Smart Wires’s advanced power flow control solution selected for new GRIP projects

Avista Utilities and Idaho Power will collaborate on this project to increase interregional transfer capability between the Pacific Northwest and Mountain regions through innovative construction approaches and power electronics to optimize use of the transmission system. Under the project the Lolo-Oxbow 230 kV transmission line will be reconstructed with wildfire-resilient designs and materials, and SmartValves will be deployed to balance flows across nearby transmission lines and ensure full utilization of the rebuilt Lolo-Oxbow line. This approach limits construction work to a single 230 kV line rather than rebuilding or reconductoring multiple lines.

“This project, by Avista Utilities and Idaho Power, exemplifies the effective use of our Advanced Power Flow Control (APFC) solution. By unlocking spare capacity during line reconstruction and enabling the system operator to fully utilize the rebuilt line, the transfer capacity between states is significantly increased”, said Joanna Lohkamp, Smart Wires CEO.

The project will improve resilience and reliability while increasing interregional transfer capacity by approximately 635 MW, benefiting hundreds of thousands of customers across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. It will also enable the Nez Perce Tribe to connect generation interconnection capacity for renewable resources on their reservation. Additional benefits include reducing unplanned line outages to fewer than one per year and minimizing outages during line reconstruction with drones to string new lines.

SmartValve is a leading APFC solution that injects a voltage in quadrature with the line current to synthesize either a capacitive (- Ωs) or inductive (+ Ωs) reactance. This means it can push power off overloaded lines or pull power onto underutilized lines, and it also provides dynamic services, including improving voltage and transient stability. More than two dozen utilities across the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, and Australia use SmartValve to unlock capacity and solve critical grid issues.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the GRIP program to invest in projects that enhance grid flexibility, improve the power system’s resilience against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change, and ensure American communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity when and where they need it. Smart Wires is already working on a large-scale project in Vermont with EPRI and VELCO, which received funding in the first round of GRIP projects last year.

More details on these and other projects announced by the DOE are available at https://www.energy.gov/gdo/grid-resilience-and-innovation-partnerships-grip-program-projects.

Specifically, the factsheet for this Avista Utilities project is available at https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/Avista_GRIP2_Fact_Sheet.pdf.

About the GRIP program

As of October 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced about $4.2 billion in investments in the second round of Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program for 46 projects across 47 states plus the District of Columbia to protect the U.S. power grid against growing threats of extreme weather, lower costs for communities, and increase grid capacity to meet load growth stemming from an increase in manufacturing, data centers, and electrification.

A full list of GRIP projects, including awards finalized to date, is available here. Award negotiations will begin immediately.

Learn more about the Grid Deployment Office and the GRIP Program here.

Read Avista’s Press Release here.

About Smart Wires

Smart Wires is a leading grid enhancing technology and services provider. We help electric utilities unlock capacity and solve their critical grid issues, using our solutions to create a more flexible, reliable and affordable grid. This enables a faster, more cost-efficient path to meet growing electricity demand with clean energy generation, at lowest cost to consumers. Headquartered in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, Smart Wires has a global workforce of passionate and visionary industry-leading experts across four continents, who work every day to transform grids globally. In collaboration with our customers and partners, we’ve unlocked over 3.5 Gigawatts capacity—enough to power over 2.5 million homes—supporting the faster integration of clean energy and new demand, enhancing security of supply and delivering cost savings to consumers.

Together, we are reimagining the grid for net zero.