Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB)

Smile-worthy EWEB news: In 2023, EWEB customers cut carbon emissions by 730 metric tons by voluntarily choosing to invest in community-wide sustainability efforts. That's roughly the equivalent of taking 174 gasoline-powered vehicles off the road! 🚙 🌎 Other highlights from the year include: 🌱 Funding $125,000 of incentives for over 150 solar installations. 🌱 Providing a $20,000 grant to Friends of Trees to plant trees in Eugene neighborhoods with low tree cover. 🌱 Planting over 30,000 trees and shrubs in the McKenzie Watershed. Check out the local news coverage of these results: https://lnkd.in/gERQExg3 And read full details in our newsroom: https://lnkd.in/geHRTx-b

What does Nextdoor offer for public utility agencies? The ability to select and communicate with specific neighborhoods. 🏡 💡 Adam Spencer from EWEB's communication team spoke with Andy Johns about utilizing the geographic filters on Nextdoor for the Pioneer Utility Resources podcast. By selecting neighborhoods, we can give local construction projects or outage updates to those who are experiencing it. And due to Nextdoor's location verification, we know we are speaking to those who live in our service territory. Learn additional nuances and benefits to Nextdoor by listening to the podcast on Pioneer Utility Resources website, Apple Podcast, and Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eNVcZrj4 Or watch the conversation on YouTube: 💡 https://lnkd.in/eMKHfX3m And check out EWEB's Nextdoor page: 🏡 https://lnkd.in/enzjjAj8

Carbon drawdown is vital to averting the worst effects of climate change. We know planting trees is one of the best ways to pull GHG from the atmosphere - but which trees should we plant? Where should we plant them? And how do we fortify these trees' carbon storing properties? EWEB is proud to work with the University of Oregon's Soil, Plant Atmosphere Lab to answer these questions. As a steward of the McKenzie watershed and a key partner to helping Eugene realize our climate goals, supporting this research will help us implement reforestation strategies that optimize carbon sequestration, riparian health and wildfire resiliency - all while training the next generation of climate scientists here in the Willamette Valley. Read below to learn more about the SPA Lab Team's presentations at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, including Courtney Mathers's study on how different tree species interact differently with soil fungal networks to store carbon at varying rates and Emily Huckstead's study on how the addition of basalt dust can support tree growth, survivability, and carbon sequestration rates:

WE'RE HIRING: Line Technician ⚡️ Become a Line Technician, and you could be part of EWEB’s 2025 Lineman Rodeo Team! EWEB is currently seeking Journey-level Line Technicians to construct, repair, and maintain electric power systems and ensure our customers always have electricity. The successful candidate will work as a member of a crew to repair and replace hardware, prepare and set line structures, transfer energized and de-energized wire, assist underground network crews as needed, and more. Apply today! https://lnkd.in/gz47VfYt #hiring #jobposting #linetechnician #Eugene #Oregon

Some dams generate electricity for an astonishingly low cost. 💧 These are the dams—mainly on the Columbia River—that allow EWEB to keep customer rates low. Other dams cost so much to operate that they lose money. 💸   Alex Baumhardt described eight dams in the Willamette Basin, which are slated to lose $940 million in the next three decades, for an article in the Oregon Capital Chronicle (part of States Newsroom). These dams were built between 1940 and 1960 primarily for flood control in the Willamette Valley. And ever since, fish have struggled to get past them, except for when the reservoirs are drawn down.    While fish populations continue to decline, the eight Willamette Basin dams produce less than 2% of the Columbia River System’s power. A recent federal study shows that operating costs for hydropower production from the eight dams outweigh the revenue. At what point does the electricity from the dams become so expensive that it’s not worth continuing to operate the Willamette Basin dams for hydropower? Publicly owned utilities (Public Power Council) and The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde agree: ending hydropower generation at the dams is the smart thing to do. “We already know that the Willamette Basin projects are the least efficient hydropower resources in Bonneville Power Administration’s portfolio,” said Aaron Orlowski, a spokesperson for EWEB. “Changing how they operate will have benefits for fish and wildlife, while saving money for publicly owned utilities.” Read the article: https://lnkd.in/gidhVhUQ #Hydropower #Dams #Energy #Oregon #PNW

