Celilo
Substation · The Dalles, OR
Celilo is BPA’s HVDC converter station near The Dalles, Oregon, at the northern end of the Pacific Direct Current Intertie.
Overview
- Voltage levels
- 1,000 kV · 230 kV
- HVDC converter station
Celilo converts power between AC and DC at the northern terminal of the Pacific Direct Current Intertie. The 846-mile transmission corridor links The Dalles, Oregon, with Sylmar, California.
Profile
- 2016 modernization
- BPA completed a $370 million modernization in 2016, replacing aging converter equipment and introducing digital controls. Seven new transformers were manufactured by ABB in Sweden and delivered to Celilo in 2015. The project reduced the converter station’s footprint by half.
- Station voltages
- BPA’s July 2025 transmission study identifies a 1,000 kV DC link at Celilo. The intertie is also described as ±500 kV: 500 kV on each pole. HIFLD’s December 2014 station record additionally lists a 230 kV voltage level.
- Operation and financing
- BPA operates Celilo. The 2016 financing plan called for about $325 million in municipal bonds issued by the Port of Morrow, repaid with interest from BPA’s lease payments. The port held title to replacement equipment, while BPA had exclusive rights to use, operate and maintain it and bore the debt-service costs.
Station
- Station type
- HVDC converter station
- Operating status
- In service
Reported Dec 5, 2014
Related records
Sources
Bonneville Power AdministrationCelilo Converter Station — April 2016SourceBonneville Power AdministrationBPA Facts — fiscal year 2020SourceBonneville Power AdministrationPacific Direct Current Intertie UpgradeSourceHIFLD / original BPA GIS sourceHIFLD Electric_Substations record 201058SourceBonneville Power AdministrationBP-26 transmission segmentation study — July 2025Source