2026 Cap Projects

Lane Electric is working with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to convert 11 spans of overhead facilities to underground. BPA is working on a fiber optic project that requires trenching and lying conduit. Lane Electric will take advantage of this opportunity by placing its lines in the new conduit, eliminating the overhead segment and improving long-term reliability and maintenance.

Staff are working with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for approval to relocate 11 spans of line along the ODOT right-of-way on Highway 58. This will remove facilities from an unstable hillside and heavy tree exposure, improving access to the main line. Work will reduce recurring storm damage, decrease annual restoration labor, and improve system reliability and crew safety.

Lane Electric is undergrounding and upgrading lines, allowing us to:

• remove overhead line located on BLM property
• eliminate double-circuit poles that have been linked to outages
• increase capacity
• eventually, create a tie to pull back-up power from other sources on the Lane Electric system

Make-ready work is underway. We expect Lane Electric crews to begin their work in November.

Lane Electric is hardening our system in the McKenzie by undergrounding line, and installing electronic reclosers, tree wire, and fire-retardant pole wrap.

To improve reliability, Lane Electric installed underground switches where electrical feeders exit substations in the lower McKenzie. This simplifies the coordination between EWEB, which owns the substations, and Lane Electric when working on either system or dealing with outages.

Crews also installed new reclosers outside of all EWEB substations in the lower McKenzie.

In September, Lane Electric crews began work replacing aging poles along Doane Road.

The older poles were shorter and spaced farther apart, which can lead to line sag and potential conductor damage over time. By installing taller poles and shortening the spans between them, we’re improving system strength and boosting reliability for members in the area.

Crews replaced aging line that was susceptible to underground faults on North Bank Road. This project will improve service reliability, reduce fault frequency, and minimize outage duration for affected members.

Crews replaced 22 spans of aging lines along the McKenzie with new high-strength conductor. This process, referred to as reconductoring, will improve reliability and reduce the need for repeated maintenance.

Lane Electric is working on a multi-year project to connect two primary lines, increasing reliability for about 1,150 members in Veneta.

This project includes an underground switch installation that ties the primary lines together, allowing Lane Electric to remove the existing overhead lines in the Fern Ridge Reservoir area. Work began in 2025 and is expected to be completed this fall.