Pacific DC Intertie

Map of the route of the Pacific Intertie transmission route and stations

The Pacific DC Intertie (also called Path 65) is an electric power transmission line that transmits electricity from the Pacific Northwest to the Los Angeles area using high voltage direct current (HVDC). The line capacity is 3.1 gigawatts, which is enough to serve two to three million Los Angeles households and represents almost half of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) electrical system's peak capacity.[1]

The intertie originates near the Columbia River at the Celilo Converter Station of Bonneville Power Administration's grid outside The Dalles, Oregon and is connected to the Sylmar Converter Station north of Los Angeles, which is owned by five utility companies and managed by LADWP. The Intertie can transmit power in either direction, but power flows mostly from north to south.

The section of the line in Oregon is owned and operated by Bonneville Power Administration, while the line in Nevada and California is owned and operated by Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[2] The transition is at the Oregon–Nevada border, at 41°59′47″N 119°57′44″W / 41.9964°N 119.9623°W / 41.9964; -119.9623 (Pacific Intertie ownership boundary).

This is one of two HVDC lines serving Los Angeles; the other is Path 27.

  1. ^ Sharon Bernstein and Amanda Covarrubias (July 10, 2006). "Heat Wave Caught DWP Unprepared". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Pacific Direct Current Intertie (PDCI) Upgrade Project (DOE/EA-1937) Lake, Jefferson, Crook, Deschutes, and Wasco counties, Oregon". Bonneville Power Administration. Retrieved 2019-12-29.