

Commissioners were scheduled to vote on the purchase at their June 13 meeting, but decided to approve the purchase Tuesday to help ensure the truck arrives this year.

$75 million package of electric system upgrades nears completion

An approximately $75 million package of electric-system upgrades over 10 sites around Grant County will be complete by late next year to reduce outage times and increase the electric supply for residential, businesses and industrial growth.

Grant PUD Project Manager David Klinkenberg gave commissioners an update Tuesday.

The projects, which are known collectively as “Design Build 2,” include five new substations, upgrades to existing substations and the new, 10-mile, 115 kV Red Rock transmission line to increase the electric supply to Royal City.

Six of the 10 projects are more than 60% complete. Four are already energized and serving customers in the Quincy, George and Royal City areas.

 Grant PUD recreation-area visitor survey to launch in May Grant PUD employees will fan out this summer to gather feedback, face-to-face, from the true experts in the utility's 19 Columbia River recreation areas — the 500,000 visitors who camp, fish, picnic, swim, golf or otherwise enjoy them. Manager of License Compliance and Lands Services S...

Enter your text here ... Download PDF File Here

 Proven managers, skilled leaders and longtime employees Julie Pyper and Ty Ehrman have joined Grant PUD's executive management team. Pyper serves as Chief Administrative Officer and Ehrman as the Chief Customer Officer. "Julie's and Ty's skills and expertise will continue to be on full display, and we are excited to see them deliver positive ...

Commissioners, meeting Tuesday at Grant PUD's Hydro Office Building near Wanapum Dam, again heard from Grant County residents who oppose the route of a proposed new transmission line from the Wanapum Dam Switchyard near Beverly to the Mountain View Substation in western Quincy. The 230-kilovolt line, which is necessary to increase the electrical su...

WSU engineering students spend a week at Grant PUD"So, you decided to give up your spring vacation to spend a week with us," Commission President Nelson Cox said to four Washington State University students who visited Grant PUD March 13-17 for a five-day "practicum." HR Generalist Luis Sanchez and IT Manager Amanda Anthony led the four on an exten...

At their Feb. 28 meeting, Grant PUD commissioners: — Received an update from the Enterprise Project Management Office on the latest successes, that include: Additional training/certification for project-management staff members. The upgrades on the fifth turbine/generator unit at Priest Rapids Dam are ahead of schedule due to clear communication an...

Grant PUD and other utility companies throughout the state are closely monitoring House Bill 1329 and Senate Bill 5366 as they move through the state legislature. The companion bills establish statewide protections against power and water disconnects for non-payment during high heat days and were introduced to the legislature at the request of the ...

EPHRATA – Grant PUD will expand its high-speed, fiber-optic telecommunication service to more than 1,400 customers in 2023 as part of a county-wide buildout project. The areas slated for fiber buildout include: Warden Area Completion (Part of the 2022 delayed by supply issues, weather and permits.) Rural area north, east and south of Quincy (Part o...

As Grant County continues to grow, so does the demand for power. A team from Grant PUD, led by Chief Resource Officer Kevin Nordt, has been working on a plan for when power needs exceed the projected output from the utility's dams and other resources. Grant PUD expects that it will need to regularly blend in new power resources as early as 2025 dur...

Commissioners Nelson Cox and Terry Pyle sworn in for new terms Grant County Superior Court Judge Tyson Hill was on hand in Grant PUD's Ephrata commission room Tuesday to officially swear-in newly re-elected Commissioner Nelson Cox to a second, four-year term on the commission and Commissioner Terry Pyle to his first popularly elected six-year term....

Grant PUD approves $439.7 million budget for 2023 Grant PUD Commissioners unanimously approved the utility's 2023 operating budget during their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 22. One of the top budgeting priorities was dealing with a projected 8.7% cost impact to the utility. With the inflation factor, and initiatives to increase efficiency and improve s...

Grant PUD's hydro plants produce a million megawatt-hours more in 2022 than 2021 An emphasis on teamwork and putting resources to highest priority work has helped Grant PUD generate over a million more megawatt-hours of power in 2022 than it produced in 2021, Ben Pearson, Senior Manager of Hydro Generation explained during Power Production's third ...

Highest inflation in a generation adds to capital, other costs "Generational inflation" is having an impact on Grant PUD's financial planning and is reflected in the 2023 budget, which was presented to the commissioners and members of the public during a budget hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 11. John Mertlich, Senior Manager of Financial Planning & A...

​Inflation has an impact on Grant PUD's 2023 budget Grant PUD is not immune to the same inflationary pressures affecting the rest of the U.S. economy. During a presentation regarding the proposed 2023 budget, John Mertlich, senior manager of Financial Planning and Analysis, said that inflation is the most significant reason the 2023 budget is highe...

Oct. 25-26 at the Wanapum Heritage Center Archaeology Days is back to mix learning with fun at the Wanapum Heritage Center after a two-year hiatus during the COVID pandemic. Kids have their own day, Oct. 25, for some hands-on, kid-friendly learning about the customs and crafts of native, Columbia Plateau people, as well as area geology, river ...

"Now for some fun. Show-and-Tell time," Brett Lenz, Grant PUD manager of Cultural Resources told commissioners Tuesday, after he finished what is usually a very routine and subdued quarterly business report. He reached under the table where commissioners were gathered, pulled out a black backpack, reached inside and withdrew part of the toothy jawb...

New exhibit at the Wanapum Heritage Center runs through Jan. 15, 2023 MATTAWA —Journey through the Hanford Reach via photography, sound and video to delve into its atomic histories and secrets that enshroud them. The Wanapum Heritage Center's newest exhibit, "Hanford Reach: In the Atomic Field" will take you on that journey from the convenience of ...