EWEB's linemen and apprentices competed at the 30th annual PNW Lineman Rodeo. The team placed 6th out of 17 teams. We are proud of our local champions and appreciate the media coverage we received. This was a great opportunity to showcase a career and the #powerbehindthepower that few in our community know about but that we rely on to keep the lights on! #linemenappreciation https://lnkd.in/g5ikBTDB https://lnkd.in/ghxDBedZ International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)

Remember that heat wave in early July? We ran the numbers, and it nearly broke summer electricity demand records in Eugene! 🌡☀ The only summer day with higher electricity demand was in 2006, when there was an additional large industrial customer in Eugene that consumed large amounts of electricity – the Hynix microchip manufacturing plant. The Hynix plant opened in 1998 and closed 10 years later due to a downturn in the market for microchips. The closure of the plant, and concurrent economic recession, prompted a steep drop in electricity demand in Eugene. Since then, overall demand has stayed relatively flat, while peak demand on the hottest days of the year appears to be creeping up. 📈 Check out KEZI's local coverage of the near-record-breaking heatwave: https://lnkd.in/gQ8vzwJy And read about why energy demand is creeping up, how EWEB is keeping costs low during the peaks, and what to expect in the future on our website: https://lnkd.in/gpv6jzEs #heatwave #electricity #demand #Eugene #Oregon #PNW

Today, reporters got an insider look at the newly rebuilt Currin Substation. EWEB engineers and contractors started demolishing the 60-year-old station in the spring of 2023 and has been working on it ever since. Over the next few months, the team will make final connections and adjustments and test the station equipment and control system to prepare for re-energization. The completion of this $16.1 million project is projected for October of this year. “The rebuild of Currin substation will allow us to increase load capacity to ensure we meet future demands and improve reliability by avoiding outages due to equipment failure or routine maintenance,” said Philip Peterson, EWEB engineer.    In addition, the new station is built to current seismic standards and practices, including robust and deep foundations, large equipment designed to support seismic standards, and flexible connections to allow structures within the substation to move independently of each other. Currin also incorporates enhanced security features to keep workers and Eugene's electric supply secure.    Currin Substation is just the first of several substations scheduled for a rebuild over the next decade as part of EWEB’s major infrastructure investments through our Capital Improvement Plan for rehabilitating, replacing, and installing new infrastructure. https://lnkd.in/gfkZqVuC

EWEB's tree-trimming efforts just got smarter and more efficient with Overstory. 🌲💡 To help prevent tree-related outages, EWEB crews trim over 500 overhead ‘line miles’ of vegetation each year. But it’s important to determine which sections of power lines need attention the most.    EWEB is using smart technology to solve this problem. By integrating advanced analytics and real-time satellite imagery, EWEB can proactively address high-risk areas and reduce the risk of tree-related power outages to enhance overall grid reliability.  Thank you, Paul Ciampoli, for your reporting in American Public Power Association (APPA) on the testing we've completed so far, and how EWEB plans to use Overstory moving forward. Read the full article below: https://lnkd.in/gNSNCVdr #Reliability #Forestry #Analytics #SmartTechonogy #EWEB

Weather drives demand for electricity. EWEB is planning on it. In the midst of the current PNW heat wave, EWEB expects residents to reach for their fans and air conditioning units—not just this weekend but as a trend across Eugene in the coming years. More people are installing air conditioning, electric heating, and electric vehicle charging, and more industrial customers are switching to electricity. As heat waves grow more frequent, weather grows more extreme, and more residents rely on electricity, energy shortages in the Western U.S. are a real threat in the not-so-distant future. According to a report by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC), the Pacific Northwest could see those shortages as soon as 2027. The report indicated if the PNW does not build any additional new energy resources that the region could face a near 50% chance in blackouts due to insufficient energy. Electricity supply is sufficient for now, but new supplies will be necessary in the years ahead to keep pace. Utilities, including EWEB, will need to either procure new sources of electricity that they can call upon on a moment’s notice to generate more power or find ways to pare back electricity demand when it’s at its highest. Read our research, resources, and how EWEB is planning for the future in our blog post: https://lnkd.in/g8VSzTWv And see news coverage about the hot topic: https://lnkd.in/gFMNEGrd https://lnkd.in/gheYq8zQ #PNW #heatwave #Oregon #Electricity #Energy #Future